Author: Steven Connor Publisher: Reaktion Books ISBN: 1780236948 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 297
Book Description
How do we really think about the world? We may use words to tell stories about it or draw pictures to represent it, but one thing we do far more than either of those is make calculations of the things that are in it—and to do that we use numbers. Numbers give shape and texture to almost everything we feel, say, dream, and do, a fact that Steven Connor explores in this qualitative assessment of the quantifiable. Looking at how numbers play a part in nearly every aspect of our lives, he offers a fascinating portrait of the world as a world of numbers. Connor explores a host of thought-provoking aspects of our numerical existence. He looks at the unexpected oddities that shape the loneliest number—the number one. He looks at counting as a human phenomenon and the ways we negotiate crowds, swarms, and multitudes. He demonstrates the work of calculation as it lies at the heart of poetry, jokes, painting, and music. He shows how we use numbers to adjust to uncertainty and chance and how they help us visualize the world in diagrammatic ways, and he unveils how numbers even help us think about death. Altogether, Connor brings into relief an aspect of our lives so ubiquitous that we often can’t see it, unveiling a rich new way of thinking about our existence.
Author: Steven Connor Publisher: Reaktion Books ISBN: 1780238258 Category : Mathematics Languages : en Pages : 297
Book Description
Ideas about numbers, magnitudes and frequencies shape and give texture to almost everything we feel, say, dream and do. In Living by Numbers, Steven Connor explores the many ways in which we live in, and by, a world of numbers. Connor homes in on the unsuspected weirdness of the number one, the links between horror, counting and the uncountable, and the close associations of numbers and death. He considers the way we make sense of crowds, swarms, masses and multitudes, and demonstrates the work of calculation that is always present in poems, jokes, laughter and pleasure. He shows how we use numbers to adjust ourselves to chance and uncertainty, examines the pressure of numbers in the experience of music, explains how they exert their force in painting, and reveals the many different ways in which numbers and quantities have taken visual form in diagrams, charts and infographics. Against the lazy and conventional assumption that human life needs to be defended against the alien and malign power of numbers, this book illustrates how essential the feeling for numbers is in all aspects of contemporary existence, arguing that no creativity or invention is in fact possible without numbers. Living by Numbers opens up for the first time the richness, variety and subtlety of how we do things with numbers and, just as importantly, how they do things with us. --
Author: Keith J. Devlin Publisher: John Wiley & Sons ISBN: Category : Mathematics Languages : en Pages : 232
Book Description
A lively, visually striking introduction to the remarkable ways math shapes our lives Life by the Numbers is the exclusive companion volume to the PBS series
Author: Lloyd Strayhorn Publisher: Ballantine Books ISBN: 0307761460 Category : Body, Mind & Spirit Languages : en Pages : 419
Book Description
Harness the power of numbers! Numerology has been around since the sixth century B.C. and has been used throughout the ages to reveal the secrets of personality . . . to determine the numerical vibrations surrounding different aspects of life . . . and to select the key numbers in your life that will lead to happiness and prosperity. If you can count on your fingers, you can use this ancient system to discover: • What is the purpose of your life? • Which day is your sexuality highest? • Which lottery numbers should you choose? • When is the best time to make decisions? • What cities are the best for you to live in? • How can you tell if someone's right for you? Featuring numerological profiles of famous people and trends!
