Cover image for
Title:
Everyday calculus : discovering the hidden math all around us / Oscar E. Fernandez.
Author:
Fernandez, Oscar E. (Oscar Edward)
Publication Information:
Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2014]
Call Number:
QA303.2 .F47 2014
Abstract:
Uses everyday experiences to reveal the hidden calculus behind a typical day's events, showing how math naturally emerges from simple observations such as how hot coffee cools down, and demonstrating that calculus can be both useful and fascinating.
ISBN:
9780691157559
Physical Description:
x, 150 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Contents:
Wake up and smell the functions. What's trig got to do with your morning? ; How a rational function defeated Thomas Edison, and why induction powers the world ; The logarithms hidden in the air ; The frequency of trig functions ; Galileo's parabolic thinking -- Breakfast at Newton's. Introducing calculus, the CNBC way ; Coffee has its limits ; A multivitamin a day keeps the doctor away ; Derivatives are about change -- Driven by derivatives. Why do we survive rainy days? ; Politics in derivatives, or derivatives in politics? ; What the unemployment rate teaches us about the curvature of graphs ; America's ballooning population ; Feeling derivatives ; The calculus of time travel -- Connected by calculus. E-mails, texts, tweets, ah? ; The calculus of colds ; What does sustainability have to do with catching a cold? ; What does your retirement income have to do with traffic? ; The calculus of the sweet tooth -- Take a derivative and you'll feel better. I "heart" differentials ; How life (and nature) uses calculus ; The costly downside of calculus ; The optimal drive back home ; Catching speeders efficiently with calculus -- Adding things up, the calculus way. The little engine that could...integrate ; The fundamental theorem of calculus ; Using integrals to estimate wait times -- Derivatives and integrals : the dream team. Integration at work-- tandoori chicken ; Finding the best seat in the house ; Keeping the T running with calculus ; Look up to look back in time ; The ultimate fate of the universe ; The age of the universe.
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