Once Upon a Number: The Hidden Mathematical Logic of Stories (Allen Lane Science S.)

Paulos, John Allen

ISBN 10: 0713993146 / ISBN 13: 9780713993141

Published by Allen Lane, 1999

About this Item

A vg copy in a like unclipped jkt. No markings. Guaranteed condition.

Seller Inventory # 004058

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Once Upon a Number: The Hidden Mathematical Logic of Stories (Allen Lane Science S.)
• Publisher: Allen Lane
• Publication Date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0713993146
• ISBN 13: 9780713993141
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Andy Bridge
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

Mathematician John Allen Paulos bravely bridges the scientific and literary cultures with this amusing, enlightening look at numbers and stories. If you think those two things go together like a "horse and a paperclip," as Allen wryly observes, you only have to look at phenomena like the Bible codes, the stock market's ups and downs, and the Clinton sex scandal to begin to understand the hidden bonds between them. Put simply, mathematics can describe everything that happens, and everything that happens contextualizes mathematics. In demonstrating this, Paulos continues the noble numeracy crusade he began with A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper and Innumeracy . Perhaps the most compelling thought experiments in the book are those of the statistics of stereotyping and race relations. Paulos shows, mathematically, that minority status makes achieving equality extraordinarily difficult. If you want to keep hold of your comfortable worldview, don't read Once Upon a Number . But you'll be missing out on an unforgettable reminder of what chance, coincidence, and odds really mean, along with several valuable life lessons that may help you understand lost socks, racism, and mistaken identity. --Therese Littleton