The Arithmetic of Life

Rating:
Summary: It's for you if . . .
Review: This book is for you if you have teenage children, or a day job, or grandparents, or if you wonder why the deck seems to be stacked against you more often than not. This book is not for you if you expect eloquent mathematical proofs, theorems, corollaries and the like. I especially appreciated the chapter about congressional pork barrel spending. It provides an excellent example of Mr. Shaffner's ability to use simple arithmetic to demonstrate startling realities. A hint - the national debt would not have been a topic in the State of the Union address if more citizens were aware of this application of simple arithmetic. Net/net: If your life is real, read this book. It's more than mildly thought provoking and quite entertaining. If you make your living with mathematics at the calculus level or above, get something else.

Rating:
Summary: It's for you if . . .
Review: This book is for you if you have teenage children, or a day job, or grandparents, or if you wonder why the deck seems to be stacked against you more often than not. This book is not for you if you expect eloquent mathematical proofs, theorems, corollaries and the like. I especially appreciated the chapter about congressional pork barrel spending. It provides an excellent example of Mr. Shaffner's ability to use simple arithmetic to demonstrate startling realities. A hint - the national debt would not have been a topic in the State of the Union address if more citizens were aware of this application of simple arithmetic. Net/net: If your life is real, read this book. It's more than mildly thought provoking and quite entertaining. If you make your living with mathematics at the calculus level or above, get something else.