Secrets of Mental Math: The Mathemagician's Guide to Lightning Calculation and Amazing Math Tricks [Paperback]

Arthur Benjamin (Author), Michael Shermer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 8, 2006

These simple math secrets and tricks will forever change how you look at the world of numbers.

Secrets of Mental Math will have you thinking like a math genius in no time. Get ready to amaze your friends—and yourself—with incredible calculations you never thought you could master, as renowned “mathemagician” Arthur Benjamin shares his techniques for lightning-quick calculations and amazing number tricks. This book will teach you to do math in your head faster than you ever thought possible, dramatically improve your memory for numbers, and—maybe for the first time—make mathematics fun.

Yes, even you can learn to do seemingly complex equations in your head; all you need to learn are a few tricks. You’ll be able to quickly multiply and divide triple digits, compute with fractions, and determine squares, cubes, and roots without blinking an eye. No matter what your age or current math ability, Secrets of Mental Math will allow you to perform fantastic feats of the mind effortlessly. This is the math they never taught you in school.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A great introduction to the wonder of numbers, from two superb teachers.” —Brian Greene, author of The Elegant Universe

“A magical mystery tour of mental mathematics! Fascinating and fun.” —Joseph Gallian, president of the Mathematical Association of America

“The clearest, simplest, most entertaining, and best book yet on the art of calculating in your head.” —Martin Gardner, author of Mathematical Magic Show and Mathematical Carnival

“This book can teach you mental math skills that will surprise you and your friends. Better, you will have fun and have valuable practical tools inside your head.” —Dr. Edward O. Thorp, mathematician and author of Beat the Dealer and Beat the Market

About the Author

Arthur Benjamin is a professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California. He is also a professional magician and performs his mixture of math and magic all over the world.

Michael Shermer is host of the Caltech public lecture series, a contributing editor to and monthly columnist of Scientific American, the publisher of Skeptic magazine, and the author of several science books. He lives in Altadena, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (August 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307338401
• ISBN-13: 978-0307338402
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Mathematics

More About the Author

Arthur Benjamin is a professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California. He is also a professional magician and performs his mixture of math and magic all over the world.Michael Shermer is host of the Caltech public lecture series, a contributing editor to and monthly columnist of Scientific American, the publisher of Skeptic magazine, and the author of several science books. He lives in Altadena, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

316 of 324 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beware of duplication, July 10, 2007

By 

Anthony Galvin (Ireland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Secrets of Mental Math: The Mathemagician's Guide to Lightning Calculation and Amazing Math Tricks (Paperback)

I bought a copy of Secrets of Mental Maths. As a trained scientist and a professional magician I was interested in the contents, and was not disappointed. Great stuff here for impressing people, and useful techniques for making maths fun. However the Amazon website offered two books togehter - this book and another by the same authors; Think Like A Maths Genius. I ordered both, and was shocked when they were delivered. The second book (Think Like A Maths Genius) was just Secrets of Mental Maths with a different cover. Amazon should have known both were the same book and should not have offered them both together. Don't be caught out by this. That aside, I highly recommend buying one or other version of this book.

181 of 187 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Right to the point, effective, and fun!, October 11, 2006

By 

Robert Potter (Lansing, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Secrets of Mental Math: The Mathemagician's Guide to Lightning Calculation and Amazing Math Tricks (Paperback)

At first glance, this book could easily be overlooked and dismissed as another "just buy this book and follow my easy steps to becoming a (genius, millionaire, happier person, psychic, master gardener, whatever)" that would utimately leave you disappointed that you couldn't do it.

Well, this book is not that. It gets right to the point. It's very well written. It's fun. It's practical. And as long as you take your time to mentally practice what you're learning along the way, you can and should be able to master the techniques in this book. You needn't have any mathematical expertise going in. Of course, the author doesn't promise anything special about what you can do with these abilities, although there are some practical applications suggested along the way. All I can say is that it's fun and gives you something interesting to do with your brain when you're bored. And certainly if you like Math already or are a Math teacher, it can be tremendously helpful.

Arthur Benjamin wrote the main content of the book, and Michael Shermer (Skeptic Magazine founder and Scientific American columnist) wrote introductory and closing chapters. These seem a little out of place to me, but they're certainly very good and useful general information about critical thinking. In addition to Bill Nye's (The Science Guy) new intro, James Randi's (famous magician and skeptic) introduction from an earlier edition is included.

147 of 152 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for SAT/GRE study!, September 25, 2007

By 

Zach Foreman "palladium paladin" (Arlington, Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Secrets of Mental Math: The Mathemagician's Guide to Lightning Calculation and Amazing Math Tricks (Paperback)

I am a professional SAT/GRE teacher and tutor, achieving an 800 in the GRE math section. After telling many students that the secret to the math section is mental math and approximation, I decided to see what books were available. I saw that this one had good reviews and ever since then I have been bringing the book to all my classes and tutoring sessions. I recommend this book for those who never felt they got the hang of math as well as people who love it like I do. It is clearly written, very encouraging and has lots of drills.
I love this book and I think that it really will help people feel more confident when they take a test or just are trying to figure the tip.