Supermath: The Power of Numbers for Good and Evil (First Edition)

Weltman, Anna

ISBN 10: 1421438194 / ISBN 13: 9781421438191

Published by Johns Hopkins University Press, 2020

About this Item

Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2020. First edition, first printing (with full number line including the 1). Full red cloth with black spine lettering; black endpapers. As New in an as-new dust jacket. As a university-press publication, the dust jacket carries no printed price, as is typical for these editions. Comes with archival-quality mylar dust jacket protector. A tight, clean copy with no faults. Octavo, 220 pages, with index. SUPER MATH examines how mathematical thinking underlies everyday human activities, from pattern recognition and problem-solving to ethics, art, and social decision-making. This is her first book.

Seller Inventory # UP-Annex-Johns-Hopkins-2

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Supermath: The Power of Numbers for Good and Evil (First Edition)
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1421438194
• ISBN 13: 9781421438191
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: As New
• Dust Jacket Condition: As New
• Seller catalogs:
  • Mathematics

About this title

Synopsis

Explore the hidden powers of math that shape us, influencing everything from our sense of justice to our perception of beauty.

Archaeologists decoding ancient messages. Epidemiologists analyzing the spread of a contagious disease. African Americans seeking full enfranchisement in a society that has worked to exclude them. A family doing puzzles at the kitchen table. These scenarios seem to have little in common. But in fact, each of these groups is faced with a multifaceted challenge―and each is using math to solve it.

In Supermath, popular author and educator Anna Weltman showcases the incredible power of mathematics when people apply it outside of the world of pure numbers, introducing it into the realms of science, politics, history, education, and art. Her stories share how math has protected us from war and disease, helped us communicate across time and space, and made the world a fairer and more beautiful place. But Weltman also warns us that dangers arise when the transformative might of numbers goes unchecked. Mathematics has been used to mistranslate records, silence indigenous communities, create gerrymandered voting districts, close the gates of higher education. Sometimes, math can blind those who wield it to its limitations, causing those who would deploy it to solve problems to instead create more.

Drawing on history and current events, Weltman tackles five fascinating questions: Is math the universal language? Can math eliminate bias? Can math predict the next move? Can math open doors? And finally, What is genuine beauty? Supermath is an enlightening book that pursues complex lines of mathematical thought while providing a fascinating lens into global problems and human culture as a whole.

About the Author

Anna Weltman is a math teacher and writer who earned her PhD in mathematics education from the University of California at Berkeley. She is the author of This Is Not a Math Book and This Is Not Another Math Book.