How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking

How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking

2014 • 480 pages

Ratings29

Average rating4

15

Amalgam of interesting examples that teach you to not too easily fall for seemingly convincing numbers and data representations. We are wired to make logical mistakes and misunderstand statistics. But we won't all be dead by 2050 despite there being a seemingly straight line going up on that graph. And even the most unpredictable event will be predicted, if there are enough people making predictions.

I quite liked the concept of calculating your life based on utility - how many wasted hours spent on airports arriving early are worth 1 missed plane? And in the light of recent political events it was interesting to read about how the same votes could lead to 3 different outcomes, depending on voting method used (traditional vs instant-runoff vs head-to-head matchup).

All in all a good book, yet I am debating btw 3 and 4 stars, because the 2nd half of the book got partially very abstract - discussing geometry - and therefore harder to read.

December 10, 2016Report this review