“How long is a piece of string” is 16 chapters of maths at its best. Each chapter resolves different problems faced in everyday life. The authors say in their introduction “give us a topic that we care about, and we all become mathematicians”, and that is what they try to prove. The problems they included ‘kept us entertained in the pub’, which as a student, works for me! I definitely recommend this book - and in fact I already have - as it is not only interesting but often hilarious and shows the use of mathematics in everyday situations which are not at first glance obviously related to maths.
Whilst reading this book I constantly found myself quoting it to my friends. The book tries to answer a lot of thought provoking questions. I have many favourites including: the ins and outs of how to prove a full glass is the same as an empty glass; how a taxi meter works; how to prove the length of a piece of string is infinite - which gives the book its amusing title; how to get a hit single; why karaoke singers sound so bad and the best way to meet the love of your life, statistically speaking. It even talks about how the best way to stack cans of beans relates to life inside a male toilet! When I showed this to male friends they all agreed on the unwritten rule discussed in the book...
“How long is a piece of string” is 16 chapters of maths at its best. Each chapter resolves different problems faced in everyday life. The authors say in their introduction “give us a topic that we care about, and we all become mathematicians”, and that is what they try to prove. The problems they included ‘kept us entertained in the pub’, which as a student, works for me! I definitely recommend this book - and in fact I already have - as it is not only interesting but often hilarious and shows the use of mathematics in everyday situations which are not at first glance obviously related to maths.
Whilst reading this book I constantly found myself quoting it to my friends. The book tries to answer a lot of thought provoking questions. I have many favourites including: the ins and outs of how to prove a full glass is the same as an empty glass; how a taxi meter works; how to prove the length of a piece of string is infinite - which gives the book its amusing title; how to get a hit single; why karaoke singers sound so bad and the best way to meet the love of your life, statistically speaking. It even talks about how the best way to stack cans of beans relates to life inside a male toilet! When I showed this to male friends they all agreed on the unwritten rule discussed in the book...
