L.A. Math : Romance, Crime, and Mathematics in the City of Angels / James D. Stein.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stein, James D., Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Criminal investigation--Fiction.

Criminal investigation.

Mathematics--Fiction.

Mathematics.

Mathematics--Miscellanea.

Los Angeles (Calif.)--Fiction.

Los Angeles (Calif.).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (257 p.)

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2016]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Move over, Sherlock and Watson-the detective duo to be reckoned with. In the entertaining short-story collection L.A. Math, freelance investigator Freddy Carmichael and his sidekick, Pete Lennox, show how math smarts can crack even the most perplexing cases. Freddy meets colorful personalities throughout Los Angeles and encounters mysterious circumstances from embezzlement and robbery to murder. In each story, Freddy's deductive instincts-and Pete's trusty math skills-solve the crime.Featuring such glamorous locales as Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Malibu, and Santa Barbara, the fourteen short stories in L.A. Math take Freddy and Pete through various puzzles and challenges. In "A Change of Scene," Freddy has to figure out who is selling corporate secrets to a competitor-so he uses mathematical logic to uncover the culprit. In "The Winning Streak," conditional probability turns the tables on an unscrupulous bookie. And in "Message from a Corpse," the murderer of a wealthy widow is revealed through the rules of compound interest. It's everything you expect from the City of Angels-A-listers and wannabes, lovers and lawyers, heroes and villains. Readers will not only be entertained, but also gain practical mathematics knowledge, ranging from percentages and probability to set theory, statistics, and the mathematics of elections. For those who want to delve into mathematical subjects further, the book includes a supplementary section with more material.Filled with intriguing stories, L.A. Math is a treat for lovers of romance, crime, or mathematics.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

PREFACE: L.A. MATH

MATHEMATICAL TOPICS BY CHAPTER

CHAPTER 1. A CHANGE OF SCENE

CHAPTER 2. THE CASE OF THE VANISHING GREENBACKS

CHAPTER 3. A MATTER OF TIME

CHAPTER 4. THE WORST FORTY DAYS SINCE THE FLOOD

CHAPTER 5. THE ACCIDENTAL GUEST

CHAPTER 6. MESSAGE FROM A CORPSE

CHAPTER 7. ANIMAL PASSIONS

CHAPTER 8. NOTHING TO CROW ABOUT

CHAPTER 9. THE WINNING STREAK

CHAPTER 10. ONE LONG SEASON

CHAPTER 11. THE GREAT BASKETBALL FIX

CHAPTER 12. IT'S ALL IN THE GAME

CHAPTER 13. DIVISION OF LABOR

CHAPTER 14. THE QUARTERBACK CONTROVERSY

APPENDIX 1. MATHEMATICAL LOGIC IN "A CHANGE OF SCENE"

APPENDIX 2. PERCENTAGES IN "THE CASE OF THE VANISHING GREENBACKS"

APPENDIX 3. AVERAGES AND RATES IN "A MATTER OF TIME"

APPENDIX 4. SEQUENCES AND ARITHMETIC PROGRESSIONS IN "THE WORST FORTY DAYS SINCE THE FLOOD"

APPENDIX 5. ALGEBRA, THE LANGUAGE OF QUANTITATIVE RELATIONSHIPS, IN "THE ACCIDENTAL GUEST"

APPENDIX 6. MATHEMATICS OF FINANCE IN "MESSAGE FROM A CORPSE"

APPENDIX 7. SET THEORY IN "ANIMAL PASSIONS"

APPENDIX 8. THE CHINESE RESTAURANT PRINCIPLE: COMBINATORICS IN "NOTHING TO CROW ABOUT"

APPENDIX 9. PROBABILITY AND EXPECTATION IN "THE WINNING STREAK"

APPENDIX 10. CONDITIONAL PROBABILITY IN "ONE LONG SEASON"

APPENDIX 11. STATISTICS IN "THE GREAT BASKETBALL FIX"

APPENDIX 12. GAME THEORY IN "IT'S ALL IN THE GAME"

APPENDIX 13. ELECTIONS IN "DIVISION OF LABOR"

APPENDIX 14. ALGORITHMS, EFFICIENCY, AND COMPLEXITY IN "THE QUARTERBACK CONTROVERSY"

AN INTRODUCTION TO SPORTS BETTING

NOTES

INDEX

Notes:

Includes index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 26. Nov 2019)

ISBN:

9781400873388

140087338X

OCLC:

930024020