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Coincidences, Chaos and All That Math Jazz: Making Light of Weighty Ideas (Hardcover)

by EB Burger (Author) "Obviously . . . Colored lights dance from spinning disco balls while sequined servers jiggle through the crowds plying the players with cash-loosening cocktails ..." (more)

4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Product details

Hardcover: 276 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Co.; illustrated edition edition (16 Sep 2005)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0393059456
ISBN-13: 978-0393059458
Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.2 x 2.8 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 500,453 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category:
#12 in Books > Humour > Science & Scientists

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Product Description

By starting in the familiar world and using a few simple steps of imagination, Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird sneak up on weighty mathematical ideas. The spirals on a pineapple quickly lead to the famous Fibonacci numbers and the alluring Golden Ratio, and from there to aesthetic forms in nature, art and music. The edge of a twisted strip of paper leads to an image of the shape of the universe. Playing with the notion of probability shows that surprising coincidences such as the amazing parallels between the Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations are sure to happen. These and other foreign and familiar mysteries are all explained with great humour and clarity in this irreverent, entertaining and readable book.

About the Author

EDWARD B. BURGER (Williams College, Massachussetts) and MICHAEL STARBIRD (University of Texas at Austin) are award-winning professors, authors and speakers.

Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
Obviously . . . Colored lights dance from spinning disco balls while sequined servers jiggle through the crowds plying the players with cash-loosening cocktails. Read the first page

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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Maths and stats made easy, 10 Dec 2005

By	"g_dubya_m" - See all my reviews

I recently purchased another math text with a view to owning a book concerning interesting issues in the area of mathematics. That title proved a little complex and probably more suited to a math expert rather than an interested outsider like myself.

Starbird and Burger's text is an excellent overview of current issues in mathematics and statistics, with some interesting insight as to how mathematics is (1) a surprisingly large part of everyday life and (2) a very interesting exercise in understanding quite complex ideas.

While the book is a slow starter, and may appear a little simplistic initally, it soon grows into a very interesting read in a variety of subject areas.

Some personal favorite subjects covered are:
* Intuition versus reality - folding paper and fitting all humankind into a box
* Making sense of data - some great stats examples of why to be careful when interpreting infomation
* A great explanation of the fourth dimension

The books illustrations are a big bonus, with some in particular making the subject matter much easier to digest (e.g. cards on a table edge, the fourth dimension)

A great book for those who love mathematics, but are perhaps stronger conceptually than thay may be in the mechanics of the subject.

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