An Equation for Every Occasion: Fifty-Two Formulas and Why They Matter
A little math, a bit of history, and a dose of storytelling combine to reveal the importance of equations in everyday life.

With this fun romp through the world of equations we encounter in our everyday lives, you’ll find yourself flipping through the stories of fifty-two formulas faster than a deck of cards. John M. Henshaw’s intriguing true accounts, each inspired by a different mathematical equation, are both succinct and easy to read. His tales come from the spheres of sports, business, history, the arts, science, and technology. Anecdotes about famous equations, like E=mc2, appear alongside tales of not-so-famous—but equally fascinating—equations, such as the one used to determine the SPF number for sunscreen.

Drawn from the breadth of human endeavor, Henshaw's stories demonstrate the power and utility of math. He entertains us by exploring the ways that equations can be used to explain, among other things, Ponzi schemes, the placebo effect, “dog years,” IQ, the wave mechanics of tsunamis, the troubled modern beekeeping industry, and the Challenger disaster. Smartly conceived and fast paced, his book offers something for anyone curious about math and its impacts.

"1119462076"
An Equation for Every Occasion: Fifty-Two Formulas and Why They Matter
A little math, a bit of history, and a dose of storytelling combine to reveal the importance of equations in everyday life.

With this fun romp through the world of equations we encounter in our everyday lives, you’ll find yourself flipping through the stories of fifty-two formulas faster than a deck of cards. John M. Henshaw’s intriguing true accounts, each inspired by a different mathematical equation, are both succinct and easy to read. His tales come from the spheres of sports, business, history, the arts, science, and technology. Anecdotes about famous equations, like E=mc2, appear alongside tales of not-so-famous—but equally fascinating—equations, such as the one used to determine the SPF number for sunscreen.

Drawn from the breadth of human endeavor, Henshaw's stories demonstrate the power and utility of math. He entertains us by exploring the ways that equations can be used to explain, among other things, Ponzi schemes, the placebo effect, “dog years,” IQ, the wave mechanics of tsunamis, the troubled modern beekeeping industry, and the Challenger disaster. Smartly conceived and fast paced, his book offers something for anyone curious about math and its impacts.

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An Equation for Every Occasion: Fifty-Two Formulas and Why They Matter

An Equation for Every Occasion: Fifty-Two Formulas and Why They Matter

by John M. Henshaw
An Equation for Every Occasion: Fifty-Two Formulas and Why They Matter

An Equation for Every Occasion: Fifty-Two Formulas and Why They Matter

by John M. Henshaw

Hardcover

$32.00 
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Overview

A little math, a bit of history, and a dose of storytelling combine to reveal the importance of equations in everyday life.

With this fun romp through the world of equations we encounter in our everyday lives, you’ll find yourself flipping through the stories of fifty-two formulas faster than a deck of cards. John M. Henshaw’s intriguing true accounts, each inspired by a different mathematical equation, are both succinct and easy to read. His tales come from the spheres of sports, business, history, the arts, science, and technology. Anecdotes about famous equations, like E=mc2, appear alongside tales of not-so-famous—but equally fascinating—equations, such as the one used to determine the SPF number for sunscreen.

Drawn from the breadth of human endeavor, Henshaw's stories demonstrate the power and utility of math. He entertains us by exploring the ways that equations can be used to explain, among other things, Ponzi schemes, the placebo effect, “dog years,” IQ, the wave mechanics of tsunamis, the troubled modern beekeeping industry, and the Challenger disaster. Smartly conceived and fast paced, his book offers something for anyone curious about math and its impacts.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781421414911
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date: 09/15/2014
Pages: 200
Product dimensions: 5.80(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

John M. Henshaw is the department chair and Harry H. Rogers Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Tulsa. He is the author of An Equation for Every Occasion: Fifty-Two Formulas and Why They Matter and A Tour of the Senses: How Your Brain Interprets the World.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 As the Earth Draws the Apple 1

2 And All the Children Are Above Average 4

3 The Lady with the Mystic Smile 8

4 The Heart Has Its Reasons 11

5 AC/DC 14

6 The Doppler Effect 18

7 Do I Look Fat in These Jeans? 22

8 Zeros and Ones 25

9 Tsunami 28

10 When the Chips Are Down 31

11 A Stretch of the Imagination 34

12 Woodstock Nation 37

13 What Is π? 40

14 No Sweat 43

15 Road Range 46

16 The Bends 50

17 It's Not the Heat, It's the Humidity 54

18 The World's Most Beautiful Equation 58

19 Breaking the Law 61

20 The Mars Curse 64

21 Eureka! 67

22 A Penny Saved… 70

23 If I Only Had a Brain 73

24 Because It Was There 77

25 Four Eyes 80

26 Bee Sting 83

27 Here Comes the Sun 87

28 A Leg to Stand On 90

29 Love Is a Roller Coaster 93

30 Loss Factor 96

31 A Slippery Slope 100

32 Transformers 103

33 A House of Cards 107

34 Let There Be Light 110

35 Smarty Pants 113

36 As Old as the Hills 116

37 Can You Hear Me Now? 119

38 Decay Heat 123

39 Zero, One, Infinity 127

40 Terminal Velocity 130

41 Water, Water, Everywhere 133

42 Dog Days 136

43 Body Heat 139

44 Red Hot 143

45 A Bolt from the Blue 146

46 Like Oil and Water 149

47 Fish Story 153

48 Making Waves 156

49 A Drop in the Bucket 160

50 Fracking Unbelievable 164

51 Take Two Aspirins and Call Me in the Morning 167

52 The World's Most Famous Equation 171

Bibliography 175

Index 185

What People are Saying About This

Dwight E. Neuenschwander

An Equation for Every Occasion makes for fascinating history. People who are intimidated by mathematics, but also serious students of science, will be drawn in by the book's engaging stories. This is good down-to-earth applied mathematics.

From the Publisher

An Equation for Every Occasion makes for fascinating history. People who are intimidated by mathematics, but also serious students of science, will be drawn in by the book's engaging stories. This is good down-to-earth applied mathematics.
—Dwight E. Neuenschwander, author of Emmy Noether’s Wonderful Theorem

Written in bite-sized chapters, An Equation for Every Occasion is like a trail of candy that lures the reader to a deeper understanding of the mathematics behind everyday life. I had a great time leaping from one subject to the next, never staying for long. A perfect book for the budding mathematician with a short attention span.
—Daniel H. Wilson, author of Robopocalypse: A Novel

Daniel H. Wilson

Written in bite-sized chapters, An Equation for Every Occasion is like a trail of candy that lures the reader to a deeper understanding of the mathematics behind everyday life. I had a great time leaping from one subject to the next, never staying for long. A perfect book for the budding mathematician with a short attention span.

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