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The Math Instinct: Why You're a Mathematical Genius (Along with Lobsters, Birds,
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The Math Instinct: Why You're a Mathematical Genius (Along with Lobsters, Birds, Cats, and Dogs) Paperback - 2006

by Keith Devlin


From the publisher

There are two kinds of math: the hard kind and the easy kind. The easy kind, practiced by ants, shrimp, Welsh corgis -- and us -- is innate. What innate calculating skills do we humans have? Leaving aside built-in mathematics, such as the visual system, ordinary people do just fine when faced with mathematical tasks in the course of the day. Yet when they are confronted with the same tasks presented as "math," their accuracy often drops. But if we have innate mathematical ability, why do we have to teach math and why do most of us find it so hard to learn? Are there tricks or strategies that the ordinary person can do to improve mathematical ability? Can we improve our math skills by learning from dogs, cats, and other creatures that "do math"? The answer to each of these questions is a qualified yes. All these examples of animal math suggest that if we want to do better in the formal kind of math, we should see how it arises from natural mathematics. From NPR's "Math Guy" -- The Math Instinct will provide even the most number-phobic among us with confidence in our own mathematical abilities.

First line

In 1992, a young American researcher named Karen Wynn made an announcement that stunned child psychologists all around the world.

Details

  • Title The Math Instinct: Why You're a Mathematical Genius (Along with Lobsters, Birds, Cats, and Dogs)
  • Author Keith Devlin
  • Binding Paperback
  • Pages 288
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Basic Books, New York, New York, U.S.A.
  • Date 2006-05-31
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Illustrated, Index, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9781560258391 / 156025839X
  • Weight 0.74 lbs (0.34 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.81 in (20.07 x 13.46 x 2.06 cm)
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2005277465
  • Dewey Decimal Code 510

About the author

Keith Devlin is a Senior Researcher and Executive Director at Stanford's Center for the Study of Language and Information, a Consulting Professor in the Department of Mathematics, and a co-founder of the Stanford Media X research network. National Public Radio's "Math Guy," he is the author of over twenty-five books. He lives in Stanford, California.
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