A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper [Paperback]

In this lively volume, mathematician John Allen Paulos employs his singular wit to guide us through an unlikely mathematical jungle—the pages of the daily newspaper. From the Senate and sex to celebrities and cults, Paulos takes stories that may not seem to involve math at all and demonstrates how mathematical naïveté can put readers at a distinct disadvantage. Whether he's using chaos theory to puncture economic and environmental predictions, applying logic to clarify the hazards of spin doctoring and news compression, or employing arithmetic and common sense to give us a novel perspective on greed and relationships, Paulos never fails to entertain and enlighten.

“A wise and thoughtful book, which skewers much of what everyone knows to be true.”—Los Angeles Times

“A fun, spunky, wise little book that would be helpful to both the consumers of the news and its purveyors.”—Washington Post