Why do Buses Come in Threes?: The hidden mathematics of everyday life

by Rob Eastaway, Jeremy Wyndham

Overview

An entertaining guide to how maths is relevant to our everyday lives. 

Why is it better to buy a lottery ticket on Friday? Why are showers always too hot or too cold? And which classic puzzle was destroyed by Allied bombing in the war? These and many other questions are answers in this entertaining and highly informative book.

Why do Buses Come in Threes? is for anyone who wants to remind themselves – or discover for the first time – that maths is relevant to almost everything we do. Dating, cooking, travelling by car, gambling and life-saving techniques all have links with intriguing mathematical problems that you will find explained here – including the odd coincidence of 4 July, the exponential growth of Australian rabbits and a surprising formula for running in the rain without getting wet. Whether you have a degree in astrophysics or haven't touched maths since you left school, this book will change the way you view the world around you.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781911622277
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	08/06/2020
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Rob Eastaway is a writer, speaker and consultant. His books include the bestselling What is a Googly? (9781861056290) and Why Do Buses Come In Threes? (9781861058621). He jointly devised the system now used to officially rank international cricketers and lives in London, where he is a keen weekend cricketer and occasional golfer.

Jeremy Wyndham was the managing director of a leading market research company. He lives in London.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	vii
	Acknowledgements	ix
	Introduction	xi
1	Why can't I find a four-leafed clover?	1
	Links between nature and mathematics
2	Which way should I go?	13
	From postmen to taxi drivers
3	How many people watch Friends?	23
	Most public statistics come from surveys, but how reliable are they?
4	Why do clever people get things wrong?	31
	Sometimes experience and intelligence can be a disadvantage
5	What's the best bet?	39
	Lotteries, horses and casinos all offer the chance of a big prize
6	How do you explain a coincidence?	47
	Coincidences aren't as surprising as you would think
7	What's the best view of the Statue of Liberty?	55
	Everyday geometries, from snooker to statues
8	How do you keep a secret?	63
	Code-making and breaking isn't just for spies
9	Why do buses come in threes?	73
	Travelling without a car leads to all sorts of conundrums
10	What's the best way to cut a cake?	81
	Why four o'clock can be the time for some mathematical headaches
11	How can I win without cheating?	87
	Almost everything in life can be analysed as a game
12	Who's the best in the world?	95
	The mathematics behind sports rankings
14	What happened to chapter 13?	103
	Can bad luck be explained?
15	Whodunnit?	109
	Everyday logic, from murder mysteries to political statistics
16	Why am I always in traffic jams?	119
	Motorways, escalators and supermarkets all have one thing in common: queues
17	Why are showers always too hot or too cold?	127
	From squealing microphones to population explosions
18	How can I get the meal ready on time?	137
	Critical paths and other scheduling problems
19	How can I entertain the kids?	145
	Numbers can be magic
	References	153
	Index	155

Editorial Reviews

Though written for the non-mathematician, this presentation will nevertheless require some concentration from the mathematically challenged. It's a clever presentation of a wide range of topics, some couched in questions such as: what's the best view of the Statue of Liberty, and what's the best way to cut a cake? A sampling of other topics: code-making and breaking, sports rankings, queues and traffic jams, bad luck, and entertaining tricks for children. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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