Rating: 
Summary: Something different
Review: A very readable book for a wide range of audience. Entertaining while offering new approaches to life decisions and questions. Good gift book and not just for the men (and boys) in your life. It offers solutions without actually having to DO the math.
Rating: 
Summary: Life is simple Arithmetic
Review: George Shaffner has been able to explain some of the more difficult concepts in life and spun them with statistics. Usually a dry subject, his approach is light and humoress and gets the arithmetic lesson across succinctly.For those who don't know how arithmetic could possibly apply in their lifetime, they should read Shaffner's book and discover how it pervades. Whether it's trying to convince your child to stay in school, or learning for yourself what the odds are of getting caught in an indiscretion, George shows with numbers just how to support your case. There is a whole subseries within this book on motivation in the market place. Following the author's constructs, you can apply simple arithmetic to your life. George Shaffner presents the numbers. You have to decide which route is the most feasible to take. It's usually not a life or death situation, but once you do the arithmetic, the choice is simple.
Rating:
Summary: Life is simple Arithmetic
Review: George Shaffner has been able to explain some of the more difficult concepts in life and spun them with statistics. Usually a dry subject, his approach is light and humoress and gets the arithmetic lesson across succinctly. For those who don't know how arithmetic could possibly apply in their lifetime, they should read Shaffner's book and discover how it pervades. Whether it's trying to convince your child to stay in school, or learning for yourself what the odds are of getting caught in an indiscretion, George shows with numbers just how to support your case. There is a whole subseries within this book on motivation in the market place. Following the author's constructs, you can apply simple arithmetic to your life. George Shaffner presents the numbers. You have to decide which route is the most feasible to take. It's usually not a life or death situation, but once you do the arithmetic, the choice is simple.
Rating:
Summary: You Won't Be Able To Put It Down
Review: George Shaffner has taken a subject most people find terrifying and distasteful, *math*, and created a book that will fascinate and absorb the reader, while explaining that each life choice is clearly shown to stand or fall by simple mathematical calculations. I found the book impossible to put down. There's lessons for anyone who cares to learn them in "The Arithmetic of Life." We bought two copies of the book, intending to give the second copy as a gift. It's already disappeared with my husband's boss, who also could not put the book down.
Rating:
Summary: Prime candidate
Review: I orginally bought this book to help me in explaining a few basic decisions to young people in need of a different approach to reasoning. It served its purpose well and I applaude the author for it. There are times when you have to sit down with people and "figure" things out before an intelligent decision can be made. This one helps you through the process.
Rating:
Summary: Prime candidate
Review: I orginally bought this book to help me in explaining a few basic decisions to young people in need of a different approach to reasoning. It served its purpose well and I applaude the author for it. There are times when you have to sit down with people and "figure" things out before an intelligent decision can be made. This one helps you through the process.
Rating:
Summary: Quantify Everything
Review: If more math teachers saw the world the way that George Shaffner does, fewer students would whither away from boredom in the classroom. In The Arithmetic of Life, There are 40 excellent real-world scenarios designed to engage the reader in authentic mathematical thinking. Further, it is a wonderful book for those who want to learn to use numbers to their daily advantage. This book should be on every math teacher's bookshelf; young people would greatly benefit from the content and approach.
Rating:
Summary: Simple illustrations yet Profound Lessons
Review: Most of the illustrations in the book are crafted around situations and decisions surrounding two fictitious families, DeNialls and Sharpes. That lends the book a storybook like format and makes it quick and easy to read. I found it to be a very thought provoking book. I agree with most of the reviewers before me. It's a great buy. It is oddly categorized by most bookstores alongside arcane inaccessible Science books. So, if you aren't very scientifically or mathematically inclined, I think you got lucky that you stumbled upon this book.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK, GREAT GIFT!
Review: The "Arithmetic of Life" is a witty, intriguing, logical, and at times, powerful book. The subjects about which Mr. Shaffner writes apply to the young and old, rich and poor, and to people with and without integrity. It is an easy and pleasant read, and should be a must for everyone who is interested in the odds and value of life and the world in which we live. His unconventional theories are quite intriguing, and his humor throughout keeps the book quite lighthearted. My favorite chapters were: "The Value of Education", "The Case for Smoking", "Investing Young", "The Tailgater's Advantage", "The National Debt", "Streaks and the Law of Averages", and "Life After Death". This is a great stocking stuffer for all!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: The author is not a professional mathematician and in some ways this is good because he writes at a level that most people can understand. In some ways though this has its problems, for example he errors in explaining the impact of inflation. He states that 5% inflation reduces your buying power by a factor of .95, this is incorrect, it would reduce it by a factor of 1/1.05 which equals .9524 (approximately), this is close to .95, but not the same, and this error is entirely germaine to his argument in that chapter. Many of the chapters seems to be more on business management than arithmetic and I didn't expect that when I was buying the book. But if you know what you're getting, and you're prepared to take the "proofs" the author offers with a grain of salt, this can be an amusing little book.
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