Customer Reviews

Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

In this short book, Paulos does an outstanding job of pointing out what lack of number intimacy can do to a person. The anecdotes are outstanding, especially the ones on large numbers and on probability. For example, he shows how one is fooled by probability: If we have 23 people in a room, what is the probability that two of them have the same birthday? 50%!! Very conterintuitive.

The author also tries to understand why it is almost considered acceptable for a person to admit that one is "bad with numbers", while it not being ok to be "bad with words". The realm of psychology is not his forte, but the ideas he points to are interesting.

Overall, this is an easy to read book, much easier even to one literate with numbers. I was done with it in 3 hours, and was left wanting more, so much so that I am now buying some more of his works. If they are half as good as Innumeracy, then they will be good enough.

I read this book several years ago and believe it to be a classic that would enhance any mathematics study course by making it topical and a part of the reader/student's everyday environment. What mathematics teaching needs is humanising - this book could go some way towards doing this.

This short review follows a review I have just written for 'I Think Therefore I Laugh' - another of Mr Paulos' books. Because I rate 'Innumeracy' so highly I decided to look at Customer Reviews for it, and found some clashed with my own assessment.

Some reviewrs are offended by Mr Paulos' perceived attitude towards the innumerate - believing that he is condescending in an off-putting way. I don't see it that way except inasmuch as we are all innumerate at some level and have to learn to become more numerate - just as a golfer has to learn to read the cut of the green if they want to be a good putter. And numeracy skills will certainly enhance the way we see the world and respond to its mysteries as Mr Paulos shows so cleary.

The problem that resulted in this book is far-reaching: the public simply doesn't understand mathematics. Statistics, ranging from a 10%-off sale to the sort found in opinion polls, are unfathomable to the general populace. Probability, especially in the context of gambling, is understood by only a scant handful of people. The list of misunderstood mathematics is nearly endless.

In the first few chapters of the book, Paulos describes various issues that the innumerate (that is, those who don't understand numbers and math) often have issues understanding. He describes the issue to a reasonable level of detail, then derives answers for them. Don't let the use of the word 'derive' scare you off: the answers are readable and readily understandable to a general audience. In some cases, if you're really rusty, you might need to read them a second time to grasp the solution.

Later chapters, however, are not written for the innumerate. They are attempts to convince the reader that mathematical education needs to be improved. I think that everyone agrees that education should be improved, but he offers suggestions that are impractical or nonsensical.

Ultimately, the problem of this book is a lack of focus. Paulos could have written either a book that tackles basic mathematical issues that the general public doesn't understand, or he could have written a book that describes the consequences of innumeracy. He tried to do both, and stuffed both topics into a single slim volume. In doing so, he shortchanges both audiences. The result is a book that is good, but does not fully address the needs of anyone.

If you find yourself uncomfortable with mathematics, pick up a copy of this book and read up to chapter five. If you are comfortable with mathematics and are looking for fodder to prove the point that improving mathematical knowledge at any level is productive, this book will not serve your purpose.

After four years of college, I'm packing up and heading into the real world. One of the few books I'm keeping is Innumeracy. It was required reading when I was a freshman and again when I was a senior and I loved it even more the second time around. Few books lead you to an entirely new way of looking at the world and I, for one, would never think a math book would do that. It provided me with a more healthy way to think about chance, science, and even politics. A real classic that is fun to read. Paulos' wit makes the ride enjoyable all the way through.

I had to read this for a class and groaned. But it is the only math book I've ever loved. It has attitude, is well-written, and changed my way of thinking about probability and the world. The wonderful examples don't depend on equations or formulas. Great book.

Innumeracy was assigned in a psych class and I groaned inwardly. I was wrong. It is fun, smart, and has an attitude. I've never read a book like it and have found its ideas rattling around my head in all kinds of different situations. The importance of thinking in terms of probability is clearer to me now, and many of Paulos' clever examples help me think about a lot of issues that don't seem at all mathematical. The writing is killer witty too.

