How Long Is a Piece of String? More Hidden Mathematics of Everyday Life

by Eastaway, Rob; Wyndham, Jeremy

• ISBN13: 9781861056252
• ISBN10: 1861056257
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-06-01
• Publisher: Portico

Summary

In this sequel to Why Do Buses Come in Threes?, you will find that many intriguing everyday questions have mathematical answers. Discover the astonishing 37% rule for blind dates, the avoidance tactics of the gentleman's urinal, and some extraordinary scams that have been devised to get rich quick. Also included are the origins of the seven-day week and the seven-note scale, an explanation of why underdogs win, clever techniques for detecting fraud, and the reason why epidemics sweep across a nation and disappear just as quickly. Whatever your mathematical ability, this fun, thought-provoking book will illuminate the ways in which math underlies so much in our everyday lives.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii
Introduction	ix
Why Does Monday Come Round So Quickly?	1	(10)
How the numbers of the moon combined to make our week
How Do Conmen Get Rich?	11	(12)
Tricks and scams that make people part with their money
What Makes a Hit Single?	23	(8)
Patterns and variations that everyone likes
Why Won't the Case Fit in the Boot?	31	(12)
How to squeeze things in or keep them apart
Should I Phone a Friend?	43	(14)
How to make the big decisions in game shows
Is it Quicker to Take the Stairs?	57	(12)
How to reduce waiting times for lifts
How Long Is a Piece of String?	69	(14)
The curious world of fractals
Why Do Weather Forecasters Get it Wrong?	83	(10)
Unpredictability and chaos
Will I Catch Flu Next Winter?	93	(11)
Epidemics and how they spread
Am I Being Taken for a Ride?	104	(10)
The formula behind the taximeter
Will I Ever Meet the Perfect Partner?	114	(10)
The chances and choices behind coupling up
Is It a Fake?	124	(11)
Number tests that can detect the fraudsters
Will the Underdog Win?	135	(9)
The maths behind memorable sporting moments
Why Do Karaoke Singers Sound So Bad?	144	(12)
How waves and fractions make good and bad harmony
How Can I Be Sure?	156	(11)
The art of proving things
Can I Trust What I Read in the Papers?	167	(11)
How spin doctors conjure with figures
References and Further Reading	178	(2)
Index	180