Math Bytes

Tim P. Chartier

ISBN 10: 0691160600 / ISBN 13: 9780691160603

Published by Princeton University Press, US, 2014

About this Item

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.

Seller Inventory # LU-9780691160603

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Math Bytes
• Publisher: Princeton University Press, US
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691160600
• ISBN 13: 9780691160603
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 397 grams

About this title

Synopsis

An inviting collection of fun, hands-on applications in mathematics and computing

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.

About the Author

Tim Chartier is associate professor of mathematics at Davidson College. He is the coauthor of Numerical Methods (Princeton).