Beautiful, Simple, Exact, Crazy
Mathematics in the Real World
Published on 12. November 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
480 pages
978-0-300-19089-2 (ISBN)
Description
In this vibrant work, which is ideal for both teaching and learning, Apoorva Khare and Anna Lachowska explain the mathematics essential for understanding and appreciating our quantitative world. They show with examples that mathematics is a key tool in the creation and appreciation of art, music, and literature, not just science and technology. The book covers basic mathematical topics from logarithms to statistics, but the authors eschew mundane finance and probability problems. Instead, they explain how modular arithmetic helps keep our online transactions safe, how logarithms justify the twelve-tone scale commonly used in music, and how transmissions by deep space probes are similar to knights serving as messengers for their traveling prince. Ideal for coursework in introductory mathematics and requiring no knowledge of calculus, Khare and Lachowska's enlightening mathematics tour will appeal to a wide audience.
Reviews / Votes
"A whirlwind tour through mathematics and its applications to the real world, laced with stimulating exercises and fascinating historical insights. Destined to become a classic of mathematical exposition."-Eli Maor, author of e: the Story of a Number and Trigonometric Delights"Khare and Lachowska introduce bite-size pieces of important math by surrounding them with interesting context, from the Monty Hall problem for probability to a story by Dino Buzzati for velocity. Math treated with seriousness and fun."-Michael Frame, co-author, with Benoit Mandelbrot, of Fractals, Graphics, and Mathematics Education
"It is an excellent book, well-suited for a thoughtful, quantitatively-rigorous 'Math for Humanists' course."-William Goldbloom Bloch, author of The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel
"The authors have assembled a fascinating group of very interesting topics."-Richard Bedient, Hamilton College "A whirlwind tour through mathematics and its applications to the real world, laced with stimulating exercises and fascinating historical insights. Destined to become a classic of mathematical exposition."-Eli Maor, author of e: the Story of a Number and Trigonometric Delights -- Eli Maor "Khare and Lachowska introduce bite-size pieces of important math by surrounding them with interesting context, from the Monty Hall problem for probability to a story by Dino Buzzati for velocity. Math treated with seriousness and fun."-Michael Frame, co-author, with Benoit Mandelbrot, of Fractals, Graphics, and Mathematics Education -- Michael Frame "It is an excellent book, well-suited for a thoughtful, quantitatively-rigorous 'Math for Humanists' course."-William Goldbloom Bloch, author of The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel -- William Goldbloom Bloch "The authors have assembled a fascinating group of very interesting topics."-Richard Bedient, Hamilton College -- Richard Bedient
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
72 b-w illus.
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
703 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-300-19089-2 (9780300190892)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
08/2020
1st Edition
Yale University Press
from
€21.59
Available for download
Persons
Apoorva Khare is currently a research associate in mathematics and statistics at Stanford University. Anna Lachowska is a lecturer in mathematics at Yale University.