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""It is rare for a book about mathematics to be as engaging as this."" --New Scientist
Product Description
Why do weather forecasters get it wrong? What are the best tactics for playing "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" and "The Weakest Link"? And what is the link between a tin of baked beans and a men's urinal? These and many other questions are answered in this book. It is for anyone wanting to remind themselves - or discover for the first time - that maths is relevant to almost everything we do. Dating, cooking, travelling by car, gambling and ranking sportsmen all have links with intriguing mathematical problems that are explained in this book. It reveals the secrets behind some of the best con tricks and the hidden workings of the taxi meter, and explains how epidemics start and stop.
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First Sentence
In a book about everyday maths, what better place to start than the mathematics of the day itself, and of Monday in particular? Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
In a book about everyday maths, what better place to start than the mathematics of the day itself, and of Monday in particular? Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
It's amazing the amount of work that mathematicians have to do, to solve the problems of everyday life. This book explains the numbers behind the weather, bookmakers and dating agencies. Amongst all the calculations, it is comforting to know that often the lateral-thinking solutions are the best. For instance, lift-engineers have to know a lot of theory to keep their customers waiting for the least time, but the best solution was to put mirrors in front of the lifts, so that people didn't realise how long they were waiting as they were too busy preening themselves! Well worth buying for the clever inside information alone.
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As a university maths teacher, I thoroughly enjoyed the authors' previous "Why do buses come in threes", not only as a stimulating read but as an excellent source of interesting examples for my classes in mathematical modelling. The successor is just as good - indeed, I think it's even better. Topics include how to write a hit song, tactics for quiz show contestants, detecting fraud and how to reduce lift waiting times, and even for a voracious reader of popular maths books like me there were plenty of new ideas. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on how spin doctors present information. Very strongly recommended!
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I bought this book out of curiosity - I've never been all that interested in maths, but some of the chapters looked interesting - like how best to play TV quiz shows, why the days of the week are called what they are, and so on.
The authors say that the main reason for including something in this book was that it had to keep them entertained down the pub - and I'd agree entirely!
It's funny and covers a wide choice of subjects, includes some puzzles (don't worry they include the answers too!), and even discusses how best to meet the love of your life (statistically speaking).
You don't need a degree in maths to get your head round it, the chapters are nice and short, all in all it's a very entertaining book. You will find yourself quoting it all over the place after you've read it!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Entertaining, easy read
Some of the chapters are punchier than others, but the first one on how the days of the week got their names stands out as an excellent one. Read more
Published 3 months ago by John Keats
More Fun Mathematics
This is a follow-up to the earlier, excellent, "Why Do Buses Come In Threes?". While the earlier book focused on those annoying little mysteries of life, this asks a set of... Read more
Published 12 months ago by A. K. Johnston
Engaging, entertaining
If you have a couple of hours to spare and are intrigued by apparently simple problems that turn out to be more complex than they seem, then Rob Eastaway and Jeremy Wyndham's book... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Philip Spires
Excellent!
Brilliant book, worth getting! It really makes you think about stuff in a different way.
Published 20 months ago by Chris Homer
More fun with numbers in everyday life
The sequel to another book by the same authors, Why do buses come in threes?, this book is not quite as strong as its predecessor, but it still has plenty of interest. Read more
Published on 12 May 2009 by Peter Durward Harris
Great but the proof reader needs sacking
This book is enormous fun and highly intelligent and presents maths the way teachers should do in schools: that way the children would be much more engaged and enthused by the... Read more
Published on 28 Dec 2008 by Charles
The authors are badly let down by the publishers
It's an interesting book which I am enjoying reading. My criticism is that it is absolutely riddled with typos. Read more
Published on 16 Dec 2008 by scandalxk
A Book For All Occasions
This book was an enjoyable read. It was a nice, light paperback that could be picked up to fill in a few minutes at the end of a period of study or used to wind down after a hard... Read more
Published on 10 Oct 2006 by Ed the Ted
Entertaining for all
I AM a mathematician and had come across a few of the things in far more detail in other books before - which I'd also liked. Read more
Published on 1 May 2006 by Steve B
Thoroughly entertaining book
I thought this was an excllent book - full of interesting real-life situations and the maths that you never knew underpinned them. Read more
Published on 8 May 2003 by Richard Harris
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