Dead Reckoning: Calculating Without Instruments
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Synopsis
This volume describes techniques of computation and approximation that may be used to mentally and rapidly calculate mathematical quantities, including results of arithmetic operations and values of elementary functions. These methods range from very old to recent to brand new. They are not shortcuts, rather, the book is aimed at sharpening the mental skills needed to perform "mathematical acrobatics". The book is intended for those whose interest in mathematics has engendered a general appreciation of numbers and a desire to expand their capacities of abstract thought. It presents a set of useful and challenging methods and algorithms for quick mental computation of products, quotients, roots of non-perfect powers, and trigonometric, logarithmic and exponential values. Chapters begin with quotes from mathematicians and philosophers, such as Bertrand Russell, James Lowell and Alfred North Whitehead.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Imagine transforming your mind into a slide-rule with the added bonus of extra precision! "Dead Reckoning" is the ONLY book of its kind, running the gamut from ordinary operations like multiplication and division to roots (square, higher-order, and reciprocal), logarithms and their inverses, and finally trigonometric functions and their inverses. The book also contains other gems such as factorization techniques, continued fractions (for creating rational approximations), and also an algorithm which permits mental square root extractions to arbitrary precision. Those who feel daunted by symbolic formulas needn't worry, the book is replete with examples which provide both clarity and realism to the presentation. The author has an engaging style and has obviously taken great pains; the clarity of the exposition is excellent throughout. Moreover, the text is profusely referenced for those wishing to further pursue a topic that piques their interest. The techniques and strategies contained therein are as practical as they are efficient and are equally amenable to quick pen-and-paper calculations for those not interested in pursuing mental computations. Heartily recommended! - Grant Nixon
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
it was not the book i was looking for i wanted flying navigation dead recconing information.i have not had a good look at the book yet,i did flip though the book i shall read it within the next couple of months as on first glance it looks to be interesting for refreshing ones basic maths??
regards paul howard.
regards paul howard.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
The magnum opus of mental arithmetic!
31 Jan 1999
Format:Paperback
Imagine transforming your mind into a slide-rule with the added bonus of extra precision! "Dead Reckoning" is the ONLY book of its kind, running the gamut from ordinary operations like multiplication and division to roots (square, higher-order, and reciprocal), logarithms and their inverses, and finally trigonometric functions and their inverses. The book also contains other gems such as factorization techniques, continued fractions (for creating rational approximations), and also an algorithm which permits mental square root extractions to arbitrary precision. Those who feel daunted by symbolic formulas needn't worry, the book is replete with examples which provide both clarity and realism to the presentation. The author has an engaging style and has obviously taken great pains; the clarity of the exposition is excellent throughout. Moreover, the text is profusely referenced for those wishing to further pursue a topic that piques their interest. The techniques and strategies contained therein are as practical as they are efficient and are equally amenable to quick pen-and-paper calculations for those not interested in pursuing mental computations. Heartily recommended! - Grant Nixon
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Great Idea, Poorly Proofread
18 Feb 2006
Format:Paperback
There are many books designed to teach rapid calculation without aid of a machine. The topic that sets this one apart, and the entire reason I bought it is that it covers logarithms. Unlike most of the books in this genre this one does not waste space with endless examples and practice problems, anybody can create there own. It does back an impressive array of methods to increase speed in pencil and paper calculation, and makes it clear that each method has a time and place for maximal performance.
This book was well thought out, but unfortunately not well proofread. For example, pp 14 and 15 have the following mistakes:
"125 x n = 8n,000 / 8" should read "125 x n = n,000 / 8"
"37 can be represented as 111/4" should read "37 can be represented as 111/3"
The typos caused me to verify every method presented, but could lead unsuspecting travelers down the wrong path.
BOTTOM LINE: This books is a wonderful treasury of number sense that is riddled with typos.
This book was well thought out, but unfortunately not well proofread. For example, pp 14 and 15 have the following mistakes:
"125 x n = 8n,000 / 8" should read "125 x n = n,000 / 8"
"37 can be represented as 111/4" should read "37 can be represented as 111/3"
The typos caused me to verify every method presented, but could lead unsuspecting travelers down the wrong path.
BOTTOM LINE: This books is a wonderful treasury of number sense that is riddled with typos.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
It just doesn't add up.
23 Aug 2007
Format:Paperback
Dead Reckoning failed to meet expectations - that of being able to mentally or quickly do rudimentary math excersizes (such as finding square roots, large multiplication, etc.). I myself am okay with math and was looking to this book to further expand my abilities. It was not well explained and I was lost shortly after the introduction even after reading it three times. I even read on to see if I could catch up, but it just got more complicated. I am not sure the target audience (I'm assuming that it is for someone such as myself), but it really missed the mark. I'm sure the guy who wrote it is really smart, but I would recommend you not read it - or at least not have it be your first book on mental/speed math.
Much better reads are (in order of usefulness) Speed Mathematics Simplified by E. Stoddard, Speed Mathematics by B. Handley, and How to Calculate Quickly by H. Stickler. I've read these three and they provide much more useful methods than Dead Reckoning.
Anyone want to buy my copy of Dead Reckoning - cheap?
Much better reads are (in order of usefulness) Speed Mathematics Simplified by E. Stoddard, Speed Mathematics by B. Handley, and How to Calculate Quickly by H. Stickler. I've read these three and they provide much more useful methods than Dead Reckoning.
Anyone want to buy my copy of Dead Reckoning - cheap?
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