Towing Icebergs, Falling Dominoes, and Other Adventures in Applied Mathematics by Robert B Banks

Towing Icebergs, Falling Dominoes, and Other Adventures in Applied Mathematics by Robert B Banks

Although we seldom think of it, our lives are played out in a world of numbers. Such common activities as throwing baseballs, skipping rope, growing flowers, playing football, measuring savings accounts, and many others are inherently mathematical. So are more speculative problems that are simply fun to ponder in themselves - such as the best way to score Olympic events. Here Robert Banks presents a wide range of musings, both practical and entertaining, that have intrigued him and others: How tall can one grow? Why do we get stuck in traffic? Which football player would have a better chance of breaking away - a small, speedy wide receiver or a huge, slow linebacker? Can California water shortages be alleviated by towing icebergs from Antarctica? What is the fastest the 100-meter dash will ever be run? The book's twenty-four concise chapters, each centered on a real-world phenomenon, are presented in an informal and engaging manner. Banks shows how math and simple reasoning together may produce elegant models that explain everything from the federal debt to the proper technique for ski-jumping. This book, which requires of its readers only a basic understanding of high school or college math, is for anyone fascinated by the workings of mathematics in our everyday lives, as well as its applications to what may be imagined. All will be rewarded with a myriad of interesting problems and the know-how to solve them.

The book reads like a pacey murder mystery but with a scintillating twist, the reader becomes an active participant in the forensic analysis.. [A] fabulous exposition of adventures in applied mathematics. It's already one of my favourite books. It's so good I find it hard to lay aside. -- B. L. Henry The Physicist In Towing Icebergs, Falling Dominoes former engineering professor Robert Banks reveals a startling fact: relatively simple maths can indeed be applied to an astonishing variety of relevant and interesting problems. There is something here for every mathematically inclined reader. The aerodynamics of balls in sport, the spread of diseases, traffic flow, the effect of meteor impacts--he deals with these and much more in engaging, well judged detail. -- Robert Matthews New Scientist Robert Banks's study of everyday phenomena is infused with infectious enthusiasm. Publishers Weekly

Robert B. Banks was a Professor of Engineering at Northwestern University and Dean of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He served with the Ford Foundation in Mexico City and with the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok. He won numerous national and international honors, including being named Commander of the Order of the White Elephant by the King of Thailand and Commandeur dans l'Ordre des Palmes Academiques by the government of France.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780691102856
ISBN 10	0691102856
Title	Towing Icebergs, Falling Dominoes, and Other Adventures in Applied Mathematics
Author	Robert B Banks
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Princeton University Press
Year published	2002-07-21
Number of pages	344
Prizes	Runner-up for Choice Magazine Outstanding Reference/Academic Book Award 1999
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.