| Preface |
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ix | |
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3 | (4) |
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An introduction to numbers, pointing out their upsides (they're efficient) as well as their downsides (they're ethereal) |
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7 | (8) |
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Treating numbers concretely---think rocks---can make calculations less baffling |
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15 | (8) |
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The disturbing concept of subtraction, and how we deal with the fact that negative numbers seem so... negative |
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23 | (6) |
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When you buy jeans on sale, do you save more money if the clerk applies the discount after the tax, or before? |
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5 Division and Its Discontents |
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29 | (6) |
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Helping Verizon grasp the difference between .002 dollars and .002 cents |
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6 Location, Location, Location |
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35 | (10) |
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How the place-value system for writing numbers brought arithmetic to the masses |
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45 | (6) |
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Arithmetic becomes algebra when we begin working with unknowns and formulas |
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51 | (8) |
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Complex numbers, a hybrid of the imaginary and the real, are the pinnacle of number systems |
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59 | (8) |
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Turning peril to pleasure in word problems |
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67 | (8) |
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The quadratic formula may never win any beauty contests, but the ideas behind it are ravishing |
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75 | (10) |
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In math, the function of functions is to transform |
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85 | (8) |
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Geometry, intuition, and the long road from Pythagoras to Einstein |
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13 Something from Nothing |
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93 | (8) |
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Like any other creative act, constructing a proof begins with inspiration |
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101 | (12) |
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The uncanny similarities between parabolas and ellipses suggest hidden forces at work |
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113 | (8) |
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Sine waves everywhere, from Ferris wheels to zebra stripes |
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121 | (10) |
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Archimedes recognized the power of the infinite and in the process laid the groundwork for calculus |
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17 Change We Can Believe In |
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131 | (8) |
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Differential calculus can show you the best path from A to B, and Michael Jordan's dunks help explain why |
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139 | (8) |
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The lasting legacy of integral calculus is a Veg-O-Matic view of the universe |
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147 | (8) |
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How many people should you date before settling down? Your grandmother knows---and so does the number e |
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20 Loves Me, Loves Me Not |
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155 | (6) |
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Differential equations made sense of planetary motion. But the course of true love? Now that's confusing |
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161 | (14) |
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A light beam is a pas de deux of electric and magnetic fields, and vector calculus is its choreographer |
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175 | (8) |
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Bell curves are out. Fat tails are in |
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183 | |
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The improbable thrills of probability theory |
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