The Handy Math Answer Book

Thomas E Svarney, Patricia Barnes-Svarney

Description

From Sudoku to Quantum Mechanics, Unraveling the Mysteries of Mathematics!

What's the formula for changing intimidation to exhilaration? When it comes to math, it's The Handy Math Answer Book! From a history dating back to prehistoric times and ancient Greece to how we use math in our everyday lives, this fascinating and informative guide addresses the basics of algebra, calculus, geometry, and trigonometry, and then proceeds to practical applications. You'll find easy-to-follow explanations of how math is used in daily financial and market reports, weather forecasts, real estate valuations, games, and measurements of all kinds. In an engaging question-and-answer format, more than 1,000 everyday math questions and concepts are tackled and explained, including …

What are a googol and a googolplex?

What are some of the basic “building blocks” of geometry?

What is a percent?

How do you multiply fractions?

What are some of the mathematics behind global warming?

What does the philosophy of mathematics mean?

What is a computer“app”?

What's the difference between wet and dry measurements when you're cooking?

How often are political polls wrong?

How do you figure out a handicap in golf and bowling?

How does the adult brain process fractions?

And many, many more!

For parents, teachers, students, and anyone seeking additional guidance and clarity on their mathematical quest, The Handy Math Answer Book is the perfect guide to understanding the world of numbers bridging the gap between left- and right-brained thinking. Appendices on Measurements and Conversion Factors plus Common Formulas for Calculating Areas and Volumes of shapes are also included. Its helpful bibliography and extensive index add to its usefulness.

Sujets

• Sciences formelles
• Guides de référence et manuels mathématiques
• Histoire des mathématiques
• Références et manuels de mathématiques
• Sciences et techniques
• Reference
• Mathematics

Informations

• Publié par: Visible Ink Press
• Date de parution: 01 mai 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781578593866
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

