Life By the Numbers

Life By the Numbers PDF Author: Keith Devlin
Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
ISBN: 0471672998
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 317

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Book Description
Why do leopards grow spots when tigers grow stripes? Is the universe round, square, or some other shape? How do the dimples in a golf ball give it greater lift? Is there such a thing as a public mood? If so, how can we accurately take its pulse? Only one tool of the human mind has the power and versatility to answer so many questions about our world—mathematics. Far from a musty set of equations and proofs, mathematics is a vital and creative way of thinking and seeing. It is the most powerful means we have of exploring our world and how it works, from the darkest depths of the oceans to the faintest glimmers of far-away galaxies, and from the aerodynamics of figure-skating jumps to the shadows of the fourth dimension. In this captivating companion to the landmark PBS series Life by the Numbers, acclaimed author Keith Devlin reveals the astonishing range of creative and powerful ways in which scientists, artists, athletes, medical researchers, and many others are using mathematics to explore our world and to enhance our lives. On this exhilarating tour you will explore deep-sea volcanoes with oceanographer Dawn Wright, go behind the scenes of blockbuster movies with special-effects designer Doug Trumbull, and probe the strange lives of viruses with microbiologist Sylvia Spengler. Listen to astronomer Robert Kirshner describe how he is charting the curve of space; discover how biologist Mike Labarbara visualizes the way a Tyrannosaurus rex carried its massive frame; and, along with brain researcher Brad Hatfield, peer into the mind of an Olympic markswoman at the moment she takes a shot. Glimpse a future of wearable computers and silicon "butlers" with computer scientist Pattie Maes, and watch a lilac come to life on screen with "computer botanist" Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz. Lavishly illustrated and beautifully written, Life by the Numbers brings mathematical exploration and invention to life through the stories of some of the most creative practitioners of the art. It imparts an appreciation of the ingenuity and the sheer fun of seeing our world through mathematical eyes.

Life By the Numbers

Life By the Numbers PDF Author: Keith Devlin
Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
ISBN: 0471672998
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 317

Get Book

Book Description
Why do leopards grow spots when tigers grow stripes? Is the universe round, square, or some other shape? How do the dimples in a golf ball give it greater lift? Is there such a thing as a public mood? If so, how can we accurately take its pulse? Only one tool of the human mind has the power and versatility to answer so many questions about our world—mathematics. Far from a musty set of equations and proofs, mathematics is a vital and creative way of thinking and seeing. It is the most powerful means we have of exploring our world and how it works, from the darkest depths of the oceans to the faintest glimmers of far-away galaxies, and from the aerodynamics of figure-skating jumps to the shadows of the fourth dimension. In this captivating companion to the landmark PBS series Life by the Numbers, acclaimed author Keith Devlin reveals the astonishing range of creative and powerful ways in which scientists, artists, athletes, medical researchers, and many others are using mathematics to explore our world and to enhance our lives. On this exhilarating tour you will explore deep-sea volcanoes with oceanographer Dawn Wright, go behind the scenes of blockbuster movies with special-effects designer Doug Trumbull, and probe the strange lives of viruses with microbiologist Sylvia Spengler. Listen to astronomer Robert Kirshner describe how he is charting the curve of space; discover how biologist Mike Labarbara visualizes the way a Tyrannosaurus rex carried its massive frame; and, along with brain researcher Brad Hatfield, peer into the mind of an Olympic markswoman at the moment she takes a shot. Glimpse a future of wearable computers and silicon "butlers" with computer scientist Pattie Maes, and watch a lilac come to life on screen with "computer botanist" Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz. Lavishly illustrated and beautifully written, Life by the Numbers brings mathematical exploration and invention to life through the stories of some of the most creative practitioners of the art. It imparts an appreciation of the ingenuity and the sheer fun of seeing our world through mathematical eyes.

