In this trailblazing work from the internet’s most empathetic math teacher, Ben Orlin unravels the secrets behind the world’s most confounding language. Math, it is said, is the "universal language.” But if a language brings people together, why does math make so many of us feel so alone? In Math for English Majors, bestselling author Ben Orlin (Math with Bad Drawings) offers fresh insights for the mathematically perplexed and mathematical masters alike. As Orlin reveals, the “universal language” is precisely that: a language. It has nouns (numbers), verbs (calculations), and grammar (algebra). It has funny idioms (“exponential”), quirky etymologies (“squaring”), and peculiar ambiguities (“PEMDAS”). It even has its own form of literature, with equations ranging from the simple wisdom of A2 + B2 = C2 to the startling profundity of eπi + 1 = 0. Along the way, he shares relatable stories of his own mathematical misunderstandings and epiphanies, as well as the trials and triumphs of his students. And, as always, he sheds further light and levity on the subject with his inept—yet strangely effective—drawings.

For anyone who has ever wondered how computers solve problems, an engagingly written guide for nonexperts to the basics of computer algorithms. Have you ever wondered how your GPS can find the fastest way to your destination, selecting one route from seemingly countless possibilities in mere seconds? How your credit card account number is protected when you make a purchase over the Internet? The answer is algorithms. And how do these mathematical formulations translate themselves into your GPS, your laptop, or your smart phone? This book offers an engagingly written guide to the basics of computer algorithms. In Algorithms Unlocked, Thomas Cormen—coauthor of the leading college textbook on the subject—provides a general explanation, with limited mathematics, of how algorithms enable computers to solve problems. Readers will learn what computer algorithms are, how to describe them, and how to evaluate them. They will discover simple ways to search for information in a computer; methods for rearranging information in a computer into a prescribed order (“sorting”); how to solve basic problems that can be modeled in a computer with a mathematical structure called a “graph” (useful for modeling road networks, dependencies among tasks, and financial relationships); how to solve problems that ask questions about strings of characters such as DNA structures; the basic principles behind cryptography; fundamentals of data compression; and even that there are some problems that no one has figured out how to solve on a computer in a reasonable amount of time.

Second of two volumes providing a comprehensive guide to the current state of mathematical logic.

A hilarious reeducation in mathematics-full of joy, jokes, and stick figures-that sheds light on the countless practical and wonderful ways that math structures and shapes our world. In Math With Bad Drawings, Ben Orlin reveals to us what math actually is; its myriad uses, its strange symbols, and the wild leaps of logic and faith that define the usually impenetrable work of the mathematician. Truth and knowledge come in multiple forms: colorful drawings, encouraging jokes, and the stories and insights of an empathetic teacher who believes that math should belong to everyone. Orlin shows us how to think like a mathematician by teaching us a brand-new game of tic-tac-toe, how to understand an economic crises by rolling a pair of dice, and the mathematical headache that ensues when attempting to build a spherical Death Star. Every discussion in the book is illustrated with Orlin's trademark "bad drawings," which convey his message and insights with perfect pitch and clarity. With 24 chapters covering topics from the electoral college to human genetics to the reasons not to trust statistics, Math with Bad Drawings is a life-changing book for the math-estranged and math-enamored alike.

What can you do with your college education?You can become a well-paid computer networking professional.Your major in the liberal arts or social sciences has prepared you for much more than you might imagine. You don't need to struggle to make a living as a writer or a proofreader. You don't have to be a high school teacher, if that's not what you want to do.A degree in English, linguistics, psychology, history, political science or any other social science or liberal art enables you to think and learn faster than the graduates of most technical degree programs. The truth is that you can out-perform most computer science majors soon after taking a job in computer networking.Networking for English Majors teaches you what you need to know to get your first job and then to move ahead in a career that pays well.

Math in Society is a survey of contemporary mathematical topics, appropriate for a college-level topics course for liberal arts major, or as a general quantitative reasoning course.This book is an open textbook; it can be read free online at http://www.opentextbookstore.com/mathinsociety/. Editable versions of the chapters are available as well.

These active and well-known authors have come together to create a fresh, innovative, and timely approach to Discrete Math. One innovation uses several major threads to help weave core topics into a cohesive whole. Throughout the book the application of mathematical reasoning is emphasized to solve problems while the authors guide the student in thinking about, reading, and writing proofs in a wide variety of contexts. Another important content thread, as the sub-title implies, is the focus on mathematical puzzles, games and magic tricks to engage students.

As the open-source and free competitor to expensive software like MapleTM, Mathematica®, Magma, and MATLAB®, Sage offers anyone with access to a web browser the ability to use cutting-edge mathematical software and display his or her results for others, often with stunning graphics. This book is a gentle introduction to Sage for undergraduate students toward the end of Calculus II (single-variable integral calculus) or higher-level course work such as Multivariate Calculus, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, or Math Modeling. The book assumes no background in computer science, but the reader who finishes the book will have learned about half of a first semester Computer Science I course, including large parts of the Python programming language. The audience of the book is not only math majors, but also physics, engineering, finance, statistics, chemistry, and computer science majors.

"Math and Myth" is a comprehensive work book for ESL courses included a variety of practices: pronunciation exercises, spelling exercises, as well writing practices.

A brilliant tour of mathematical thought and a guide to becoming a better thinker, How Not to Be Wrong shows that math is not just a long list of rules to be learned and carried out by rote. Math touches everything we do; It's what makes the world make sense. Using the mathematician's methods and hard-won insights-minus the jargon-professor and popular columnist Jordan Ellenberg guides general readers through his ideas with rigor and lively irreverence, infusing everything from election results to baseball to the existence of God and the psychology of slime molds with a heightened sense of clarity and wonder. Armed with the tools of mathematics, we can see the hidden structures beneath the messy and chaotic surface of our daily lives. How Not to Be Wrong shows us how--Publisher's description.