200% of Nothing: An Eye Opening Tour Through the Twists and Turns of Math Abuse and Innumeracy [Paperback]

A. K. Dewdney (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471145742 | ISBN-13: 978-0471145745 | Publication Date: February 9, 1996

Acclaim for "In today's world, 'innumeracy' is an even greater danger than illiteracy, and is perhaps even more common. Advertisers and politicians exploit it; intellectuals (self-styled) even flaunt it. I hope that this wise and witty book will provide cures where they are possible, and warnings where they are necessary.

"It's also a lot of fun. I can guarantee that 100%."--Arthur C. Clarke

"Dewdney retells with charm and wit magnificent morsels of mathematical mayhem discovered by his army of volunteer 'abuse detectives.' From 'sample trashing' to 'numerical terrorism,' from 'percentage pumping' to 'dimensional dementia,' 200% of Nothing plumbs the depths of innumeracy in daily life and reveals what ordinary people can do about it.

A rich, readable, instructive, and persuasive book."--Lynn Arthur Steen, Professor of Mathematics, St. Olaf College

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you know the difference between lies, damned lies, and statistics, give a copy of A.K. Dewdney's 200% of Nothing to your friends to get them up to speed. If you don't know the difference, consider this funny, engaging little book a crash course in numeracy, the mathematical equivalent of literacy. Opening with two chapters on the importance of this dying talent, Dewdney (formerly Scientific American's "Mathematical Recreations" writer) spooks the reader with real examples of government agencies, media outlets, and--of course--car salesmen deceiving their audiences with beguiling mathematical sleights of hand. It's all too easy for us to think we're immune to such tactics until we actually see them laid out for us in prose as clear and disarming as Dewdney's. From these tactics he delves more deeply into practical examples of particular problems that often catch us unaware. Gambling, advertisements using bizarre-but-normal-looking charts, and bad science all come in for thorough examinations, and the reader is amazed and occasionally angered at the shamelessness of the purveyors of misleading statistics. The book closes with two chapters designed to make readers "mathematically streetwise," with exercises to help you grasp ratios, very large and small numbers, and probabilities more intuitively. 200% of Nothing inspires learning and makes it interesting--if you want to see through the fog of numbers surrounding politicians and advertisements, there's no better place to start. --Rob Lightner

From Publishers Weekly

Corporations, special-interest groups, government and the media deliberately misuse mathematics to sell products and propositions, charges Scientific American math columnist Dewdney. In an entertaining, stinging expose, he lashes advertisers, car salespeople, traffic safety officials, mutual fund-managers, lotteries, soft-drink manufacturers and others who pump up percentages and mangle ratios, charts and numerical logic. Aided by scores of examples. Dewdney punctures politicians who doctor figures to serve their purposes, reporters who distort statistics, alternative health practitioners who inflate their claimed cure rates. Happily, readers need only basic mathematics to follow his reasoning. After assessing the shocking "innumeracy" of today's students, Dewdney presents a brief self-defense course for readers who want to be mathematically streetwise. Illustrated.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (February 9, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471145742
• ISBN-13: 978-0471145745
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #888,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars "200 Percent of Nothing" is 50 Percent Paulos, January 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: 200% of Nothing : An Eye-Opening Tour through the Twists and Turns of Math Abuse and Innumeracy (Hardcover)

When Dewdney took over Douglas Hofstadter's Scientific American column, he had some pretty big shoes to fill. But he did a marvellous job, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading his Computer Recreations every month. They were original and inspiring. With 200 percent of nothing, Dewdney is clearly scraping the barrel. When I read it, I thought it was OK, although I found the style of writing pretty bad. Still, there was enough enjoyable material there. However, I recently read John Allen Paulos' "Innumeracy", and that was a real shocker. Paulos' book is *so* much better than Dewdney's, that it is embarrasing the latter one. Not only that, but comparing the two books, it is evident that Dewdney leaned heavily on "Innumeracy". Yes, he *does* reference the book, but many, many of his examples are taken straight from it. Worse even, he writes the examples in his own words, which makes it immediately clear that he is not even close to the perfect style of writing Paulos displays. After having read "200 Percent of Nothing", I gave it a 7, but after reading "Innumeracy" (which I rate at 10), Dewdney's feeble attempt devaluates to a 4. "200 Percent of Nothing" is 50 Percent Paulos and 150 Percent hot air.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Can You Get An Edge On Winning The Lottery, January 21, 1999

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Robert Derenthal "bucherwurm" (California United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 200% of Nothing: An Eye Opening Tour Through the Twists and Turns of Math Abuse and Innumeracy (Paperback)

Certainly this country of ours needs to be concerned about its illiteracy problem. It perhaps should be even more concerned about innumeracy, the mathematical equivalent of illiteracy. While many of us would be insulted if someone questioned our ability to comprehend the written word, we quite easily laugh at being idiots when mathematics is involved.

As a result we think nothing of an ad promising that a new light bulb will save 200% on energy. If that statement sounds OK to you, then you better read this book or one like it.

Here's a slim tome that addresses some of the more egregious insults to the field of mathematics and statistics. If you are totally innumerate it will raise your numbers IQ a few points. It's an easy book to read; too easy, as a matter of fact, and that's a shame. The author provides very little theory, many, sometimes useless, anecdotes, and some soap box preaching about mathematics being the premiere science.

He does touch on the mathematics of probablity, a subject that most people should know more about. Anyone with a basic knowledge of probability quickly realizes that coincidences don't just happen, they MUST happen. That fact throws a wrench into a lot of "sciences of the paranormal." And remember, from a statistical standpoint your chance of winning the big lottery is no different whether you buy a ticket or don't buy it. Is there a way to improve your chances for winning big? Yes. Pick numbers that no one else picks like, 1,2,3,4,5,6. That way you run less of a chance of getting tied with someone.

There are other books out there that give you better information, but this one is OK if you want to learn a little applied math without having to turn your brain on at all.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Confirms what I've always suspected., January 4, 1998

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[e-mail] (Southern USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 200% of Nothing : An Eye-Opening Tour through the Twists and Turns of Math Abuse and Innumeracy (Hardcover)

The way you feel when you see those 1-900-pshycic info-mercials (how can ANYONE be SO stupid?). Well, after reading this book, I can summize why the people who DON'T call DON'T call... Certainly an adequate and explainative adaptation to modern, everyday reasoning; as well as how it realistically corresponds to the average "Joe". Put new batteries in your scientific calculator, and have a ball comparing notes! At times, somewhat a little insulting to your intelligence, while at other times opens your eyes to simple little things that you've seen 100 times, put into a true but different perspective. Bottom line...I'm glad that I bought it, and will most assuredly reference it from time to time now that its on my bookshelf.