How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking (original 2014; edition 2014)

by Jordan Ellenberg

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"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. "--… (more)

▾Book information

Member:	hubcapiv
Title:	How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking
Authors:	Jordan Ellenberg
Info:	Penguin Press HC, The (2014), Edition: 1ST, Hardcover, 480 pages
Collections:	Your library, Read but unowned
Rating:
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How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg (2014)

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Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension by Matt Parker (OscarWilde87)
OscarWilde87: Putting the fun back in math
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Loserthink: How Untrained Brains Are Ruining America by Scott Adams (themulhern)
themulhern: Ellenberg's extends the use of mathematics to analyze arguments a bit further; both books are kind of funny.

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vorefamily | Feb 22, 2024 |

Если вы, как и гипотетическая студентка в начале этой книги, иногда задаетесь вопросом «Зачем нужно учить все эти логарифмы и интегралы, неужели все это в жизни потребуется?», то вам стоит ее прочесть. Потому что автор показывает, где и как математика, а вернее, умение рассуждать математически, приходит на помощь в реальном мире обывателя. Впрочем, добавляет он, наиболее востребованных во взрослой жизни разделов в школе как раз и не преподают (да и в большинстве вузов лишь мимоходом): речь о теории вероятности и статистике. Что прискорбно, ибо и СМИ, и политики любят бомбардировать людей статистикой и прогнозами, которые трудно воспринимать критически. Однако теперь книга Элленберга, написанная с хорошим юмором (да, математикам он совсем не чужд) и парадоксальными на первый взгляд примерами из окружающей действительности, позволит не только лучше разбираться в происходящем, но и даст немало возможностей продемонстрировать приятелям в баре, какие они, в сущности, двоечники. (

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Den85 | Jan 3, 2024 |

Really good overview of some critical thinking problems, most closely related to statistics (although Euclid comes into it). Good examples of faulty thinking and interesting discussions of regression NOT a good book for audio. (

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brianstagner | Sep 11, 2023 |

A popular entry in the category, mathematics for the uninformed, this one addresses many of the usual intellectual problems, e.g. regression to the mean, the law of large numbers, what a p value means, expected value, etc. I think most readers with a technical education will be familiar with all the "answers", so what's so good about this book? The author writes well, he does not avoid the use of some mathematical symbols and graphs, and, both a strength and a weakness, he does not tell a straight story, but mixes related concepts and different historical figures together to perhaps make the chapters more approachable. (

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markm2315 | Jul 1, 2023 |

http://pro-libertate.net/20141216/252-read-how-not-be-wrong (

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davdittrich | Feb 14, 2023 |

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▾Published reviews

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thingScore 100

Mr. Ellenberg's key point: Mathematics is not some strange language used by a few single-minded experts. Rather, it is a powerful extension of our common sense, one that anyone can employ to tackle real-life problems.

added by tim.taylor | editThe Wall Street Journal, Mario Livio (Jun 13, 2014)

Ellenberg’s talent for finding real-life situations that enshrine mathematical principles would be the envy of any math teacher. He presents these in fluid succession, like courses in a fine restaurant, taking care to make each insight shine through, unencumbered by jargon or notation. Part of the sheer intellectual joy of the book is watching the author leap nimbly from topic to topic, comparing slime molds to the Bush-Gore Florida vote, criminology to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. The final effect is of one enormous mosaic unified by mathematics.

added by tim.taylor | editThe Washington Post, Manil Suri (Jun 13, 2014)

▾Other authors

» Add other authors (1 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Ellenberg, Jordan	—	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Capararo, Carlo	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Pietiläinen, Kimmo	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Is abridged in

Summary Of How Not to Be Wrong The Hidden Maths of Everyday Life By Jordan Ellenberg by John Mor

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Euler Book Prize (2016)

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Canonical title

Original title

How not to be wrong : the power of mathematical thinking

Alternative titles

How not to be wrong : the hidden maths of everyday life

Original publication date

2014

People/Characters

Daniel Bernoulli

Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon

George W. Bush

Marquis de Condorcet

Charles Darwin [Charles Robert: 1809-1882]

(show all 54 items)

Important places

Burlington, Vermont, USA

Pleiades

Important events

Burlington, Vermont 2009 mayoral election

Florida 2000 presidential election

World War II

Zenith Radio Corporation telepath broadcasts (1937)

Atkins v. Virginia (2002)

Related movies

Epigraph

"What is best in mathematics deserves not merely to be learnt as a task, but to be assimilated as a part of daily thought, and brought again and again before the mind with ever-renewed encouragement."

Bertrand Russell, "The Study of Mathematics" (1902)

Dedication

for Tanya

First words

Right now, in a classroom somewhere in the world, a student is mouthing off to her math teacher. - When Am I Going To Use This?

Quotations

Last words

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Goldstein, Rebecca Newberger

(show all 15 items)

Original language

English

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

Jordan Ellenberg

▾Book descriptions

"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. "--

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