How Not To Be Wrong: The Hidden Maths of Everyday Life

Product Description

The maths we learn in school often seems like a mysterious and impenetrable set of rules, laid down by the ancients and not to be questioned. In How Not to be Wrong, acclaimed mathematician Jordan Ellenberg shows us just how wrong this view is: in fact, maths touches everything we do, allowing us to see the hidden structures beneath the messy and chaotic surface of our daily lives. It's a science of not being wrong, worked out through centuries of hard work and argument.

Through supremely witty storytelling and wry insight, Ellenberg reveals the mathematician's method of analyzing life, from the commonplace to the cosmic, showing us which numbers to trust, which ones to ignore, and when to change the equation entirely.

How early should you get to the airport? Why do tall parents have shorter children? What's the best way to get rich playing the lottery? How should you choose a mutual fund? And does Facebook know you're a terrorist? How Not to Be Wrong presents the surprising revelations behind these and many more questions, using the mathematician's hard-won insights - minus the jargon.

As Ellenberg shows us, maths doesn't just teach us how not to be duped; it makes us better thinkers. Armed with the tools of mathematics, we gain access to insights inaccessible by other means. How Not to Be Wrong shows us how.