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Original Essays | April 30, 2013
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More copies of this ISBNThis title in other editionsThe Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinityby Steven Strogatz
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:A world-class mathematician and regular contributor to the New York Times hosts a delightful tour of the greatest ideas of math, revealing how it connects to literature, philosophy, law, medicine, art, business, even pop culture in ways we never imagined Did O.J. do it? How should you flip your mattress to get the maximum wear out of it? How does Google search the Internet? How many people should you date before settling down? Believe it or not, math plays a crucial role in answering all of these questions and more. Math underpins everything in the cosmos, including us, yet too few of us understand this universal language well enough to revel in its wisdom, its beauty — and its joy. This deeply enlightening, vastly entertaining volume translates math in a way that is at once intelligible and thrilling. Each trenchant chapter of The Joy of x offers an “aha!” moment, starting with why numbers are so helpful, and progressing through the wondrous truths implicit in π, the Pythagorean theorem, irrational numbers, fat tails, even the rigors and surprising charms of calculus. Showing why he has won awards as a professor at Cornell and garnered extensive praise for his articles about math for the New York Times, Strogatz presumes of his readers only curiosity and common sense. And he rewards them with clear, ingenious, and often funny explanations of the most vital and exciting principles of his discipline. Whether you aced integral calculus or arent sure what an integer is, youll find profound wisdom and persistent delight in The Joy of x. Review:"Even the most math-phobic readers might forget their dread after just a few pages of Strogatz's (The Calculus of Friendship) latest. The author, a Cornell professor of applied mathematics, begins with arithmetic, by way of Sesame Street, then explores algebra, geometry, and, finally, the wonders of calculus — all done cheerfully, with many a wry turn of phrase. From addition and subtraction, with a glimpse into negative numbers and 'the black art of borrowing,' it's a quick step into the hardcore detective work of algebra's search for the unknown x, with algorithms like the quadratic equation, 'the Rodney Dangerfield of algebra' ('it don't get no respect'). Strogatz rhapsodizes over geometry, which he sees as a marriage of logic and intuition that teaches how to build arguments, step by rigorous step, and geometry's 'loosey-goosey' offshoot, topology. Brisk chapters on prime numbers, basic statistics, and probability are all enlightening without being intimidating. Most impressive is Strogatz's coverage of calculus, the math used to figure out everything from how fast epidemics spread to the trajectory of a curveball. Readers will appreciate this lighthearted and thoroughly entertaining book. Illus." Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Synopsis:A delightful tour of the greatest ideas of math, showing how math intersects with philosophy, science, art, business, current events, and everyday life, by an acclaimed science communicator and regular contributor to the New York Times.
Synopsis:Many people take math in high school and promptly forget much of it. But math plays a part in all of our lives all of the time, whether we know it or not. In The Joy of x, Steven Strogatz expands on his hit New York Times series to explain the big ideas of math gently and clearly, with wit, insight, and brilliant illustrations.
Whether he is illuminating how often you should flip your mattress to get the maximum lifespan from it or determining how many people you should date before settling down, Strogatz shows how math connects to every aspect of life. Discussing pop culture, medicine, law, philosophy, art, and business, Strogatz is the math teacher you wish youd had, and The Joy of x is the book youll want to give to all your smart and curious friends. Synopsis:In 2010, award-winning professor Steven Strogatz wrote a series for the New York Times online called “The Elements of Math.” It was hugely popular: Each piece climbed the most emailed list and elicited hundreds of comments. Readers begged for more, and Strogatz has now delivered. In this fun, fast-paced book, he offers us all a second chance at math. Each short chapter of The Joy of X provides an “Aha!” moment, starting with why numbers are helpful, and moving on to such topics as shapes, calculus, fat tails, and infinity. Strogatz explains the ideas of math gently and clearly, with wit, insight, and brilliant illustrations. Assuming no knowledge, only curiosity, he shows how math connects to literature, philosophy, law, medicine, art, business, even pop culture and current events. For example, did O.J. do it? How should you flip your mattress to get the maximum wear out of it? How does Google search the Internet? How many people should you date before settling down? Strogatz is the math teacher you wish youd had, and The Joy of X is the book youll want to give to all your smart and curious friends.
About the AuthorSTEVEN STROGATZ is a professor of applied mathematics at Cornell University. A renowned teacher and one of the worlds most highly cited mathematicians, he has been a frequent guest on National Public Radios RadioLab. He is the author of Sync and The Calculus of Friendship, the story of his thirty-year correspondence with his high school math teacher.
Table of ContentsPreface ix Part One Numbers From Fish to Infinity 3 An introduction to numbers, pointing out their upsides (theyre efficient) as well as their downsides (theyre ethereal) Rock Groups 7 Treating numbers concretely—think rocks—can make calculations less baffling. The Enemy of My Enemy 15 The disturbing concept of subtraction, and how we deal with the fact that negative numbers seem so . . . negative Commuting 23 When you buy jeans on sale, do you save more money if the clerk applies the discount after the tax, or before? Division and Its Discontents 29 Helping Verizon grasp the difference between .002 dollars and .002 cents Location, Location, Location 35 How the place-value system for writing numbers brought arithmetic to the masses Part Two Relationships The Joy of x 45 Arithmetic becomes algebra when we begin working with unknowns and formulas. Finding Your Roots 51 Complex numbers, a hybrid of the imaginary and the real, are the pinnacle of number systems. My Tub Runneth Over 59 Turning peril to pleasure in word problems Working Your Quads 67 The quadratic formula may never win any beauty contests, but the ideas behind it are ravishing. Power Tools 75 In math, the function of functions is to transform. Part Three Shapes Square Dancing 85 Geometry, intuition, and the long road from Pythagoras to Einstein Something from Nothing 93 Like any other creative act, constructing a proof begins with inspiration. The Conic Conspiracy 101 The uncanny similarities between parabolas and ellipses suggest hidden forces at work. Sine Qua Non 113 Sine waves everywhere, from Ferris wheels to zebra stripes Take It to the Limit 121 Archimedes recognized the power of the infinite and in the process laid the groundwork for calculus. Part Four Change Change We Can Believe In 131 Differential calculus can show you the best path from A to B, and Michael Jordans dunks help explain why. It Slices, It Dices 139 The lasting legacy of integral calculus is a Veg-O-Matic view of the universe. All about e 147 How many people should you date before settling down? Your grandmother knows—and so does the number e. Loves Me, Loves Me Not 155 Differential equations made sense of planetary motion. But the course of true love? Now thats confusing. Step Into the Light 161 A light beam is a pas de deux of electric and magnetic fields, and vector calculus is its choreographer. Part Five Data The New Normal 175 Bell curves are out. Fat tails are in. Chances Are 183 The improbable thrills of probability theory Untangling the Web 191 How Google solved the Zen riddle of Internet search using linear algebra Part Six Frontiers The Loneliest Numbers 201 Prime numbers, solitary and inscrutable, space themselves apart in mysterious ways. Group Think 211 Group theory, one of the most versatile parts of math, bridges art and science. Twist and Shout 219 Playing with Möbius strips and music boxes, and a better way to cut a bagel Think Globally 229 Differential geometry reveals the shortest route between two points on a globe or any other curved surface. Analyze This! 237 Why calculus, once so smug and cocky, had to put itself on the couch The Hilbert Hotel 249 An exploration of infinity as this book, not being infinite, comes to an end Acknowledgments 257 Notes 261 Credits 307 Index 309 What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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