How the Other Half Thinks: Adventures in Mathematical ReasoningMaths enthusiasts aren't necessarily the number-crunching geeks we tend to assume. In fact, they know that maths is about much more than numbers; it is a profoundly philosophical endeavour, as well as a stimulating mental exercise. In How the Other Half Thinks, Sherman Stein emphasizes the creative elements of mathematics by exploring some significant mathematical discoveries through simple, intuitive manipulations. With an ingenious technique that uses no algebra or trigonometry, and only a minimum of arithmetic, Stein takes us through the thought process behind some of math's great discoveries and applications. Each chapter begins with a simple question about strings made up of the letters a and b, which leads to other, more profound questions. Along the way, we become familiar with concepts from such fields as topology and probability, and learn how they have led to applications such as codes and radar, computing and even baseball statistics. Recreational and instructive, How the Other Half Thinks should appeal to die-hard maths enthusiasts (of which there are many) as well as those right-brainers who are looking for a way to understand and enjoy maths. |
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Contents
The Needle and the Noodle | 1 |
Win by Two | 19 |
The Complete Triangle | 43 |
Copyright | |
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How the Other Half Thinks: Adventures in Mathematical Reasoning Sherman K. Stein No preview available - 2002 |
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5-tuplets a's and b's acabcb angles answer applied average number babb ballot Barbara stays ahead bbab block of length bug's chapter complete edge complete sections complete triangle couplet crosses a line Dodgers dots equal experiment fair division figure finite fraction full string George Cantor highway system horizontal line infinite number infinite strings inspector instance labeled letters likelihood mathematicians mathematics needle number of complete number of crossings number of points number of triangles odd number overlaps pair polygon pqrs problem quadruplets question random rectangle roads Russell's paradox score set of whole shift register sequence shown Sperner's lemma straight string for triplets string of length strings of a's symbols tails throughout the count Thue's Thue's Theorem tossed penny total number town trip twin free twin-free string volleyball votes wheel whole numbers wins wire