Street-Fighting Mathematics: The Art of Educated Guessing and Opportunistic Problem Solving

This practical guide to educated guessing shows you how to find answers to partly-defined mathematical problems-without needing proof or an exact calculation.

In problem solving, as in street fighting, rules are for fools: do whatever works-don't just stand there! Yet we often fear an unjustified leap even though it may land us on a correct result. Traditional mathematics teaching is largely about solving exactly stated problems exactly, yet life often hands us partly defined problems need...