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Product Description
There are two kinds of math: the hard kind and the easy kind. The easy kind, practiced by ants, shrimp, Welsh Corgis and us is innate. But what innate calculating skills do we humans have? Leaving aside built-in mathematics, such as the visual system, ordinary people do just fine when faced with mathematical tasks in the course of the day. Yet when they are confronted with the same tasks presented as "math," their accuracy often drops. If we have innate mathematical ability, why do we have to teach math and why do most of us find it so hard to learn? Are there tricks or strategies that the ordinary person can do to improve mathematical ability? Can we improve our math skills by learning from dogs, cats, and other creatures that "do math?" The answer to each of these questions is a qualified yes. All these examples of animal math suggest that if we want to do better in the formal kind of math, we should see how it arises from natural mathematics. From NPR's "Math Guy," The Math Instinct is a real celebration of innate math sense and will provide even the most number-phobic readers with confidence in their own mathematical abilities.
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9 reviews
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Interesting, but a shallow ending
13 Jun 2005
Format:Hardcover
I must say, despite the three stars, I enjoyed this book. I found the various examples of animals 'doing' mathematics very interesting. Also interesting is the section on street math; the fact that poor children in Brazil preform relatively flawless mathematics in their produce stalls, yet fail the same problems on a formal test. However, I was looking forward to something Devlin alluded to in the introduction: a way we can teach math more effectively. However, after all these countless examples, his solution was presented briefly at the final chapter. Essentially, Devlin says that conceptual math, not rote math needs to be emphasized and real life examples should be utilized more. Honestly, I would rather this have been just a fun math book for non-math minded people than have such an obvious ending. With that said, if I could I would give this book 3.5 stars because it is such an interesting read.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Animal Instinct and Human Psychology
27 July 2006
Format:Paperback
Although the word "math" appears in the title, this book is mainly about instinct and psychology. About half the book contains discussions on how animals instinctively do certain things that have some foundation in math. The other half of the book looks at how humans perceive and behave in math-related situations - from infancy to adulthood. The book is very well-written, very clear and easy to read. Those who are math phobic have nothing to fear here; in fact, they would likely find this book very interesting in the sense that they would learn something fascinating about themselves. Other than for those who are math phobic, this book has something for psychology buffs as well as animal lovers. But most importantly, it should grace the shelves of math educators as well as those who are interested in the reasons and possible cures for innumeracy.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Intriguing Accounts of Animal and Street Math
5 Mar 2006
Format:Hardcover
This book offers a very readable overview for the non-specialist, with many fascinating details on how animals use their kinds of natural mathematics. It also discusses the findings of Brazilian researchers on how teenage street vendors who can't handle school math develop their own effective street math techniques. The author makes abundantly clear that many people can't deal with school math because it is presented as an abstract symbolic system. People can learn best, he argues, by applying math in concrete ways. Unfortunately, he stops short at the end of the book and simply enjoins us to practice because that is the way humans gain mastery over subjects. It would have been useful for him to spell out how such practice can best be done and to give examples. I recall an awful pre-calculus course that spent a full year trying to prove a set of theorems, leaving us students with no knowledge of how to apply calculus to scientific, financial, or other problems (this was the last exposure to math for most of the class). We would have learned much better by applying calculus to real problems, then perhaps concluding the year with a bit of theory. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy popular science literature or want to know more about animal math.
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