About the Authors

"Thanks to their scientific backgrounds, Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Svarney have had much more than a passing acquaintance with mathematics. Barnes-Svarney has been a nonfiction science and fiction writer for more than two decades. She has degrees in geology and geography, and once aspired to be a mathematician. She turned to science writing and has penned hundreds of magazine articles, along with more than thirty books, including the award-winning The New York Public Library Science Desk Reference and When the Earth Moves: Rogue Earthquakes, Tremors, and Aftershocks for adults, an international best-selling children’s book, and the popular women’s health/humor book Why Do Women Crave More Sex in the Summer? 112 Questions That Women Keep Asking and That Keep Everyone Else Guessing.
Thomas E. Svarney has an extensive background in the sciences, and has, with Barnes-Svarney, written about the natural world, including such books as Skies of Fury: Weather Weirdness around the World and The Oryx Guide to Natural History. Barnes-Svarney and Svarney have also written several books for "The Handy Answer" series, including The Handy Dinosaur Answer Book. They currently reside in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, tending their organic garlic and herb farm, and taking care of their cats, Fluffernutter, Worf, and Pabu. You can find out more about their writing and farming at www.pattybarnes.net .
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THE HANDY MATH ANSWER BOOK 2nd Edition
Copyright © 2012 by Visible Ink Press®
This publication is a creative work fully protected by all applicable copyright laws, as well as by misappropriation, trade secret, unfair competition, and other applicable laws.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or Website.
All rights to this publication will be vigorously defended.
Visible Ink Press® 43311 Joy Rd., #414 Canton, MI 48187-2075
Visible Ink Press is a registered trademark of Visible Ink Press LLC.
Most Visible Ink Press books are available at special quantity discounts when purchased in bulk by corporations, organizations, or groups. Customized printings, special imprints, messages, and excerpts can be produced to meet your needs. For more information, contact Special Markets Director, Visible Ink Press, www.visibleinkpress.com , or 734-667-3211.
Managing Editor: Kevin S. Hile
Art Director: Mary Claire Krzewinski
Typesetting: Marco Di Vita
Proofreaders: Chrystal Rosza and Sarah Hermsen
Indexing: Larry Baker
ISBN 978-1-57859-373-6
Cover images: Shutterstock.com.
Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress.
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents
I NTRODUCTION
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
A PPENDIX I: M EASUREMENT S YSTEMS AND C ONVERSION F ACTORS
A PPENDIX II: C OMMON F ORMULAS FOR C ALCULATING A REAS AND V OLUMES OF S HAPES
I NDEX
THE HISTORY OF MATHEMATICS
What Is Mathematics? … Early Counting and Numbers … Mesopotamian Numbers and Mathematics … Egyptian Numbers and Mathematics … Greek and Roman Mathematics … Other Cultures and Early Mathematics . Mathematics after the Middle Ages . Into Modern Mathematics
MATHEMATICS THROUGHOUT HISTORY
The Creation of Zero and Pi … Development of Weights and Measures . Time and Math in History . Math and Calendars in History
MATH BASICS
Basic Arithmetic . All about Numbers . More about Numbers, … The Concept of Zero … Basic Mathematical Operations … Fractions
FOUNDATIONS OF MATHEMATICS
Foundations and Logic … Mathematical and Formal Logic … Axiomatic System … Set Theory
ALGEBRA
The Basics of Algebra … Algebra Explained … Algebraic Operations … Exponents and Logarithms … Polynomial Equations … More Algebra … Abstract Algebra
GEOMETRY AND TRIGONOMETRY
Geometry Beginnings … Basics of Geometry … Plane Geometry … Solid Geometry … Measurements and Transformations … Analytic Geometry … Trigonometry … Other Geometries
MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS
Analysis Basics … Sequences and Series … Calculus Basics … Differential Calculus … Integral Calculus … Differential Equations … Vector and Other Analyses
APPLIED MATHEMATICS
Applied Mathematics Basics … Probability Theory … Statistics … Modeling and Simulation … Other Areas of Applied Mathematics
MATH IN THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES
Physics and Mathematics … Classical Physics and Mathematics … Modern Physics and Mathematics … Chemistry and Math … Astronomy and Math
MATH IN THE NATURAL SCIENCES
Math in Geology … Math in Meteorology … Math in Biology … Math and the Environment
MATH IN ENGINEERING
Basics of Engineering … Civil Engineering and Mathematics … Mathematics and Architecture … Electrical Engineering and Materials Science … Chemical Engineering … Industrial and Aeronautical Engineering
MATH IN COMPUTING
Early Counting and Calculating Devices … Mechanical and Electronic Calculating Devices … Modern Computers and Mathematics … Applications
EVERYDAY MATH
Numbers and Math in Everyday Life … Math and the Outdoors … Math, Numbers, and the Body … Math and the Consumer’s Money … Math and Traveling
RECREATIONAL MATH
Math Puzzles … Mathematical Games … Card and Dice Games … Sports Numbers … Just for Fun
MATHEMATICAL RESOURCES
Educational Resources … Organizations and Societies … Museums … Popular Resources … Surfing the Internet
Introduction
It never occurred to us that mathematics would change so much in just over a half decade. We found that mathematical research continually metamorphoses not only scientifically, but socially, economically, and even emotionally. Such changes have become a necessity in our globally challenged and connected world. Just to write this book for you, many people along the way had to know about mathematics to code a program to write, edit, and space our words for and even mathematical codes so we can type "mathematics" without misspelling it!
And of course, mathematics doesn’t end with computers; math and numbers surround us everywhere. It’s found in the vegetarian recipe book you just bought (for example, you have to understand volume measurements) and on your containers of medications (how many and how much per day). Math allows you to get change back from that espresso you bought at the local café (and how much to tip the barista), and is even necessary when you drive (not exceeding the speed limit is all about knowing numbers).
On a larger scale, mathematics and numbers are part of our economy (think banking, what we buy, and how banks figure out credit card balances); it’s part of our political system (voting and polling use statistics, and even our government has to use math to balance the nation’s "checkbook"); and it’s even part of our health system (almost everyone knows about blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol numbers not to mention how to figure out health insurance coverage). Mathematics and numbers followed us to the Moon and back, helped ancient and modern civilizations build monuments and cathedrals, and were even used to build the bridge you cross every day on your way to work.
As with the first edition, this newly revised The Handy Math Answer Book answers over 1,000 questions about the who, what, where, how, and why of mathematics. It delves into the long history of mathematics how using numbers began to our modern use of numbers to the branches of mathematics, from algebra and geometry to statistics and calculus. The book covers history, including people, places, and objects that are important to the overall view of mathematics; the basics, including the various main branches of mathematics; math in the sciences, including engineering, natural sciences, and computers; and math all around us, explaining ways mathematics is used in our everyday lives, from balancing a checkbook and determining our mortgage to playing the gaming tables at a casino.
This book is only the tip of the mathematical iceberg; there is a great deal more to learn below the surface when it comes to math. Thus, we also offer an up-to-date listing of resources from websites to visit to books and magazines that will help you continue your mathematical journey.
Be aware, too, that the journey is not only amazing,