Math Bytes: Google Bombs, Chocolate-Covered Pi, and Other Cool Bits in Computing.

Princeton Princeton University Press 2014 Bound, hardcover with original dustjacket, xi+136pp., 16.5x24.5cm., illustr. in col. and b/w., in very good condition. ISBN 9780691160603. This book provides a fun, hands-on approach to learning how mathematics and computing relate to the world around us and help us to better understand it. How can reposting on Twitter kill a movie's opening weekend? How can you use mathematics to find your celebrity look-alike? What is Homer Simpson?s method for disproving Fermat?s Last Theorem? Each topic in this refreshingly inviting book illustrates a famous mathematical algorithm or result - such as Google's PageRank and the traveling salesman problem - and the applications grow more challenging as you progress through the chapters. But don't worry, helpful solutions are provided each step of the way. Math Bytes shows you how to do calculus using a bag of chocolate chips, and how to prove the Euler characteristic simply by doodling. Generously illustrated in color throughout, this lively and entertaining book also explains how to create fractal landscapes with a roll of the dice, pick a competitive bracket for March Madness, decipher the math that makes it possible to resize a computer font or launch an Angry Bird - and much, much more. All of the applications are presented in an accessible and engaging way, enabling beginners and advanced readers alike to learn and explore at their own pace - a bit and a byte at a time. / Math Bytes is a lively and engaging popular math book that presents a series of unexpected, real-world applications of mathematical algorithms and computational thinking. Through playful questions - such as the impact of Twitter reposts on a movie's box office or Homer Simpson's comedic "proof" of Fermat's Last Theorem - the author illustrates complex concepts like PageRank, the traveling-salesman problem, the Euler characteristic, and fractal generation. Chapters include hands-on explorations (e.g., doing calculus with chocolate chips), visual doodles, and accessible step-by-step solutions. Richly illustrated and designed for both beginners and more advanced readers, it invites readers to explore computing and mathematics "a bit and a byte at a time." / Timothy P. Chartier (born 1969) is an American applied mathematician and professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Davidson College. He is known for his expertise in sports analytics and bracketology and for combining mathematics with performance art in his mime-matics shows with his wife Tanya.…