Humble Pi: A Comedy of Maths Errors

Regular price
Unit price
per

Comical exploration of real-world mathematical blunders.

If you enjoy a good laugh alongside mind-boggling facts, "Humble Pi" could be just your type of read. It takes the seemingly intimidating world of mathematics and turns it on its head, presenting the subject in a light-hearted yet profoundly insightful way. Matt Parker gives you a tour of epic numerical fails that are both educational and entertaining, making you appreciate math in a whole new light.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.

Humble Pi: A Comedy of Maths Errors

Regular price
Unit price
per
Condition guide

Save 10% On This Item as a Thryft Club Member

Join Thryft Club for S$30/year and enjoy 10% off everything, plus S$10 off your first order. Join now →

ISBN: 9780141989143
Authors: Matt Parker
Publisher: Penguin
Date of Publication: 2020-03-05
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: History, Science
Related Topics: Popular Science, Mathematics
Goodreads rating: 4.11
(rated by 17114 readers)

Description

What makes a bridge wobble when it's not meant to? Billions of dollars mysteriously vanish into thin air? A building rock when its resonant frequency matches a gym class leaping to Snap's 1990 hit I've Got The Power? The answer is maths. Or, to be precise, what happens when maths goes wrong in the real world. Exploring and explaining a litany of glitches, near-misses and mishaps involving the internet, big data, elections, street signs, lotteries, the Roman empire and a hapless Olympic shooting team, Matt Parker shows us the bizarre ways maths trips us up, and what this reveals about its essential place in our world. Mathematics doesn't have good 'people skills', but we would all be better off, he argues, if we saw it as a practical ally. This book shows how, by making maths our friend, we can learn from its pitfalls. It also contains puzzles, challenges, geometric socks, jokes about binary code and three deliberate mistakes. Getting it wrong has never been more fun.
 

Comical exploration of real-world mathematical blunders.

If you enjoy a good laugh alongside mind-boggling facts, "Humble Pi" could be just your type of read. It takes the seemingly intimidating world of mathematics and turns it on its head, presenting the subject in a light-hearted yet profoundly insightful way. Matt Parker gives you a tour of epic numerical fails that are both educational and entertaining, making you appreciate math in a whole new light.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.