Towing Icebergs, Falling Dominoes, and Other Adventures in Applied Mathematics

"Our lives are governed by a world of numbers, despite the fact that we rarely consider this. Baseball tossing, skipping rope, flower growth, football, gauging savings accounts, and many more everyday activities are intrinsically mathematical. The same goes for other hypothetical issues that are amusing to think about on their own, like how to score Olympic events. Here Robert Banks presents a wide range of musings, both practical and entertaining, that have intrigued him and others: How tall can one grow? Why do we get stuck in traffic? Which football player would have a better chance of breaking away — a small, speedy wide receiver or a huge, slow linebacker? Can California water shortages be alleviated by towing icebergs from Antarctica? What is the fastest the 100-meter dash will ever be run?The book’s twenty-four concise chapters, each centered on a real-world phenomenon, are presented in an informal and engaging manner. Banks shows how math and simple reasoning together may produce elegant models that explain everything from the federal debt to the proper technique for ski-jumping.This book, which requires of its readers only a basic understanding of high school or college math, is for anyone fascinated by the workings of mathematics in our everyday lives, as well as its applications to what may be imagined. All will be rewarded with a myriad of interesting problems and the know-how to solve them.
Towing Icebergs

“Our lives are governed by a world of numbers, despite the fact that we rarely consider this. Baseball tossing, skipping rope, flower growth, football, gauging savings accounts, and many more everyday activities are intrinsically mathematical. The same goes for other hypothetical issues that are amusing to think about on their own, like how to score Olympic events.

Here, Robert Banks offers a variety of thoughts that have interested him and others and are both useful and entertaining: How tall can a person get? Why are we back up in traffic? Which football player—a big, plodding defender or a little, quick wide receiver—would have a better chance of getting away? Can icebergs tow from Antarctica help Californians who are experiencing a water shortage? What is the all-time record for the 100-meter dash?

The book’s twenty-four succinct chapters, each focused on a genuine phenomenon, are delivered in a friendly and interesting style. Banks demonstrates how the combination of arithmetic and straightforward reasoning may result in sophisticated models that can explain anything from the federal debt to the best way to ski jump.

This book is for anyone who is intrigued by how mathematics operates in our daily lives as well as its applications to what may be imagined. It just demands that readers have a basic understanding of high school or college math. Everyone will be rewarded with a wealth of intriguing puzzles and the skills necessary to solve them.”

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