Any way you add it up, this book is great Math. Most of us think we either love it or hate it and yet we all use, and interact with, math everyday without even thinking about it! We do business
Any way you add it up, this book is great
Math. Most of us think we either love it or hate it and yet we all use, and interact with, math everyday without even thinking about it!
We do business with math. We use math when we cook and sew. We use math when we fix and build things. We use math when we buy things and pay bills. Surfers and hunters depend on angles and speed. Weather uses math. Photography, art and design use math. Video gaming uses math. Yes, even gambling uses math!
“The Grapes of Math: How Life Reflects Numbers and Numbers Reflect Life”, by Alex Bellos, is a fascinating introduction into how math and numbers are a part of every single thing we see and do.
In his engaging writing style, Bellos explores our conscious and unconscious relationship to numbers, and then guides us through easy-to-follow explanations of a variety of numbers, groupings, and formulas.
Don’t like math? Even the author states that if your eyes start fuzzing out from the detailed breakdowns, you are allowed to skip past that to get to the fun stuff which is even more interesting!
For instance, did you know that the upside-down loops on roller-coasters were conceived by a mathematician?
Or how about the person who just by using math has been at home discovering other universes that could exist?
Did you know people got into violent scuffles over proposed math equations and solutions? One even lost their nose!
“The Grapes of Math” in its easy-to-read way shows us how the effect of numbers and math on our world and our history is truly amazing. Perusing this book is a fun and easy way to learn about math and shows us that math is truly part of our every day life and what makes our world fun and interesting!
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Ed and Cynthia Justus are owners of The Bookstore in Hanapepe.
