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Chris Waring

An Equation for Every Occasion

Simple Formulas for Surviving the Unexpected

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Details

Imprint: O'Mara Books

Publication date: 23/07/2020

ISBN: 9781789292220

Subject: Non-Fiction

Category: Science - History - Philosophy

Binding: Hardback

Size: 198 x 129 mm

Extent: 192 pages

Illustration: integrated line drawings

Territorial Rights: World (All Languages)

Edition Status: Out of Print

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Summary:

Whether you paid much attention to the mathematics you were taught at school or not, the inescapable truth is that one day, an equation could just save your life.

The real world is full of equations and a lot of our everyday decisions are calculated – we just don’t always realize it. And that’s ok – you unthinkingly use differentiation when you’re crossing the road between traffic and you will pretty much always make it to the other side safely. But what if you were plummeting to your death in a plane with no engine and you needed to know what size parachute to make from your cabinmate’s sari in order to jump and survive? Or you were in charge of pinpointing the origins of an important message from outer space? These entirely plausible real-life situations clearly require a little more thought. From how to work out the best guard configuration to protect a world-famous painting in the Louvre to saving the planet from total blackout during an energy crisis, Chris Waring demonstrates the mind-bending and humanity-saving beauty of equations.

Sales points:

  • A non-serious book for the non-mathematician, this is a fun and accessible look at the essential equations that rule our world, from how we calculate speed, distance and time to the rules of thermodynamics and orbital mechanics

  • Accompanied by amusing stick-figure diagrams to help illustrate how these simple equations can save you from starving in the Antarctic, help you escape certain death and boil the perfect ostrich egg

  • Comp titles: How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems, Randal Munroe (John Murray, 2019) How Not to be Wrong: The Hidden Maths of Everyday Life, Jordan Ellenberg (Penguin 2015); Alex’s Adventures in Numberland: Dispatches from the Wonderful World of Mathematics, Alex Bellos; Humble Pi: A Comedy of Maths Errors, Matt Parker; Maths on the Back of an Envelope: Clever Ways to Roughly Calculate Anything, Rob Eastaway; The Life-Changing Magic of Numbers: How Maths Shapes Everyday Life, Bobby Seagull

About the Author:

Chris Waring

Chris Waring studied for a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College, London before becoming a maths teacher. Since then he has taught small children and Oxbridge candidates and everybody in between. He is the author of An Equation for Every Occasion, Maths in Bite-sized Chunks and From Zero to Infinity in 26 Centuries, also published by Michael O’Mara Books.