- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; Reprint edition (30 Mar 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140234861
- ISBN-13: 978-0140234862
- Product Dimensions: 19 x 13.2 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,968,029 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Entertaining, anecdotal, and immensely practical, this book demonstrates that math can't be divorced from meaning, that numbers have inherent semantic content that makes them much easier to handle. A sensible and novel solution to the math block that afflicts our society today.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
From the publisher's blurb and customer reviews (on US-based amazon.com) I was expecting an enlightening book about the meaning of mathematics: something to really give you a *feel* for numbers, graphs, simple equations, and suchlike - perhaps the sort of things which mathematics courses might overlook.
However, the bulk of this book is really about people's relationship with math[s], and the kind of mistakes people can make with common, everyday numberical issues and problems. The data for this are sourced from the author's own tests of a company's employees' numeracy.
I can only imagine this work would be of practical use if you're interested in society's attitude to mathematics, or you regard yourself as *deeply* mathematically illiterate. Otherwise - if you're looking for insights into mathematical thinking - look elsewhere.
However, the bulk of this book is really about people's relationship with math[s], and the kind of mistakes people can make with common, everyday numberical issues and problems. The data for this are sourced from the author's own tests of a company's employees' numeracy.
I can only imagine this work would be of practical use if you're interested in society's attitude to mathematics, or you regard yourself as *deeply* mathematically illiterate. Otherwise - if you're looking for insights into mathematical thinking - look elsewhere.
Format:Paperback
This book actually does what it says. It is a review of meaning. All to frequently people take numbers at face value, and forget to understand that the terms used to qualify the number can give mis-leading information. Just as it is possible to say that one can prove anything with statistics, it all depends on how one interprets the meaning of what is being counted. Sure, its not a maths book, but it is a maths - semantics book, and therefore very useful.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
12 reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Common Sense on an Uncommon Topic
30 Oct 2003
Format:Hardcover
The author is "an expert" - someone who knows something and can explain it to and/or use it for those who can't - or just don't - on their own.
I am a high school math teacher and community college and high school computer teacher. MacNeal THRILLED me with his insight into something that may be part of the problem with education the way we do it. Look for his connection of Piaget's work on the development of children's and adults' abilities through necessary stages with the Chinese language and with the teaching of math.
I have had more successes with some of my students because of MacNeal and his book.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
worthy
26 Jun 2001
Format:Paperback
I enjoyed this book. It's humorous, and addresses how humans learn, not how teachers would like them to learn. It's compared to Paulos' INNUMERACY, but it doesn't have Paulos' arrogance and condescension. I enjoyed that, too, so consider this a good companion book.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Deserves to be more widely known
11 Aug 2003
Format:Hardcover
This is one of my favorite books of its kind. It deserves a place on the shelf next to Paulos's _Innumeracy_. _Mathsemantics_ is a highly readable, insightful, conversational, anecdotal, fascinating discussion of the ways people apply (or fail to apply, or misapply) mathematical thinking to real world situations, and why they have trouble mixing math and language.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
