Humble pi : when math goes wrong in the real world
Format:
Print Author/s:
Parker, Matt Call Number:QA276.12 .B6678 2018 Publisher:
Riverhead Books Place of Publication:
New York Date of Publication:
2020 ISBN:
9780593084694 Pages:
314 Language:
English Dimension:
21 cm Tags:Mathematics -- Popular works |
About the Resource:
Our whole world is built on math, from the code running a website to the equations enabling the design of skyscrapers and bridges. Most of the time this math works quietly behind the scenes . . . until it doesn’t. All sorts of seemingly innocuous mathematical mistakes can have significant consequences.
Math is easy to ignore until a misplaced decimal point upends the stock market, a unit conversion error causes a plane to crash, or someone divides by zero and stalls a battleship inthe middle of the ocean.
Exploring and explaining a litany of glitches, near misses, and mathematical mishaps involving theinternet, big data, elections, street signs, lotteries, the Roman Empire, and an Olympic team, Matt Parker uncovers the bizarre ways math trips us up, and what this reveals about its essential place in our world. Getting it wrong has never been more fun.