×


 x 

Shopping cart
John Allen Paulos - A Numerate Life: A Mathematician Explores the Vagaries of Life, His Own and Probably Yours - 9781633881181 - V9781633881181
Stock image for illustration purposes only - book cover, edition or condition may vary.

A Numerate Life: A Mathematician Explores the Vagaries of Life, His Own and Probably Yours

€ 17.06
FREE Delivery in Ireland
Description for A Numerate Life: A Mathematician Explores the Vagaries of Life, His Own and Probably Yours Paperback. Num Pages: 200 pages. BIC Classification: BGTA; PB. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 229 x 152. Weight in Grams: 367.
Employing intuitive ideas from mathematics, this quirky "meta-memoir" raises questions about our lives that most of us don't think to ask, but arguably should: What part of memory is reliable fact, what part creative embellishment? Which favorite presuppositions are unfounded, which statistically biased? By conjoining two opposing mindsets--the suspension of disbelief required in storytelling and the skepticism inherent in the scientific method--bestselling mathematician John Allen Paulos has created an unusual hybrid, a composite of personal memories and mathematical approaches to re-evaluating them. Entertaining vignettes from Paulos's biography abound--ranging from a bullying math teacher and a fabulous collection of baseball cards to romantic crushes, a grandmother's petty larceny, and his quite unintended role in getting George Bush elected president in 2000. These vignettes serve as springboards to many telling perspectives: simple arithmetic puts life-long habits in a dubious new light; higher dimensional geometry helps us see that we're all rather peculiar; nonlinear dynamics explains the narcissism of small differences cascading into very different siblings; logarithms and exponentials yield insight on why we tend to become bored and jaded as we age; and there are tricks and jokes, probability and coincidences, and much more. For fans of Paulos or newcomers to his work, this witty commentary on his life--and yours--is fascinating reading.

Product Details

Publisher
Prometheus Books United States
Number of pages
200
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2015
Condition
New
Weight
257g
Number of Pages
206
Place of Publication
, United States
ISBN
9781633881181
SKU
V9781633881181
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 15 to 20 working days
Ref
99-15

About John Allen Paulos
John Allen Paulos is a professor of mathematics at Temple University and the author of eight previous books, including the best-selling Innumeracy and, most recently, Irreligion- A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up.

Reviews for A Numerate Life: A Mathematician Explores the Vagaries of Life, His Own and Probably Yours

Goodreads reviews for A Numerate Life: A Mathematician Explores the Vagaries of Life, His Own and Probably Yours


Subscribe to our newsletter

News on special offers, signed editions & more!