Thinking Better
The Art of the Shortcut in Math and Life
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
One of the world's great mathematicians shows why math is the ultimate timesaver—and how everyone can make their lives easier with a few simple shortcuts.
We are often told that hard work is the key to success. But success isn’t about hard work – it’s about shortcuts. Shortcuts allow us to solve one problem quickly so that we can tackle an even bigger one. They make us capable of doing great things. And according to Marcus du Sautoy, math is the very art of the shortcut.
Thinking Better is a celebration of how math lets us do more with less. Du Sautoy explores how diagramming revolutionized therapy, why calculus is the greatest shortcut ever invented, whether you must really practice for ten thousand hours to become a concert violinist, and why shortcuts give us an advantage over even the most powerful AI. Throughout, we meet artists, scientists, and entrepreneurs who use mathematical shortcuts to change the world.
Delightful, illuminating, and above all practical, Thinking Better is for anyone who has wondered why you should waste time climbing the mountain when you could go around it much faster.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Laziness is our saving grace," writes mathematician Du Sautoy (The Creativity Code) in this accessible look at thousands of years of mathematical shortcuts. Focusing on 10 different shortcuts, Du Sautoy sets out to prove that finding the quickest way to a solution can grant "complete understanding... without unnecessary hard work." There's the "power of spotting a pattern," which can be used to understand the progression of a pandemic and predicted the existence of the asteroid Ceres. The way humans represent numerical values, meanwhile, from tally marks to the invention of zero, provides a shortcut for counting, and the "language shortcut" that's used to describe problems lead to the development of algebra. Each chapter begins with a "puzzle" and ends with a "pitstop" that applies patterns to real-world problems, and Du Sautoy masterfully guides readers through complex math behind particle interactions, calculus used to determine spacecraft trajectories, and the "black magic" of Scottish mathematician John Napier's logarithms. All the while, he's encouraging about the importance of problem-solving: "Mathematics is a mindset for navigating a complex world and finding the pathway to the other side." Math-minded readers will find much to consider.
