Record Details

Catalog Search

Search The Catalog



How not to be wrong : the power of mathematical thinking / Jordan Ellenberg.

Summary:

"In How Not to Be Wrong, Jordan Ellenberg shows us that math isn't confined to abstract incidents that never occur in real life, but rather touches everything we do--the whole world is shot through with it. Math allows us to see the hidden structures underneath the messy and chaotic surface of our world. It's a science of not being wrong, hammered out by centuries of hard work and argument. Armed with the tools of mathematics, we can see through to the true meaning of information we take for granted: How early should you get to the airport? What does "public opinion" really represent? Why do tall parents have shorter children? Who really won Florida in 2000? And how likely are you, really, to develop cancer? How Not to Be Wrong presents the surprising revelations behind all of these questions and many more, using the mathematician's method of analyzing life and exposing the hard-won insights of the academic community to the layman--minus the jargon. Ellenberg pulls from history as well as from the latest theoretical developments to provide those not trained in math with the knowledge they need"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 1594205221
  • ISBN: 9781594205224
  • Physical Description: 468 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
  • Publisher: New York, New York : The Penguin Press, 2014.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:
When am I going to use this? -- Linearity. Less like Sweden ; Straight locally, curved globally ; Everyone is obese ; How much is that in dead Americans? ; More pie than plate -- Inference. The Baltimore stockbroker and the Bible Code ; Dead fish don't read minds ; Reductio ad unlikely ; The international journal of haruspicy ; Are you there, God? It's me, Bayesian inference -- Expectation. What to expect when you're expecting to win the lottery ; Miss more planes! ; Where the train tracks meet -- Regression. The triumph of mediocrity ; Galton's eclipse ; Does lung cancer make you smoke cigarettes? -- Existence. There is no such thing as public opinion ; "Out of nothing I have created a strange new universe" -- How to be right.
Subject:
Mathematical analysis > Miscellanea.
Mathematics > Miscellanea.
Genre:
Trivia and miscellanea.

Available copies

  • 20 of 20 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at McDowell County Public Library.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 20 total copies.
Sort by distance from:
Show All Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Marion Library 510 ELL (Text) 37810435007769 Adult Nonfiction Available -

Accessibility Features

LDR 03156cam a2200373 i 4500
00110499488
003CARDINAL
00520140701144925.0
008140313t20142014nyua b 001 0 eng
010 . ‡a2014005394
020 . ‡a1594205221 ‡q(hardcover)
020 . ‡a9781594205224 ‡q(hardcover)
035 . ‡a(OCoLC)861479092
040 . ‡aDLC ‡beng ‡erda ‡cDLC ‡dYDX ‡dYDXCP ‡dBTCTA ‡dGK8 ‡dOCLCO ‡dIEP ‡dVP@ ‡dDAD ‡dIK2 ‡dABG ‡dOCLCQ
042 . ‡apcc
05000. ‡aQA99 ‡b.E45 2014
08200. ‡a510 ‡223
1001 . ‡aEllenberg, Jordan, ‡d1971- ‡eauthor. ‡0(CARDINAL)458649
24510. ‡aHow not to be wrong : ‡bthe power of mathematical thinking / ‡cJordan Ellenberg.
264 1. ‡aNew York, New York : ‡bThe Penguin Press, ‡c2014.
300 . ‡a468 pages : ‡billustrations ; ‡c25 cm
336 . ‡atext ‡btxt ‡2rdacontent
337 . ‡aunmediated ‡bn ‡2rdamedia
338 . ‡avolume ‡bnc ‡2rdacarrier
504 . ‡aIncludes bibliographical references and index.
5050 . ‡aWhen am I going to use this? -- Linearity. Less like Sweden ; Straight locally, curved globally ; Everyone is obese ; How much is that in dead Americans? ; More pie than plate -- Inference. The Baltimore stockbroker and the Bible Code ; Dead fish don't read minds ; Reductio ad unlikely ; The international journal of haruspicy ; Are you there, God? It's me, Bayesian inference -- Expectation. What to expect when you're expecting to win the lottery ; Miss more planes! ; Where the train tracks meet -- Regression. The triumph of mediocrity ; Galton's eclipse ; Does lung cancer make you smoke cigarettes? -- Existence. There is no such thing as public opinion ; "Out of nothing I have created a strange new universe" -- How to be right.
520 . ‡a"In How Not to Be Wrong, Jordan Ellenberg shows us that math isn't confined to abstract incidents that never occur in real life, but rather touches everything we do--the whole world is shot through with it. Math allows us to see the hidden structures underneath the messy and chaotic surface of our world. It's a science of not being wrong, hammered out by centuries of hard work and argument. Armed with the tools of mathematics, we can see through to the true meaning of information we take for granted: How early should you get to the airport? What does "public opinion" really represent? Why do tall parents have shorter children? Who really won Florida in 2000? And how likely are you, really, to develop cancer? How Not to Be Wrong presents the surprising revelations behind all of these questions and many more, using the mathematician's method of analyzing life and exposing the hard-won insights of the academic community to the layman--minus the jargon. Ellenberg pulls from history as well as from the latest theoretical developments to provide those not trained in math with the knowledge they need"-- ‡cProvided by publisher.
650 0. ‡aMathematical analysis ‡vMiscellanea.
650 0. ‡aMathematics ‡vMiscellanea. ‡0(CARDINAL)356527
655 7. ‡aTrivia and miscellanea. ‡2lcgft ‡0(CARDINAL)342097
902 . ‡aMARCIVE 201809
902 . ‡aMARCIVE 201909
902 . ‡aMARCIVE 201912
901 . ‡a10499488 ‡b ‡c10499488 ‡tbiblio ‡soclc