12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing., November 15, 2009
First off let me say that the topics chosen as illustrative examples are hilarious. There is just the right mix of geekiness and human interest. That being said I had hoped to read more about what constitutes a reasonable assumption since I was already competent at dimensional analysis. This book is just a collection of entertaining examples.
In addition the Kindle edition has very poor proofreading. Several words are missing letters and these errors could have been caught simply by running a spelling check. I am disappointed.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
How to: Take a guess, or use common sense!, December 13, 2009
This review is from: How Many Licks?: Or, How to Estimate Damn Near Anything (Paperback)
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I ordered this book, but I must admit that the clincher (for me, anyway) was the set of example questions listed on the product description - you have to admit, they were funny and intriguing.
Having read the book, I don't think I'm much better at "estimating damn near anything". In the first chapter, the book gives you some advice on how to start addressing a question - any question of approximation - and the rest of the book provides many exercises.
The gist of advice on approximating anything is: take a guess! How many dirt bike racers are in New York? Well, round up the total population of New York, apply exponential notation, decide on a reasonable maximum and minimum possible number of racers, etc.
Of course, there are some questions within the book that require knowledge of specific values, such as the elasticity of rubber, the pull of gravity, and the distance between the Earth and the Moon. For these questions you'll find the values at the back of the book. For other such values in real life just hope you paid attention in school.
There is no secret art in guesstimating anything - either take an educated guess or use some degree of common sense. I was hoping for something new to take away from this book, but found very little.
The sample problems presented in the book are great, though, and it has a very good format.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
get your Fermi on, October 22, 2009
This review is from: How Many Licks?: Or, How to Estimate Damn Near Anything (Paperback)
Great book for learning the famous estimation techniques of intellectual giant Enrico Fermi. An absolute must for anyone trying to impersonate a physicist at cocktail parties.
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