How Long Is a Piece of String? : More Hidden Mathematics of Everyday Life

in This Sequel To Why Do Buses Come In Threes?, You Will Find That Many Intriguing Everyday Questions Have Mathematical Answers. Discover The Astonishing 37% Rule For Blind Dates, The Avoidance Tactics Of The Gentleman's Urinal, And Some Extraordinary Scams That Have Been Devised To Get Rich Quick. Also Included Are The Origins Of The Seven-day Week And The Seven-note Scale, An Explanation Of Why Underdogs Win, Clever Techniques For Detecting Fraud, And The Reason Why Epidemics Sweep Across A Nation And Disappear Just As Quickly. Whatever Your Mathematical Ability, This Fun, Thought-provoking Book Will Illuminate The Ways In Which Math Underlies So Much In Our Everyday Lives.

Why do weather forecasters get it wrong? What are the best tactics for playing"Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"and"The Weakest Link"? And what is the link between a tin of baked beans and a men's urinal? These and many other questions are answered in this book. It is for anyone wanting 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 ranking sportsmen all have links with intriguing mathematical problems that are explained in this book. It reveals the secrets behind some of the best con tricks and the hidden workings of the taxi meter, and explains how epidemics start and stop.

Why do weather forecasters get it wrong? What are the best tactics for playing"Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" and "The Weakest Link"? And what is the linkbetween a tin of baked beans and a men's urinal? These and many otherquestions are answered in this book. It is for anyone wanting to remindthemselves – or discover for the first time – that maths is relevant to almosteverything we do. Dating, cooking, travelling by car, gambling and rankingsportsmen all have links with intriguing mathematical problems that areexplained in this book. It reveals the secrets behind some of the best con tricksand the hidden workings of the taxi meter, and explains how epidemics startand stop. This sequel to 'Why Do Buses Come in Threes?' shows how maths is relevant to almost every aspect of our daily lives. Dating, cooking, travelling by car, and gambling all have links with mathematical problems that you will find explained in this book In a book about everyday maths, what better place to start than the mathematics of the day itself, and of Monday in particular?