The Numbers Behind NUMB3RS: Solving Crime with Mathematics
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Product Description
Product Description
The companion to the hit CBS crime series Numb3rs presents the fascinating way mathematics is used to fight real-life crime
Using the popular CBS prime-time TV crime series Numb3rs as a springboard, Keith Devlin (known to millions of NPR listeners as “the Math Guy” on NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon) and Gary Lorden (the principal math advisor to Numb3rs) explain real-life mathematical techniques used by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to catch and convict criminals. From forensics to counterterrorism, the Riemann hypothesis to image enhancement, solving murders to beating casinos, Devlin and Lorden present compelling cases that illustrate how advanced mathematics can be used in state-of-the-art criminal investigations.
Using the popular CBS prime-time TV crime series Numb3rs as a springboard, Keith Devlin (known to millions of NPR listeners as “the Math Guy” on NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon) and Gary Lorden (the principal math advisor to Numb3rs) explain real-life mathematical techniques used by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to catch and convict criminals. From forensics to counterterrorism, the Riemann hypothesis to image enhancement, solving murders to beating casinos, Devlin and Lorden present compelling cases that illustrate how advanced mathematics can be used in state-of-the-art criminal investigations.
About the Author
KEITH DEVLIN is a regular contributor to NPR’s Weekend Edition. He is the executive director of Stanford University’s Center for the Study of Language and Information and a consulting professor of mathematics at Stanford.
GARY LORDEN is the main mathematics consultant for the CBS TV show Numb3rs and a professor of mathematics at CalTech in Pasadena, California.
GARY LORDEN is the main mathematics consultant for the CBS TV show Numb3rs and a professor of mathematics at CalTech in Pasadena, California.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
FBI Special Agent Don Eppes looks again at the large street map of Los Angeles spread across the dining-room table of his father's house. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
FBI Special Agent Don Eppes looks again at the large street map of Los Angeles spread across the dining-room table of his father's house. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
We all use math every day... and this book tells us how!! As a big fan of the Numb3rs TV show, I found this book really interesting. It links well with the TV series, and there are some interesting real world examples. The maths was well explained, and at a high enough level to be of interest to someone with some knowledge of maths (as I have), without being unintelligible to someone without any such background. It was an enjoyable read and has inspired me to find out more, and should the authors write any further books linking to the later series of Numb3rs, I would definitely buy those as well. If you like Numb3rs (the TV show) or just plain numbers, then this is the book for you!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The TV series "Numb3rs" is my joint favourite US crime drama (with NCIS) on UK television. Until I first watched said programme I, probably like many others, didn't realise how mathematics is involved in our daily activities. This book has further helped me understand not only the math used on the TV show (of which all is pretty much true) but also how it is involved in the real world and in real world crime fighting.
In terms of content the book deleves into several of the main techniques Charlie uses in the show but it also explains some crime fighting aspects which are inherent in every crime show on television such as DNA profiling, fingerprint analysis and image enhancement and reconstruction. All three of which feature heavily in other shows like NCIS, CSI etc. The penultimate chapter in the book details how math has been used in the courtroom (something that hasn't been seen on Numb3rs itself) and the problems that stem from it. The final chapter shows how math has been used to beat casinos predominantly in Blackjack (a.k.a 21) which did feature in one Numb3rs episode.
Overall the book is well written and coherent. It strikes a decent balance between technical terminology and explaining how the math works without being overbearing and confusing. I will admit that I did have to reread part of the first chapter to understand the math used but that was due to my not fully remembering the math I learnt in school. Apart from that I found that the explanation is easy to understand and how the math works both in context to the show and the real world. It was a very enjoyable read and has, like Ms. Ratcliff, inspired me to learn more about math and expand on what I know. This book is well worth getting if you enjoy Numb3rs and won't to know more about the math or if you want to know more about how mathematics is used in real world crime fighting.
In terms of content the book deleves into several of the main techniques Charlie uses in the show but it also explains some crime fighting aspects which are inherent in every crime show on television such as DNA profiling, fingerprint analysis and image enhancement and reconstruction. All three of which feature heavily in other shows like NCIS, CSI etc. The penultimate chapter in the book details how math has been used in the courtroom (something that hasn't been seen on Numb3rs itself) and the problems that stem from it. The final chapter shows how math has been used to beat casinos predominantly in Blackjack (a.k.a 21) which did feature in one Numb3rs episode.
Overall the book is well written and coherent. It strikes a decent balance between technical terminology and explaining how the math works without being overbearing and confusing. I will admit that I did have to reread part of the first chapter to understand the math used but that was due to my not fully remembering the math I learnt in school. Apart from that I found that the explanation is easy to understand and how the math works both in context to the show and the real world. It was a very enjoyable read and has, like Ms. Ratcliff, inspired me to learn more about math and expand on what I know. This book is well worth getting if you enjoy Numb3rs and won't to know more about the math or if you want to know more about how mathematics is used in real world crime fighting.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm a computer science student and found this book is not only relevant to mathematics but also to a lot of branches of computer science such as A.I and data mining.
In fact most of the methods discussed in this book are relevant to computer science. I would strongly recommend it to anyone studying in this field as well as anyone with an interest in how many aspects of mathematics that can be used to solve crime are combined with computer science.
In fact most of the methods discussed in this book are relevant to computer science. I would strongly recommend it to anyone studying in this field as well as anyone with an interest in how many aspects of mathematics that can be used to solve crime are combined with computer science.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Don't let the maths put you off!
You don't have to be a maths geek to enjoy this book. It is maths put into everyday applications such as weather patterns, shopping habits,and very easy to understand. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Miss Marple
A very interesting book, to be read.
This is a very interesting book that can help you to understand more in depth the math used on the tv series Numb3rs. Read more
Published 21 months ago by remix_tj
Happy with numers
This book opened my eyes to the fact that all the math in the Series Num3ers is for real
Published on 8 Sep 2009 by K. A. Warren
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