Guesstimation : solving the world's problems on the back of a cocktail napkin / Lawrence Weinstein and John A. Adam.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Weinstein, Lawrence, 1960-

Contributor:

Adam, John A.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Estimation theory--Miscellanea.

Estimation theory.

Problem solving--Miscellanea.

Problem solving.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (320 p.)

Edition:

Course Book

Place of Publication:

Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Guesstimation is a book that unlocks the power of approximation--it's popular mathematics rounded to the nearest power of ten! The ability to estimate is an important skill in daily life. More and more leading businesses today use estimation questions in interviews to test applicants' abilities to think on their feet. Guesstimation enables anyone with basic math and science skills to estimate virtually anything--quickly--using plausible assumptions and elementary arithmetic. Lawrence Weinstein and John Adam present an eclectic array of estimation problems that range from devilishly simple to quite sophisticated and from serious real-world concerns to downright silly ones. How long would it take a running faucet to fill the inverted dome of the Capitol? What is the total length of all the pickles consumed in the US in one year? What are the relative merits of internal-combustion and electric cars, of coal and nuclear energy? The problems are marvelously diverse, yet the skills to solve them are the same. The authors show how easy it is to derive useful ballpark estimates by breaking complex problems into simpler, more manageable ones--and how there can be many paths to the right answer. The book is written in a question-and-answer format with lots of hints along the way. It includes a handy appendix summarizing the few formulas and basic science concepts needed, and its small size and French-fold design make it conveniently portable. Illustrated with humorous pen-and-ink sketches, Guesstimation will delight popular-math enthusiasts and is ideal for the classroom.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

How to Solve Problems

Dealing with Large Numbers

General Questions

Animals and People

Transportation

Energy and Work

Hydrocarbons and Carbohydrates

The Earth, the Moon, and Lots of Gerbils

Energy and the Environment

The Atmosphere

Risk

Unanswered Questions

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 295-297) and index.

ISBN:

9786612159138

9781282159136

1282159135

9781400824441

1400824443

OCLC:

440796201