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A review by ranahabib
The Math of Life and Death: 7 Mathematical Principles That Shape Our Lives by Kit Yates
4.0
Rating: 9/10
As someone who is not naturally talented in Mathematics, I found this book really entertaining and unique. I loved Yates writing style; he explains everything so simply and vibrantly, using relevant examples to help keep the reader engaged (ex. the Amanda Knox trial, covid19, BLM movement).
Yates shows us how mathematics can be used for betterment or worse, depending on how it's used.
He touches on the use of mathematics in law, business, health/medicine, media, and technology. In each chapter, he gives 1-3 examples of mathematics gone wrong and what should've been done instead.
Yates does a phenomenal job at showcasing to the reader why we shouldn't naively trust numbers; he does this by exploring common errors in mathematics (asking & answering the wrong questions, inputting the wrong variables, illogical calculations, etc).
I'd argue that it's not a book ABOUT mathematics (that is to say, how it came about) but rather HOW mathematics is used in different subject fields. I think there are only a few equations used throughout the whole book. Otherwise, the design and flow of the content were incredibly smooth and easy to follow.
In each chapter, Yates covers the following:
1. Exponents, exponential growth
2. Odds, ratios, and binary testing
3. Probabilities, independent/dependent variables
4. Samples sizes, framing, biases
5. Number systems
6. Algorithms, optimization, P versus NP
7. Proportions, r-naught, exponential growth
One downfall: It's unclear exactly what the different mathematical principles are. After reading the book and going through each chapter, I can somewhat differentiate the principles. But a lot of what's taught is similar and overlaps each other.
The book was written so each chapter covered a different domain and a mathematical principle or two were applied within that domain. I think it should've been the opposite. Each chapter covers a different principle that's applied in 1-2 different domains.
As someone who is not naturally talented in Mathematics, I found this book really entertaining and unique. I loved Yates writing style; he explains everything so simply and vibrantly, using relevant examples to help keep the reader engaged (ex. the Amanda Knox trial, covid19, BLM movement).
Yates shows us how mathematics can be used for betterment or worse, depending on how it's used.
He touches on the use of mathematics in law, business, health/medicine, media, and technology. In each chapter, he gives 1-3 examples of mathematics gone wrong and what should've been done instead.
Yates does a phenomenal job at showcasing to the reader why we shouldn't naively trust numbers; he does this by exploring common errors in mathematics (asking & answering the wrong questions, inputting the wrong variables, illogical calculations, etc).
I'd argue that it's not a book ABOUT mathematics (that is to say, how it came about) but rather HOW mathematics is used in different subject fields. I think there are only a few equations used throughout the whole book. Otherwise, the design and flow of the content were incredibly smooth and easy to follow.
In each chapter, Yates covers the following:
1. Exponents, exponential growth
2. Odds, ratios, and binary testing
3. Probabilities, independent/dependent variables
4. Samples sizes, framing, biases
5. Number systems
6. Algorithms, optimization, P versus NP
7. Proportions, r-naught, exponential growth
One downfall: It's unclear exactly what the different mathematical principles are. After reading the book and going through each chapter, I can somewhat differentiate the principles. But a lot of what's taught is similar and overlaps each other.
The book was written so each chapter covered a different domain and a mathematical principle or two were applied within that domain. I think it should've been the opposite. Each chapter covers a different principle that's applied in 1-2 different domains.