Synopses & Reviews
Review
andldquo;Full marks to Jeffrey Bennett for delivering exactly what his title promises. This is not the math your teacher (probably) said you would need in adult life but never did; itandrsquo;s the math you know you needandmdash;but likely donandrsquo;t have. Itandrsquo;s not a traditional textbook; itandrsquo;s a how-to manual for clear thinking about the quantitative aspects of everyday life, bursting with intriguing, practical, real-life examples. I recommend it.andrdquo;
andmdash; Keith Devlin, Ph.D., Stanford University, author of The Man of Numbers: Fibonacciandrsquo;s Arithmetic Revolution and The Math Gene, and the Math Guy on National Public Radio.
Review
andldquo;Sprinkled with illuminating examples, Math for Life presents issues critical to personal and national securityandmdash;even survivalandmdash;in clear and forthright terms. Underlying this important message is the obvious failure of U.S. mathematics education to meet the enormous quantitative reasoning demands of U.S. society. Jeffrey Bennett makes plain how current political and economic crises stem from this failure.andrdquo;
andmdash; Bernard L. Madison, Professor of Mathematics, University of Arkansas
Review
andldquo;Should be required reading for every American. Thereandrsquo;s no more powerful way to equip yourself for our increasingly complex and quantitative world than to read Math for Life. Every concept is presented in a clear and engaging way.andrdquo;
andmdash; K. Shane Goodwin, Professor of Mathematics, Brigham Young Universityandndash;Idaho
Synopsis
How can we solve the national debt crisis?
Should you or your child take on a student loan?
Is it safe to talk on a cell phone while driving?
Are there viable energy alternatives to fossil fuels?
What could you do with a billion dollars?
Could simple policy changes reduce political polarization?
These questions may all seem very different, but they share two things in common. First, they are all questions with important implications for either personal success or our success as a nation. Second, they all concern topics that we can fully understand only with the aid of clear quantitative or mathematical thinking. In other words, they are topics for which we need math for lifeandmdash;a kind of math that looks quite different from most of the math that we learn in school, but that is just as (and often more) important. In Math for Life, award-winning author Jeffrey Bennett simply and clearly explains the key ideas of quantitative reasoning and applies them to all the above questions and many more. He also uses these questions to analyze our current education system, identifying both shortfalls in the teaching of mathematics and solutions for our educational future. No matter what your own level of mathematical ability, and no matter whether you approach the book as an educator, student, or interested adult, you are sure to find something new and thought-provoking in Math for Life.
About the Author
Jeffrey Bennett served as the first director of the program in Quantitative Reasoning and Mathematical Skills at the University of Colorado, where he developed the groundbreaking curriculum that became the basis of his best-selling college textbook in mathematics. He holds a PhD in astrophysics and is also the lead author of top-selling college textbooks in statistical reasoning, astronomy, and astrobiology. Math for Life is his third book for the general public, following the critically acclaimed On the Cosmic Horizon and Beyond UFOs. He is also the author of award-winning childrenandrsquo;s books about science, including Max Goes to the Moon, Max Goes to Mars, Max Goes to Jupiter, and The Wizard Who Saved the World. Learn more at his Web site, www.jeffreybennett.com.
Table of Contents
1 (Donandrsquo;t Be) andldquo;Bad at Mathandrdquo;
2 Thinking with Numbers
3 Statistical Thinking
4 Managing Your Money
5 Understanding Taxes
6 The U.S. Deficit and Debt
7 Energy Math
8 The Math of Political Polarization
9 The Mathematics of Growth
Epilogue: Getting andldquo;Good at Mathandrdquo;