{"product_id":"a-numerate-life-a-mathematician-explores-the-vagaries-of-life-his-own-and-probably-yours-paperback","title":"A Numerate Life: A Mathematician Explores the Vagaries of Life, His Own and Probably Yours - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJohn Allen Paulos\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEmploying intuitive ideas from mathematics, this quirky meta-memoir raises questions about our lives that most of us don't think to ask, but arguably should: What part of memory is reliable fact, what part creative embellishment? Which favorite presuppositions are unfounded, which statistically biased? By conjoining two opposing mindsets--the suspension of disbelief required in storytelling and the skepticism inherent in the scientific method--bestselling mathematician John Allen Paulos has created an unusual hybrid, a composite of personal memories and mathematical approaches to re-evaluating them. Entertaining vignettes from Paulos's biography abound--ranging from a bullying math teacher and a fabulous collection of baseball cards to romantic crushes, a grandmother's petty larceny, and his quite unintended role in getting George Bush elected president in 2000. These vignettes serve as springboards to many telling perspectives: simple arithmetic puts life-long habits in a dubious new light; higher dimensional geometry helps us see that we're all rather peculiar; nonlinear dynamics explains the narcissism of small differences cascading into very different siblings; logarithms and exponentials yield insight on why we tend to become bored and jaded as we age; and there are tricks and jokes, probability and coincidences, and much more. For fans of Paulos or newcomers to his work, this witty commentary on his life--and yours--is fascinating reading.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJohn Allen Paulos\u003c\/b\u003e is a professor of mathematics at Temple University and the author of eight previous books, including the best-selling \u003ci\u003eInnumeracy\u003c\/i\u003e and\u003ci\u003e A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 206\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.6 x 8.9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 10, 2015\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51765437727008,"sku":"9781633881181","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/71046a8718240ab60d600ac458347d6d.webp?v=1780269679","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/a-numerate-life-a-mathematician-explores-the-vagaries-of-life-his-own-and-probably-yours-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}