Strength in Numbers: Discovering the Joy and Power of Mathematics in Everyday Life

by Sherman K. Stein

Overview

An Easygoing, Highly Entertaining Refresher on all the Math You'll Ever Need.

What do two goats and a car have to do with making good decisions? Was the golden ratio used to build the Great Pyramid of Khufu? Can it be that some numbers are unmistakably "hot," while others are inherently "cool"? With his infectiously enthusiastic and engaging style, award-winning teacher and author Sherman K. Stein offers a new appreciation for mathematics, from the beauty of its logic ("as inevitable and memorable as a Mozart symphony") to its amazing power and pervasiveness in our lives. Requiring no math knowledge beyond basic arithmetic and high school geometry, Strength in Numbers is an enlightening introduction to all the math you'll ever need.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470348840
Publisher:	Trade Paper Press
Publication date:	05/02/2008
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

SHERMAN K. STEIN is a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Davis, where he received a distinguished teaching award. He is also a recipient of the Lester R. Ford Prize of the Mathematical Association of America for excellence in exposition on math. He is the author of Mathematics: The Man-Made Universe and The Guided Inquiry Series on math for high school students. He lives in Davis, California.

Table of Contents

Partial table of contents:

ABOUT MATHEMATICS.

The Many Faces of Mathematics.

The Spell of Cool Numbers.

Don't Do a Number on Me.

It Ain't Necessarily So.

The Mother of Invention.

Some Proposals, Modest and Immodest.

FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO KINDERGARTEN.

You Will Never See a Large Number.

Five Things You Can Do with Two Numbers.

Out of Thin Air.

The Three Sides of a Right Triangle.

Turning an Eguation into a Picture.

Why Negative Times Negative Is Positive.

CLOSER AND CLOSER.

Zero over Zero.

Trying to Find a Curved Area.

Finding a Curved Area.

One Thought in Parting.

Further Reading.

Glossary of Symbols.

References.

Index.

Editorial Reviews

Math teacher Stein explains to high school students the benefits of various levels of sophistication in mathematics, in getting better jobs, protecting themselves against deceit, and developing critical thinking. He also presents some principles using simple examples, among them the characteristics of right triangles, the nature of pi, graphing, and why negative times negative is positive. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"Let's cut to the quick. Read this book. Stein has given us a delightful, refreshing new look at old mathematics, and introduces us to the new in a readable and entertaining way."-New Scientist

"The diverse themes hold the reader throughout. . . . A rich and charming book."-Choice

"Strength in Numbers should find a home in every school library, and mathematics teachers will want to recommend chapters of this book to their students."-Mathematics Teacher

From the Publisher