The Ten Equations that Rule the World
And How You Can Use Them Too
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
'An entertaining tour that will change how you see the world' Sean Carroll, author of Something Deeply Hidden
Is there a secret formula for improving your life? For making something a viral hit? For deciding how long to stick with your current job, Netflix series, or even relationship?
This book is all about the equations that make our world go round. Ten of them, in fact. They are integral to everything from investment banking to betting companies and social media giants. And they can help you to increase your chance of success, guard against financial loss, live more healthily and see through scaremongering. They are known only by mathematicians - until now.
With wit and clarity, mathematician David Sumpter shows that it isn't the technical details which make these formulas so successful. It is the way they allow mathematicians to view problems from a different angle - a way of seeing the world that anyone can learn.
Empowering and illuminating, The Ten Equations that Rule the World shows how maths really can change your life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Mathematics professor Sumpter (Outnumbered) surveys 10 equations that "can provide the answers to questions ranging from the trivial to the profound, and about you as an individual and society as a whole" in this brain-boosting outing. Each equation gets its own chapter: "The Confidence Equation" uses "the basis for the field of statistics" to help readers decide if "you are doing the right thing... you are in the right job.... If your partner really is the love of your life," while "The Learning Equation" draws from algorithms to show readers how to spot if their "actions increase or decrease the difference between your goals and reality." Sumpter pulls examples from a variety of fields—sports betting, animal food foraging, film-making—and shows how his equations build on one another and can lead to surprisingly philosophical revelations. The reward equation, for example, "tells you to concentrate on the present and not dwell on the past." While those who don't know a phi from an alpha or are intimidated by exponents should steer clear, math-minded readers will marvel at the multitudinous ways these equations impact and can help unpack day-to-day life.
