Maths from Scratch for Biologists

by Cann, Alan J.

• ISBN13: 9780471498353
• ISBN10: 0471498351
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-12-30
• Publisher: WILEY

Summary

Numerical ability is an essential skill for everyone studying the biological sciences but many students are frightened by the 'perceived' difficulty of mathematics, and are nervous about applying mathematical skills in their chosen field of study. Having taught introductory maths and statistics for many years, Alan Cann understands these challenges and just how invaluable an accessible, confidence building textbook could be to the fearful student. Unable to find a book pitched at the right level, that concentrated on why numerical skills are useful to biologists, he wrote his own. The result is Maths form Scratch for Biologists , a highly instructive, informal text that explains step by step how and why you need to tackle maths within the biological sciences. Features: An accessible, jargon-busting approach to help readers master basic mathematical, statistical and data handling techniques in biology Numerous end of chapter problems to reinforce key concepts and encourage students to test their newly acquired skills through practise A handy, time-saving glossary A supplementary website with numerous problems and self-test exercises

Author Biography

Alan Cann has worked in both the UK and USA, and in addition to teaching undergraduate and postgraduate biologists and medical students, he runs an active research laboratory at the University of Leicester, UK, studying the molecular biology and pathogenesis of viruses. He has been awarded numerous grants for educational research and was the inaugural winner of the Society for General Microbiology UK Wildy prize for Education in 2001.

Table of Contents

Maths in Biology.

Manipulating Numbers.

Units and Conversions.

Molarities and Dilutions.

Areas and Volumes.

Exponents and Logs.

Introduction to Statistics.

Descriptive Statistics.

Probability.

Inferential Statistics.

Correlation and Regression.

Appendix 1: Answers to Problems.

Appendix 2: Software for Biologists.

Appendix 3: Statistical Formulae and Tables.

Appendix 4: Glossary.

Index.