Equation for Every Occasion

<With this fun romp through the world of equations we encounter in our everyday lives you'll find yourself flipping through the stories of fifty-two formulas faster than a deck of cards. John M. Henshaw's intriguing true accounts each inspired by a different mathematical equation are both succinct and easy to read. His tales come from the spheres of sports business history the arts science and technology. Anecdotes about famous equations like E=mc2 appear alongside tales of not-so-famous-but equally fascinating-equations such as the one used to determine the SPF number for sunscreen. Drawn from the breadth of human endeavor Henshaw's stories demonstrate the power and utility of math. He entertains us by exploring the ways that equations can be used to explain among other things Ponzi schemes the placebo effect dog years IQ the wave mechanics of tsunamis the troubled modern beekeeping industry and the Challenger disaster. Smartly conceived and fast paced his book offers something for anyone curious about math and its impacts.