Mathematics Life

Brian Clegg was always fascinated by Isaac Asimov’s classic Foundation series of books, in which the future is predicted using sophisticated mathematical modeling of human psychology and behavior. Only much later did he realize that Asimov’s "psychohistory" had a real-world equivalent: game theory. Originating in the study of probabilistic gambling games that depend on a random source—the throw of a dice or the toss of a coin—game theory soon came to be applied to human interactions: essentially, what was the best strategy to win whatever you were doing?

Brought to you by Penguin. The complexity of mathematics - its abstract rules and obscure symbols - can seem very distant from the everyday. There are those things that are real and present, it is supposed, and then there are mathematical concepts: creations of our mind, mysterious tools for...

Max Tegmark leads us on an astonishing journey through past, present and future, and through the physics, astronomy and mathematics that are the foundation of his work, most particularly his hypothesis that our physical reality is a mathematical structure and his theory of the ultimate...

In this must-have for anyone who wants to better understand their love life, a mathematician pulls back the curtain and reveals the hidden patterns—from dating sites to divorce, sex to marriage—behind the rituals of love. The roller coaster of romance is hard to quantify; defining how lovers...

Brilliant and entertaining mathematician Kit Yates illuminates seven mathematical concepts that shape our daily lives. From birthdays to birth rates to how we perceive the passing of time, mathematical patterns shape our lives. But for those of us who left math behind in high school, the numbers...

A new history of mathematics focusing on the marginalized voices who propelled the discipline, spanning six continents and thousands of years of untold stories. ""A book to make you love math."" —Financial Times Mathematics shapes almost everything we do. But despite its reputation as the...

An accessible and enjoyable way to develop the thinking tools and techniques to understand the math of modern life. When we learn about abstract mathematical concepts—from prime numbers and fractals to aspects of calculus—the most common question is often: when on earth will I need this? To...

Your personal number detox: learn how numbers have taken control of your life—and how to get it back. How many hours of sleep did you get last week? How many steps did you walk today? How many friends do you have? It seems everywhere you go, you’re surrounded by numbers. You depend on them...

See the world in a completely new way as an esteemed mathematician shows how math powers the world—from technology to health care and beyond. Almost all of us have sat in a math class, wondering when we'd ever need to know how to find the roots of a polynomial or graph imaginary numbers. And...

Thinking Like a Mathematician: Unlocking Logic, Probability, and Problem Solving for Everyday Life is your guide to mastering the art of mathematical thinking—not just for solving equations, but for navigating the complexities of life with clarity and confidence. Whether you're making decisions under uncertainty, analyzing patterns in data, or simply trying to approach challenges with a sharper mind, this book reveals how the principles of mathematics can transform the way you think.