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The joy of X : a guided tour of math, from one to infinity / Steven Strogatz.

By: Material type: TextTextPublication details: Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, c2012.Description: xii, 316 p. : ill. ; 24 cmISBN:
  • 0547517653 (hardback)
  • 9780547517650 (hardback)
Subject(s):
Contents:
Numbers. From fish to infinity ; Rock groups ; The enemy of my enemy ; Commuting ; Division and its discontents ; Location, location,. location -- Relationships. The joy of X ; finding your roots ; My tub runneth over ; Working your quads ; Power tools -- Shapes. Square dancing ; Something from nothing ; The conic conspiracy l Sine qua non ; Take it to the limit -- Change. Change we can believe in ; It slices, it dices ; All about e ; Loves me, loves me not ; Step into the light -- Data. The new normal ; Chances are ; Untangling the Web -- Frontiers. The loneliest numbers; Group think ; Twist and shout ; Think globally ; Analyze this! ; The Hilbert Hotel.
Summary: "In 2010, award-winning professor Steven wrote a series for the New York Times online called "The Elements of Math." It was hugely popular: Each piece climbed the most emailed list and elicited hundreds of comments. Readers begged for more, and has now delivered. In this fun, fast-paced book, he offers us all a second chance at math. Each short chapter of The Joy of X provides an "Aha!" moment, starting with why numbers are helpful, and moving on to such topics as shapes, calculus, fat tails, and infinity. explains the ideas of math gently and clearly, with wit, insight, and brilliant illustrations. Assuming no knowledge, only curiosity, he shows how math connects to literature, philosophy, law, medicine, art, business, even pop culture and current events. For example, did O.J. do it? How should you flip your mattress to get the maximum wear out of it? How does Google search the Internet? How many people should you date before settling down? is the math teacher you wish you'd had, and The Joy of X is the book you'll want to give to all your smart and curious friends. "-- Provided by publisher.
Fiction notes: Click to open in new window
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Notes Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 510 S921 Available Some water damage on tops of back pages 33111007011717
Adult Book Adult Book Northport Library NonFiction 510 S921 Available 33111006160838
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A world-class mathematician and regular contributor to the New York Times hosts a delightful tour of the greatest ideas of math, revealing how it connects to literature, philosophy, law, medicine, art, business, even pop culture in ways we never imagined

Did O.J. do it? How should you flip your mattress to get the maximum wear out of it? How does Google search the Internet? How many people should you date before settling down? Believe it or not, math plays a crucial role in answering all of these questions and more.

Math underpins everything in the cosmos, including us, yet too few of us understand this universal language well enough to revel in its wisdom, its beauty -- and its joy. This deeply enlightening, vastly entertaining volume translates math in a way that is at once intelligible and thrilling. Each trenchant chapter of The Joy of x offers an "aha!" moment, starting with why numbers are so helpful, and progressing through the wondrous truths implicit in π, the Pythagorean theorem, irrational numbers, fat tails, even the rigors and surprising charms of calculus. Showing why he has won awards as a professor at Cornell and garnered extensive praise for his articles about math for the New York Times , Strogatz presumes of his readers only curiosity and common sense. And he rewards them with clear, ingenious, and often funny explanations of the most vital and exciting principles of his discipline.

Whether you aced integral calculus or aren't sure what an integer is, you'll find profound wisdom and persistent delight in The Joy of x .

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Numbers. From fish to infinity ; Rock groups ; The enemy of my enemy ; Commuting ; Division and its discontents ; Location, location,. location -- Relationships. The joy of X ; finding your roots ; My tub runneth over ; Working your quads ; Power tools -- Shapes. Square dancing ; Something from nothing ; The conic conspiracy l Sine qua non ; Take it to the limit -- Change. Change we can believe in ; It slices, it dices ; All about e ; Loves me, loves me not ; Step into the light -- Data. The new normal ; Chances are ; Untangling the Web -- Frontiers. The loneliest numbers; Group think ; Twist and shout ; Think globally ; Analyze this! ; The Hilbert Hotel.

"In 2010, award-winning professor Steven wrote a series for the New York Times online called "The Elements of Math." It was hugely popular: Each piece climbed the most emailed list and elicited hundreds of comments. Readers begged for more, and has now delivered. In this fun, fast-paced book, he offers us all a second chance at math. Each short chapter of The Joy of X provides an "Aha!" moment, starting with why numbers are helpful, and moving on to such topics as shapes, calculus, fat tails, and infinity. explains the ideas of math gently and clearly, with wit, insight, and brilliant illustrations. Assuming no knowledge, only curiosity, he shows how math connects to literature, philosophy, law, medicine, art, business, even pop culture and current events. For example, did O.J. do it? How should you flip your mattress to get the maximum wear out of it? How does Google search the Internet? How many people should you date before settling down? is the math teacher you wish you'd had, and The Joy of X is the book you'll want to give to all your smart and curious friends. "-- Provided by publisher.

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