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The Calculus Diaries: How Math Can Help You Lose Weight, Win In Vegas, And Survive A Zombie Apocalypse (2010)

by Jennifer Ouellette(Favorite Author)

3.39 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0143117378 (ISBN13: 9780143117377)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Penguin Books

review 1: This book is a must-read for mathematicians and non-mathematicians alike!For mathematicians, the book gives a recap of your calculus classes in college (calculus 1 and 2, multivariable calculus, and differential equations). You also get to see calculus from a different viewpoint, that of a non-mathematician. For me, the book gave me insight on how to answer the question so often asked by my non-mathy friends: "What do you actually DO with calculus?"For non-mathematicians, the book gives insight on the practical applications of calculus and how it permeates through our lives. The majority of the book focuses on what the math does, without delving too seriously into the processes themselves.
review 2: An introductory look at calculus and how it applies to various... more situations in life (i.e. the rides at Disneyland, surfing, playing craps in Vegas, driving, losing weight, and the design of the St. Louis Arch). I don't think I would have understood much of this without having taken a pre-calc and statistics class. Sometimes Ouellette explains things well. Sometimes she does not. And I would have liked to fact check a lot of the trivia and history that is thrown in--I don't know if it all rings true or not. Overall, though, the book was worth the read.I especially enjoyed the last chapter--on math and gender. For those who want to know how to do the actual math, she includes more complicated stuff in the appendix. I can't vouch for it's accuracy, though. less

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