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Math with Bad Drawings: Illuminating the Ideas That Shape Our Reality Hardcover – Illustrated, September 18, 2018
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In Math With Bad Drawings, Ben Orlin reveals to us what math actually is; its myriad uses, its strange symbols, and the wild leaps of logic and faith that define the usually impenetrable work of the mathematician.
Truth and knowledge come in multiple forms: colorful drawings, encouraging jokes, and the stories and insights of an empathetic teacher who believes that math should belong to everyone. Orlin shows us how to think like a mathematician by teaching us a brand-new game of tic-tac-toe, how to understand an economic crises by rolling a pair of dice, and the mathematical headache that ensues when attempting to build a spherical Death Star.
Every discussion in the book is illustrated with Orlin's trademark "bad drawings," which convey his message and insights with perfect pitch and clarity. With 24 chapters covering topics from the electoral college to human genetics to the reasons not to trust statistics, Math with Bad Drawings is a life-changing book for the math-estranged and math-enamored alike.
- Print length376 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBlack Dog & Leventhal
- Publication dateSeptember 18, 2018
- Dimensions7.4 x 1.5 x 9.35 inches
- ISBN-100316509035
- ISBN-13978-0316509039
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"Ben Orlin is terribly bad at drawing. Luckily he's also fantastically clever and charming. His talents have added up to the most glorious, warm, and witty illustrated guide to the irresistible appeal of mathematics."―Hannah Fry, mathematician, University College London and BBC presenter
"Brilliant, wide ranging, and irreverent, Math with Bad Drawings adds ha ha to aha. It'll make you smile - plus it might just make you smarter and wiser."―Steven Strogatz, Professor of Mathematics, Cornell University, author of The Joy of x
"MATH WITH BAD DRAWINGS is a gloriously goofy word-number-and-cartoon fest that drags math out of the classroom and into the sunlight where it belongs. Great for your friend who thinks they hate math - actually, great for everyone!"―Jordan Ellenberg, author of How Not To Be Wrong
"Ben Orlin has hit the seemingly unattainable sweet spot. He has written a book that is funny and serious, that is entertaining and informative, and that would interest a reader with or without a background in mathematics. Math with Bad Drawings would be a wonderful book for people who love math, used to love math, want to love math, want to know what math is good for, or just want to know what math really is."―Math Horizons
"Orlin's ability to masterfully convey interesting and complex mathematical ideas through the whimsy of drawings (that, contrary to the suggestion of the title, are actually not that bad) is unparalleled. This is a great work showing the beauty of mathematics as it relates to our world. This is a must read for anyone who ever thought math isn't fun, or doesn't apply to the world we live in!"―John Urschel, mathematician named to Forbes® "30 Under 30" list of outstanding young scientists and former NFL player
"Illuminating, inspiring, and hilarious, Math with Bad Drawings is everything you wanted to learn in class but never thought to ask. A joyful romp through mathematics and all its wisdom."―Bianca Bosker, author of the New York Times-bestselling Cork Dork
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Black Dog & Leventhal; Illustrated edition (September 18, 2018)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 376 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0316509035
- ISBN-13 : 978-0316509039
- Item Weight : 2.47 pounds
- Dimensions : 7.4 x 1.5 x 9.35 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #54,392 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #16 in Mathematics Reference (Books)
- #26 in Mathematics History
- #98 in Parenting & Family Reference
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Ben Orlin is a math teacher who can't draw. His books include MATH WITH BAD DRAWINGS (2018), which peaked at #4 on the Kindle nonfiction list, CHANGE IS THE ONLY CONSTANT (2019), and MATH GAMES WITH BAD DRAWINGS (2022). His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Popular Science, Slate, Vox, and The Los Angeles Times; he himself has appeared in the lines to ice cream stores everywhere. BBC star and leading mathematician Hannah Fry once described him as "terribly bad at drawing."
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No, seriously, you should, if it's this book.
Ben Orlin acts as the ideal teacher, able to explain some of the hardest aspects of his field of study in a way that amateurs and decades-out-of-practice people can comprehend. Along the way, you'll see how math can be used to understand science, politics, economics, and even history. Whatever your interests are, there's a way math can apply to them, thereby sparking an interest in math itself.
Final thought: Some of the best jokes are in the endnotes, including a great bit poking fun at the people thirsty enough to read the endnotes. He sees me!
"Pop quiz! What is the basic activity of Wall Street banks?
"A. Powering the world economy via the intelligent allocation of capital B. Buying Italian suits with blood money snatched from the pockets of the working class C. Pricing things
"If you answered A, then you work for Wall Street. (Hey, nice suit! Is that Italian?) If you answered B, then I’m honored that you’re reading my book, Senator Sanders."
Here's another one, with a point:
'You can tell your dinner guests that the “average human” has one ovary and one testicle, but will this not bring conversation to an awkward standstill? (I’ve tried; it does.)'
That joke is not just funny. (Well, it made me laugh, especially the final parenthetical comment -- as a scientist I always appreciate the person who's willing to Do The Experiment.) It also illustrates what's wrong with averages -- the average does not exist.
In his Introduction, Orlin struggles to explain why people don't see the beauty and pervasiveness of mathematics. These words put my back up, 'If this description rings false to you, it’s perhaps because you’ve been to a place called “school.” If so, you have my condolences.' I come from a family of teachers and have been one myself -- I was not overjoyed to see Orlin bash schools. But as I read on I realized that he was talking about himself. He teaches math, and he has struggled to do it effectively and to help his students understand why they should want to learn math.
Here he sets out to show why math is worth studying. He does this mostly with examples. The result, for person who makes jokes about his dinner guests' nads, is surprisingly deep and subtle.
The Introduction is followed by 24 chapters of applications. To me they were convincing. Now, to be clear, when Orlin seeks to illustrate applications of math, he doesn't do it by telling you how it'll put food in your belly or money in your pocket. No, Orlin provides deep explanations of the way the world is. That means the physical world, the biological, human and social worlds, and the world of ideas. You come away with a deeper understanding of all these areas.
If I have one criticism, it is that the emphasis on probability and statistics was too heavy. I am one of the few people I know (well, perhaps the one person I know) who actually finds statistics interesting. If it's too much for me, then yeah, it's probably too much. It is fairly clear to me why he does this -- he wants something the people can relate to in their daily lives, and of course we all see stats used and abused every day.
With that said, the jokes are AWESOME, the little cartoons much better than the title suggests and the (ninth grade) math is explained so well I wish I had this book in ninth grade. Perhaps these days it’s an eighth grade book, I don’t know. (My kids are still too young.)
Also, rather embarrassingly, I LEARNED STUFF FROM HERE. No, I did not learn math. I learned stuff I ought to have figured out for myself but was too focused on my grades to ponder. Like, why elephants have thick legs: for the same reason the sky is black! I’m serious, it’s the same reason and you can read it here…
Halfway through the book the author actually runs out of amazing things about the natural world and from there he takes you to the mathematics of Wall Street and the IRS, which I did not find as captivating, let us say. It all remains just as funny, though.
So this was a fun book to read. Probably an awesome gift for your friends’ kids. If the little ones don’t read it, the adults will at least get some good laughs out of it.
For a math book, I am not looking for Proof by Simile. Saying that a function smooths out like the German Autobahn strikes me as distinctly nonmathmatical.
I am not sure who the target audience is, but it seems too dense for younger children, and not rigorous enough for people interested in math and science. Perhaps best for people who never took college level math classes but are looking for something sciencey...
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A escrita do Ben Orlin é cativante e engraçada. Algumas partes do livro eu já tinha lido no blog, mas foi bem interessante ter tudo organizado em um livro.