Life by the Numbers

Life by the Numbers PDF Author: Keith Devlin
Publisher: Wiley
ISBN: 9780471328223
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
From uncanny movie dinosaurs to the loopy physics of the triple axel, Keith Devlin's vibrantly illustrated book illuminates the mathematics inherent in every human endeavor. "A beautiful book . . . the aim is not to teach but to entertain, and it succeeds. The view that mathematics is dull is replaced by an image of how math can be both interesting and useful, if not all-powerful."—New Scientist. "A colorful and exciting introduction to the ways in which mathematics can help [us] to under-stand phenomena. [Devlin] presents fascinating real-world problems posed by real people and shows how mathematics is used to solve them."—Choice. "Not in many, many years have I seen a book nearly as instructive and enlightening about the beauty of mathematics. Life by the Numbers is superb."—Amir Aczel, author of Fermat's Last Theorem. "This wondrous book reveals how, on the brink of the millennium, wizards are using math to bring movie dinosaurs to life, to improve tennis stars' serves, to win sailboat races, and to probe the eeriest corners of the cosmos. A pleasurable read for adult and young alike."—Keay Davidson, coauthor of Wrinkles in Time. "A fascinating account of many of the ways in which mathematical ideas find application in the world around us. Keith Devlin is to be congratulated for bringing these ideas so accessibly to the public."—Sir Roger Penrose, author of The Emperor's New Mind.

The Life-Changing Magic of Numbers

The Life-Changing Magic of Numbers PDF Author: Bobby Seagull
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0753552825
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
If you found maths lessons at school irrelevant and boring, that’s because you didn’t have a teacher like Bobby Seagull. ***As seen on Monkman & Seagull's Genius Guide to Britain*** Long before his rise to cult fandom on University Challenge, Bobby Seagull was obsessed with numbers. They were the keys that unlocked the randomness of football results, the beauty of art and the best way to get things done. In his absorbing book, Bobby tells the story of his life through numbers and shows the incredible ways maths can make sense of the world around us. From magic shows to rap lyrics, from hobbies to outer space, from fitness to food – Bobby’s infectious enthusiasm for numbers will change how you think about almost everything. Told through fascinating stories and insights from Bobby’s life, and with head-scratching puzzles in every chapter, you’ll never look at numbers the same way again.

The Social Life of Numbers

The Social Life of Numbers PDF Author: Gary Urton
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 0292786840
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
Unraveling all the mysteries of the khipu--the knotted string device used by the Inka to record both statistical data and narrative accounts of myths, histories, and genealogies--will require an understanding of how number values and relations may have been used to encode information on social, familial, and political relationships and structures. This is the problem Gary Urton tackles in his pathfinding study of the origin, meaning, and significance of numbers and the philosophical principles underlying the practice of arithmetic among Quechua-speaking peoples of the Andes. Based on fieldwork in communities around Sucre, in south-central Bolivia, Urton argues that the origin and meaning of numbers were and are conceived of by Quechua-speaking peoples in ways similar to their ideas about, and formulations of, gender, age, and social relations. He also demonstrates that their practice of arithmetic is based on a well-articulated body of philosophical principles and values that reflects a continuous attempt to maintain balance, harmony, and equilibrium in the material, social, and moral spheres of community life.

The Grapes of Math

The Grapes of Math PDF Author: Alex Bellos
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451640129
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
From triangles, rotations and power laws, to cones, curves and the dreaded calculus, Alex takes you on a journey of mathematical discovery with his signature wit and limitless enthusiasm. He sifts through over 30,000 survey submissions to uncover the world’s favourite number, and meets a mathematician who looks for universes in his garage. He attends the World Mathematical Congress in India, and visits the engineer who designed the first roller-coaster loop. Get hooked on math as Alex delves deep into humankind’s turbulent relationship with numbers, and reveals how they have shaped the world we live in.

