Thinking Better
The Art of the Shortcut in Math and Life
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- $249.00
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- $249.00
Descripción editorial
A “gifted and tireless mathematical communicator” (Financial Times) shows why math is the ultimate timesaver—and how everyone can make their lives easier with a few simple shortcuts.
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. 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 why calculus is the greatest shortcut ever invented, whether mastery of the violin really takes ten thousand hours, and why shortcuts give us an advantage over even the most powerful AI.
Delightful, illuminating, and above all practical, this book is for anyone who has wondered why you should waste time climbing the mountain when going around it is 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.