I really enjoyed Innumeracy because of its content and because of the strange attitude the author exhibits to his target reader. While he gives the impression that he wrote this great little summary of basic maths for those with little grasp for numbers, one gets the impression that he has little concern for the feeble confidence of his would be disciples. Personally , I think it makes the book more entertaining as he casually tears pseudoscience apart , but not without pointing out grave concern for mankind given the amount of followers it has. The book itself is a livley course on practical mathematics and it is very interesting throughout. One particular anectode mentioned that i certainly wont forget is our inability to reject the hypothesis of immortality. A must read for both the numerate and inummerate although the latter will have to withstand a fair amount of not so sublte humiliation.

'At least part of the motivation for any book is anger, and this book is no exception. I'm distressed by a society which depends so completely on mathematics and science and yet seems so indifferent to the innumeracy and scientific illiteracy of so many of its citizens...' (p.134).

Writers generally put the motivation statement at the front of the book, but this occurs at the back. His anger does indeed fuel part of his need to write, and is one of the reasons why he succeeds but not fully. A moments reflection reveals that many books, of all types, are not motivated by anger at all. I am sure that in a calm moment he would appreciate the economy of the refutation 'NOT' appended to the first sentence of his statement. The question it raises is, can he justify his anger as righteous and thereby redeem it, like a mathematical cleansing of the temple? Or do we read the book with respect for his position and experience, but gingerly, lest we disturb a dog best left sleeping?

I like this book for the human-ness of its strengths and weaknesses. Published in 1988, it is fresh and contemporary, of course the math can never date, but his applications and examples have not dated either. As an experienced and passionate teacher of mathematics the professor has some valuable insights into the art and science of maths teaching. 'Math anxiety' and the 'extreme intellectual lethargy which affects a small but growing number of students' all concern him, as they do me. (My own small experiences in this area as a tutor and in the classroom echo his. He might also add the 'trained ability to concentrate' as a fundament of doing math - and perhaps all intellection.) He badly wants us all to gain an instinctive sense of number and master its huge array of applications in sorting the wheat from the chaff in life's great information silo. The cheap, slap-happy and sensationalist reporting of the media, astrology, quackery, pseudoscience, and the jiggery-pokery-statistics of governments all come under his sharp scrutiny. His sense of humour, wit, and selection of amusing quotations leaven the text throughout.

Some embedded gems: sections such as those on combinatorial co-efficients (how the lottery works), and binomial probability (how to test for ESP) are good, but they really are a little too brief, and use examples which are more difficult than need be. These repay careful re-reading and require expansion with one's own pencil and paper - which enforced exercise is not his intent in writing. As he himself notes, he has a weakness for being overly concise when writing, his symbolic math habits being so strong. As an author, he should try to avoid statements like 'this part can be ignored, as indeed can the whole book'...counsels of despair! And he also promises not to lecture us or patronise us in this book, as he is aware of the temptation to do so in this type of work: mostly he succeeds. For something lighter you could try 'Why Do Buses Come In Threes?' by Eastaway & Wyndham. For something a little more rigorous try 'How to Solve It' by Polya, or 'Reasoning with Statistics' by Williams & Monge'. Keith Devlin's 'The Maths Gene' is good for some psychology of math.

Delighted by the latest Paulos' book (a mathematician plays the stock market) I was really interested in reading more of his books. This one is a non-technical introduction to the main concepts of probability and statistics. While the concepts themselves are not new for many people, the applications of these concepts are very interesting and entertaining. Paulos provides from a deconstruction of pseudoscience, to an optimal algorithm for finding your spouse...

Predictive Dreams. Parapsychology and ESP. Stock Market Scams. Numerology. Gambling. Chance Encounters. Winners vs Losers.

All of these subjects and more are covered in this eye-opening book. John Allen Paulos shows us that these 'mysteries' are easily solved mathematically; their *absence* would need explaining.

Going deeper than statistics and probabilities, many common misconceptions are explained away using logic, mathematics and common-sense. Very intelligent, often humorous and always right-on-the-money, Paulos' style is unforgettable.

Should you get this book? If you're a free-thinker and like to challenge your mind, the odds are in your favor.