The Numbers of Life

The Numbers of Life PDF Author: Kevin Quinn Avery
Publisher: Echo Point Books & Media, LLC
ISBN:
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
Easily the most comprehensive and detailed guide to practical and theoretical numerology on the market, Kevin Quinn Avery's The Numbers of Life stands alone as the definitive work in its field. Drawing on a long and storied career advising New York's celebrities, intelligentsia, and politicians, as well as years of professional study in the areas of astronumerology, astrology, and kabala, Avery has neatly compiled a lifetime of knowledge in this one useful volume. If you are just beginning to dip your toes into the waters of numerology or if you are a seasoned expert, Avery's wisdom is guaranteed to help as you endeavor to derive meaning from the numbers that surround you. The Numbers of Life combines practical instruction with years of collected wisdom about the nature of numerology, astrology, and the occult. Replete with charts and figures about personality, habits, and soul urge, this book will help you to deepen your own understanding of yourself and the world around you. Equipped with knowledge about the details of your future, you can prepare to meet your destiny with positivity and strength.

Mark Gruner's Numbers of Life

Mark Gruner's Numbers of Life PDF Author: Mark Gruner
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fortune-telling
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description


Numerology

Numerology PDF Author: William Field
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781407565668
Category : Numerology
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Through a combination of many systems, traditions, and beliefs, learn what numbers are significant for you and what they say about your personality, your life, and your future.

Thinking In Numbers

Thinking In Numbers PDF Author: Daniel Tammet
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 0316250805
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
The irresistibly engaging book that "enlarges one's wonder at Tammet's mind and his all-embracing vision of the world as grounded in numbers" (Oliver Sacks, MD). Thinking in Numbers is the book that Daniel Tammet, mathematical savant and bestselling author, was born to write. In Tammet's world, numbers are beautiful and mathematics illuminates our lives and minds. Using anecdotes, everyday examples, and ruminations on history, literature, and more, Tammet allows us to share his unique insights and delight in the way numbers, fractions, and equations underpin all our lives. Inspired variously by the complexity of snowflakes, Anne Boleyn's eleven fingers, and his many siblings, Tammet explores questions such as why time seems to speed up as we age, whether there is such a thing as an average person, and how we can make sense of those we love. His provocative and inspiring new book will change the way you think about math and fire your imagination to view the world with fresh eyes.

Bringing Numbers to Life

Bringing Numbers to Life PDF Author: John Armitage
Publisher:
ISBN: 9788792964113
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 514

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Book Description
Size Matters: How Visual Analytics Will Bring Numbers to Life The increasing volume of quantitative data in modern communication is calling for more effective visualization design techniques to improve clarity and decision-making. The LAVA visual analytic design language proposes a new vernacular to take big data to big audiences. Big Data. The Internet of Things. Cloud Computing. Predictive Analytics. Any trip through today's information technology news will surely include some of these terms. Just as the Web and social media allow more people and institutions to connect with each other to exchange sentiment and ideas, a parallel system exists to do the same thing with quantitative facts. An ever-more automated array of sensors and monitors embedded in our businesses, governments, physical infrastructures, vehicles, the environment, and even our bodies, are being added to the more traditional practice of manual observation and data entry in the effort to record and store the daily up-and-down states of stuff we care about. The variables are called Measures, and include things like sales, windspeed, steps taken, or heart rate. The things being measured are called Entities, such as a car model, an airport, your family, or your heart. Combining Measures with Entities creates Metrics - Sales at a cash register or of a car model, windspeed at the airport, steps taken by your family today, your resting heart rate. Metrics are how we understand quantitative data from the world around us. Analytics is the science of working with metrics to make better, more informed decisions in our work and lives. Visual Analytics is the expression of metrics geometrically - with lines and shapes versus with numbers in spreadsheets - so as to make them easier to understand and interpret. As more metrics are made available and relevant to more people, presenting them visually is a key aspect of ensuring that audiences find them legible - or clear and able to be read - and readable - or enticing and likely to be read. While these dual masters of function and elegance are present in all design practice, visual analytics require a balance skewed in favor of clarity, efficiency, mathematical precision, and measureable audience cognition.