Life By The Numbers

title: author: publisher: isbn10 | asin: print isbn13: ebook isbn13: language: subject publication date: lcc: ddc: subject: Life By the Numbers Devlin, Keith J. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (US) 0471328227 9780471328223 9780585304113 English Mathematics--Popular works, Life by the numbers (Television program) 1998 QA93.D458 1998eb 510 Mathematics--Popular works, Life by the numbers (Television program) Page iii Life by the Numbers Keith Devlin This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright © 1998 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published simultaneously in Canada Design by Howard Grossman No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (508) 750-8400, fax (508) 750-4744. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158-0012, (212) 8506011, fax (212) 850-6008, E-Mail: PERMREQ @ WILEY.COM. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Devlin, Keith J. Life by the numbers / Keith Devlin. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-471-24044-3 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. MathematicsPopular works. 2. Life by the numbers (Television program) I. Title. QA93.D458 1998 510dc21 97-41059 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Page v Contents Preface Chapter 1 The Invisible Universe vii 1 Chapter 2 Seeing Is Believing 21 Chapter 3 Patterns of Nature 49 Chapter 4 The Numbers Game 85 Chapter 5 The Shape of the World 117 Chapter 6 Chances of a Lifetime 147 Chapter 7 A New Age 179 Chapter 8 It's an M World 205 Further Reading 210 Credits 211 Index 213 Page vii Preface Based on the television series by the same name, this is a book about everyday life and the role played in everyday life by mathematics. It is not a "math book." It doesn't set out to show you how to do math. You won't learn much mathematics from this book, and you won't find any formulas or problems anywhere. But you might well learn that mathematics is not at all what you thought it was. And you will definitely discover that there is hardly any aspect of your life in which mathematics does not play a significantthough generally hiddenpart. If you think that mathematics has little to do with your life, then this book is for you. If you think that mathematics is just about numbers, then this book is for you. If you think that mathematics was all worked out centuries ago, then this book is for you. If you enjoyed the television series, then this book is for you. You will discover more about mathematics than it was possible to include in the series. If you missed the television series, then this book is for you. Though based on the series, the book has been written to stand alone. If you are cur