How Not to Be Wrong

The math we learn in school is a set of rules, handed down to us by the ancients, that dictates our ability to reason. In How Not to Be Wrong, Jordan Ellenberg shows us how wrong this view really is: Math isn’t confined to abstract incidents and incidents that never occur in real life, but rather touches everything we do—the whole world is shot through with it. Math allows us to see the hidden structures underneath the confusing surface of our world. It’s a science of not being wrong, hammered out by centuries of hard work and argument. Armed with the tools of mathematics, we can see through to the true meaning of information we take for granted: how early should you get to the airport; what does “public opinion” really represent; why do tall parents have shorter children; who really won Florida in 2000? And how likely are you, really, to develop cancer?