Author: Garth Sundem Publisher: Workman Publishing ISBN: 9780761140214 Category : Games & Activities Languages : en Pages : 136
Book Description
Here for the geek in all of us are fifty foolproof equations that take the guesswork out of lifeÑand the funniest twist on an idea since Richard SmithÕs The DieterÕs Guide to Weight Loss During Sex. Call it the algebra oracle: By plugging in the right variables, GEEK LOGIK answers lifeÕs most persistent questions. It covers Dating and Romance, Career and Finance, and everyday decisions like Should I get a tattoo? Can I still wear tight jeans? Is it time to see a therapist? How many beers should I have at the company picnic? How does it work? Take a simple issue that comes up once or twice a week: Should I call in sick? Fill in the variables honestly, such as D for doctorÕs note (enter 1 for Òno,Ó 10 for Òyes,Ó and 5 for Òyes, but itÕs a forgeryÓ), R for importance of job(1-10, with 10 being Òpersonally responsible for EarthÕs orbit around SunÓ), Fj for how much fun you have at work (1-10, with 10 being Òpersonal trainer for underwear modelsÓ), N for how much you need the money (1-10, with 10 being ÒI owe the mobÓ), then do the math, and voilÑif the product, Hooky, is greater than 1, enjoy your very own Ferris BuellerÕs Day Off. Includes a pocket calculator so that prospective geeks can immediately solve the equation on the back cover: Should I buy this book?
Author: Shane White Publisher: Harvard University Press ISBN: 9780674051072 Category : Games & Activities Languages : en Pages : 314
Book Description
The most ubiquitous feature of Harlem life between the world wars was the game of “numbers.” Thousands of wagers were placed daily. Playing the Numbers tells the story of this illegal form of gambling and the central role it played in the lives of African Americans who flooded into Harlem in the wake of World War I.
Author: Sylvia E. Di Pietro Publisher: ISBN: 9781735238203 Category : Languages : en Pages :
Book Description
A guide to the magic of numbers! Discover the numbers in your name and birthdate that influence your destiny and life. In this exciting guidebook, the study of numerology, followed by ancient philosophers and mystics throughout the ages becomes clear and simple. You can: Discover your personal life path; Gain insight into the quality of your lover; Learn how to pick your lucky numbers and learn how to spot golden opportunities. Now available to the modern reader is a fascinating and modern guilde to the ancient study of numerology. Easy to read, it teaches the meaning of numbers and how to use them in all aspects of your life.
Author: Oliver Jeffers Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books ISBN: 9780008470807 Category : Languages : en Pages : 28
Book Description
A spectacular concept board book from world-renowned artist Oliver Jeffers, based on his million-copy selling, global phenomenon Here We Are!
Author: Vaclav Smil Publisher: Penguin ISBN: 0525507817 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 368
Book Description
"Vaclav Smil is my favorite author… Numbers Don't Lie takes everything that makes his writing great and boils it down into an easy-to-read format. I unabashedly recommend this book to anyone who loves learning."--Bill Gates, GatesNotes From the author of How the World Really Works, an essential guide to understanding how numbers reveal the true state of our world--exploring a wide range of topics including energy, the environment, technology, transportation, and food production. Vaclav Smil's mission is to make facts matter. An environmental scientist, policy analyst, and a hugely prolific author, he is Bill Gates' go-to guy for making sense of our world. In Numbers Don't Lie, Smil answers questions such as: What's worse for the environment--your car or your phone? How much do the world's cows weigh (and what does it matter)? And what makes people happy? From data about our societies and populations, through measures of the fuels and foods that energize them, to the impact of transportation and inventions of our modern world--and how all of this affects the planet itself--in Numbers Don't Lie, Vaclav Smil takes us on a fact-finding adventure, using surprising statistics and illuminating graphs to challenge conventional thinking. Packed with fascinating information and memorable examples, Numbers Don't Lie reveals how the US is leading a rising worldwide trend in chicken consumption, that vaccination yields the best return on investment, and why electric cars aren't as great as we think (yet). Urgent and essential, with a mix of science, history, and wit--all in bite-sized chapters on a broad range of topics--Numbers Don't Lie inspires readers to interrogate what they take to be true.
Author: Steven Connor
Author: Steven Connor
Author: Keith J. Devlin
Author: Lloyd Strayhorn
Author: Garth Sundem
Author: Shane White
Author: Abb Landis
Author: Sylvia E. Di Pietro
Author: Oliver Jeffers
Author: Vaclav Smil