Product Description

Why do weather forecasters get it wrong? What are the best tactics for playing "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" and "The Weakest Link"? And what is the link between a tin of baked beans and a men's urinal? These and many other questions are answered in this book. It is for anyone wanting to remind themselves - or discover for the first time - that maths is relevant to almost everything we do. Dating, cooking, travelling by car, gambling and ranking sportsmen all have links with intriguing mathematical problems that are explained in this book. It reveals the secrets behind some of the best con tricks and the hidden workings of the taxi meter, and explains how epidemics start and stop.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6541 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 228 pages

About the Author
Rob Eastaway is the author of the best-selling What is a Googly? (0860518000) and Why Do Buses Come in Threes? (1861052472) He is also responsible for running the Coopers and Lybrand world ratings for cricket, one of sport's best-known mathematical models. Jeremy Wyndham is the managing director of a leading market research company. They both live in London.

Customer Reviews

A Book For All Occasions
This book was an enjoyable read. It was a nice, light paperback that could be picked up to fill in a few minutes at the end of a period of study or used to wind down after a hard days work. It showed the underlying maths in everyday problems and although it had some slow parts, the chapters were short enough to have a nice taste of the mathematical side of life without getting too deep in formulae and theories. I especially enjoyed the chapters on game show decisions and also about conmen and what they dream up. All in all, if you are looking for something light and non-taxing but something that broadens your understandings of practical maths, then this book is for you. However, for something challenging and highly mathematical based, another read would be fitting.

Entertaining for all
I AM a mathematician and had come across a few of the things in far more detail in other books before - which I'd also liked. Seeing these and other nuggets in this lighter book was great - I'm now re-reading bits, and am buying a copy for my dear old mum (who claims to be not at all mathematical but liked the look of it when she visited).

Thoroughly entertaining book
I thought this was an excllent book - full of interesting real-life situations and the maths that you never knew underpinned them. I particularly liked the chapter on karaoke singers and the maths behind 'in-tune' or 'out of tune' music.