Customer Reviews

How Math Explains the World: A Guide to the Power of Numbers, from Car Repair to Modern Physics

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It is made abundantly clear in this fascinating book that certain sub-disciplines in mathematics are extremely useful in describing the physical world in which we live. It is made equally clear, and admitted by the author, that many other of its sub-disciplines are (at least currently) completely useless in the sense that there are no known practical applications. The author, a mathematician, does an excellent job in providing the reader with an overview of both types of these sub-disciplines, while discussing various questions and issues in mathematics. To add a human element to these discussions, the author has peppered the text with many historical and micro-biographical snippets, as well as personal anecdotes - thus making the book all the more enjoyable. The writing style is authoritative, very friendly and generally clear; that is, some sections could have been made clearer if figures or diagrams had been included to complement the descriptions that are given, thus saving the reader a bit of re-reading and head scratching (such as in my case). The fact that many mathematical terms are used without being previously defined suggests that the reader should have some basic knowledge in math in order to better appreciate the topics being discussed. Consequently, the book would likely be most enjoyed by science and especially math buffs.

Who would have thought a book about math could make you chuckle and be thought provoking at the same time? Even though I'm not a math person, I had no problems following along. I enjoyed the author's humor and would recommend this entertaining book to everyone.

I picked up "How Math Explains the World" because it had a small section discussing something I was studying for a class (the axiom of choice.) I liked what I read so much that I read the whole book. Perfect blend of storytelling and thought provoking. It's the kind of book that every topic makes you want to go and tell someone about the cool thing that you just learned. Highly recommended.

As a recent physics graduate with minors in math and computer science, this book was like a brief review of the last four years of my life. For me, it was a page-turner! Stein writes with authority, sans pretentiousness. He takes you through the history of math and science in a very fun way. Easily five stars.

LOVED this book! The style and formatting of the book made it one that was not only easy to pick up but also easy to put down when necessary...the topic, although some may think, "MATH? You must be kidding!" was made not only enjoyable but educational in ways to enlighten not only the math 'nerd' but history and physics 'nerds' as well. Sure, some of the mathematics wasn't as easy to follow, if you have forgotten what you've learned umpteen years ago, but as Dr. Stein says, not all of it is stuff you need or use anyway. This is definitely a must-read for math educators as it will provide excellent background stories for what might be an otherwise ho-hum topic (quadratic formula? oh no!). Written as though you're sitting down together over a cocktail and discussing mathematics (as if!) this is a fine book that will make you see math from a whole new perspective.

Read this if you already like math (which I do) and want to learn a brief history of math (which I don't), and how it explains some things.

Unfortunately, I mis-interpreted the title of the book as "How Math Explains the EVERYDAY World." I was expecting a book full of examples of how math is useful everyday and pops up in unexpected places. Given that the cover mentioned car repair, I thought it was going to be interesting. However, he uses real life analogies to explain the math, instead of the math to explain the real life.

On page 73, Stein says, "I'm not a mathematical historian," but this book is full of names and personal histories that didn't really help me understand the content. I am not really interested in a mathematician who is devasted after finding out someone else already thought up his idea. I don't think that is the purpose of this title.

He does explain how math is used in the world, but most of the time it is somewhat advanced math in theoretical areas. Two of the more interesting topics he addresses are scheduling issues and voting methods. Other topics were boring. (Dueling mathematicians fighting over cubic and quintic equations? Blech.)