Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences

Description

'Taught me more about the handling of numbers in real life than a thousand hours of maths teaching' Simon Jenkins, The Times Why do even well-educated people often understand so little about maths - or take a perverse pride in not being a 'numbers person'? In his now-classic book Innumeracy, John Allen Paulos answers questions such as- Why is following the stock market exactly like flipping a coin? How big is a trillion? How fast does human hair grow in mph? Can you calculate the chances that a party includes two people who have the same birthday? Paulos shows us that by arming yourself with some simple maths, you don't have to let numbers get the better of you.

John Allen Paulos is professor of mathematics at Temple University in Philadelphia. He is author of several books, including the bestseller Innumeracy which was a New York Times bestseller for 18 weeks and A Mathematician Plays the Market. In 2003, Paulos won the American Association for the Advancement of Science award for promoting public understanding of science.

John Allen Paulos is the maths teacher I found twenty-five years too late -- Sean French * Independent * Innumeracy would improve the quality of thinking of virtually anyone * Isaac Asimov * Paulos provides much in this book that is thought-provoking and informative. Markets can sucker even a maths professor. At least he can explain why * Financial Times * Paulos mixes high mathematics with the kind of stories that make you laugh * Daily Telegraph * Taught me more about the handling of numbers in real life than a thousand hours of maths teaching -- Simon Jenkins * The Times * This elegant little survival manual is brief, witty and full of practical applications -- Stefan Kanfer * Time *