Yes, it is math. No, it is not thrilling or exciting. I picked it up because my son had a question about a geometry formula and i didn't feel like looking at some fat high school text book. This is a little pocket sized book and it is full of math that IS used even after taking the final exam in math class.
There are sections for 1. Numbers and Computation, 2. Algebra and Geometry, 3. Everyday Math, 4. Probability and Statistics, 5. Business and Personal Finance.
I read every stinking word on over 330+ pages. I always do read every word, but come on, this is a book about math. Who reads every word in a math book?
Some of the things I found cool about this book...
It has all the algebra, geometry and trigonometry formulas you will ever need in a single tiny book.
It has information about how the FDA calculates the Recommended Daily Allowances for vitamins, calcium, calories, etc.
What are all those liquor measures? Dram, nip, finger, shot, double, triple, pony, jigger, fifth, split, flagon, yard, magnum, demijohn, keg, firkin, barrel...they are all here.
What is a kilowatt-hour? It is on your electric bill. What are they charging you for every month? How is wattage measured? Amperage? Resistance? Electric Horsepower?
How do you read a gas or electric meter and how are they calculating your bill from those readings?
How do you measure "legal square footage" as used in tax assesments?
How do figure out how many squares of shingles to buy in order to reshingle your roof?
Why are lumber dimensions so weird and how do you calculate your needs in construction? How about measuring cords of wood, yards of concrete, sizes of nails?
There are tons of automotive math formulas and explanations...average velocity, instantaneous velocity, acceleration and braking calculations, engine displacement, horsepower or revolutions per minute, compression ratio, gas mileage, tire sizes, etc etc etc.
How about calculating wind chill factors, heat and humidity indexes, dew points and frost indexes.
Mapping and geography were pretty cool sections also.
What are the probablilites of drawing certain poker hands? How do you calculate on the fly, or count cards?
How do you calculate odds? What are the differences between true odds and house odds?
What strategies can be used at a craps table? A roulette table? Betting on horses?
There is a whole section on baseball statistics. I loved that!
There is over a hundred pages of financial calculations. Everything from interest rates to insurance or mortgages. There is a ton of definitions and explanations for the terms used when talking about stocks, bonds, mutual funds, annuities, government securities, tax-deferred investments, etc.
This little book covered a lot of information, compacted it down to the basics that you will need to know outside of a classroom and then organized it in a useful manner.
I think I will keep this little fella around for quick reference.
No comments:
Post a Comment