Dozens of examples in innumeracy show us how it affects not only personal economics and travel plans, but explains mis-chosen mates, inappropriate ...
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Mar 29, 2008
Jerzy
rated it: 
Most of the book is a collection of examples commonly seen in other pop math books: how a particular gambling game or con trick lets the house win most of the time; tricky things about Bayes' Theorem and Simpson's Paradox; how raising the price by 40% and then lowering the new price by 40% does not give you back the original price; the difference between statistical correlation and causation; etc.
I hoped the book would be an in-depth look at where innumeracy stems from and how to pre More...
I hoped the book would be an in-depth look at where innumeracy stems from and how to pre More...
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Sep 01, 2010
Parksy
rated it:
3.5
Very easy read on how the general public just doesn't get numbers and math.
Amazon.com
This is the book that made "innumeracy" a household word, at least in some households. Paulos admits that "at least part of the motivation for any book is anger, and this book is no exception. I'm distressed by a society which depends so completely on mathematics and science and yet seems to indifferent to the innumeracy and scientific illiteracy of so many of its More...
Very easy read on how the general public just doesn't get numbers and math.
Amazon.com
This is the book that made "innumeracy" a household word, at least in some households. Paulos admits that "at least part of the motivation for any book is anger, and this book is no exception. I'm distressed by a society which depends so completely on mathematics and science and yet seems to indifferent to the innumeracy and scientific illiteracy of so many of its More...
Apr 05, 2010
Jack
rated it: 
"The same people who cringe when words such as `imply' and `infer' are confused react without a trace of embarrassment to even the most egregious numerical solecisms." (p. 3)
"Confronted with these large numbers and with the correspondingly small probabilities associated with them, the innumerate inevitably respond with the non sequitor, `Yes, but what if you're that one,' and then nod knowingly, as if they've demolished your argument [about still consequential differen More...
"Confronted with these large numbers and with the correspondingly small probabilities associated with them, the innumerate inevitably respond with the non sequitor, `Yes, but what if you're that one,' and then nod knowingly, as if they've demolished your argument [about still consequential differen More...
Jul 28, 2011
"Why do even well-educated people understand so little about mathematics?", exclaimed the author in the book's introduction. But after some pounding on the question, one could realize that such claim can hardly be valid by definition. After all, how can someone be regarded as "well-educated" if he has not be learned some of the fundamental mathematical principles presented in the book? Thus the question could be reiterated as:
"Why do even well-educate More...
"Why do even well-educate More...
Apr 13, 2011
Mark
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I had a lot of problems with this book--his examples were often uninteresting or too removed from real events; he obviously had a lot of overarching points to make but instead of elucidating these points, he couched them all in terms of small examples; his math was probably too hard for innumerates and too easy for numerates--but nevertheless, he makes some incredibly important points about the ways in which ignorance of basic mathematical concepts lead to innumerable (haha) real world problems.
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Jul 01, 2010
Rui
rated it: 
I've always been afraid of math, because I've experienced firsthand how badly I do. But this book not only gave me confidence in what math skills I do have, it gave me confidence to stop saying "this is math/math-related? Then I definitely can't do it."
Everything's explained so nicely, so understandably, and in such fun and funny ways, I don't think there's anyone who doesn't like math or stats or who doesn't do well with math, who would read this book and not enjoy it, or not fe More...
Everything's explained so nicely, so understandably, and in such fun and funny ways, I don't think there's anyone who doesn't like math or stats or who doesn't do well with math, who would read this book and not enjoy it, or not fe More...
Jan 18, 2009
Manzoid
rated it:
Quick skim of topics:
Debunking "impossible" coincidences, predictive dreams, UFO's, astrology, numerology, ESP, sports streaks, pseudo-science. The use of probability in legal arguments. Getting a sense of scale. Challenges of math in education. Ways we fool ourselves by over-personalizing, filtering, re-framing, mistaking correlation w/ causation. Math anxiety and romantic misconceptions about math. Impacts of innumeracy on society.
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Moderately inte More...
Debunking "impossible" coincidences, predictive dreams, UFO's, astrology, numerology, ESP, sports streaks, pseudo-science. The use of probability in legal arguments. Getting a sense of scale. Challenges of math in education. Ways we fool ourselves by over-personalizing, filtering, re-framing, mistaking correlation w/ causation. Math anxiety and romantic misconceptions about math. Impacts of innumeracy on society.
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Moderately inte More...
Jan 07, 2009
melydia
rated it:
Innumeracy is not the inability to count, but rather a lack of a general grasp of numbers and how they work. Its dangers, and they are many, are generally outlined in this book, though it is not nearly as alarmist as it could have been. The target audience is mostly the innumerate and those numerates who are curious or concerned about innumeracy. Though I was familiar with all the mathematical concepts covered, I did learn some new things and discovered some new ways of looking at information. T
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Oct 18, 2009
Robert
rated it:
Overall, Innumeracy is a very good book addressing a very important topic, mathematical illiteracy and its consequences. As a professional statistician, I'm not the ideal person to review this book. I want to nitpick at how Paulos expresses certain statistical concepts and challenge nuances in his logic in other sections. I want to complain about how little math and how few numbers the book contains. But if I step back and acknowledge the book was not written for me, I can see that Innumerac
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Jan 09, 2011
Pollyanna
rated it:
This is an interesting look at how statistics and probability are misunderstood, and how that affects people's interpretation of "facts." It's not too heavy on mathematical explanations; I could follow the calculations and the reasoning. A lot of the real applications used fairly simple math, but then got into some sophisticated areas that I'd like to follow up on with a book on probability. I probably (2/3 likely, I'd say) have the requisite text on a shelf here somewhere...
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Jan 20, 2011
Lindsey
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The book was fine, but a bit over preachy, and although I entirely agree with his argument, at times I felt a bit turned off. I wish that he would have updated some of the examples for the new edition or added some additional information to make it apply even more than it does now to the present. Paulos is absolutely right in the need for a better general understanding of probabilities and statistics, but I think he underestimates the importance of estimation and guestimation. He brings the t
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Dec 22, 2008
Mari
rated it:
The author has a hidden agenda, satirically bringing up Reagan in the case of him believing he had the absolute power in making decisions in comparision to the millions of Americans who believe in astrological readings as fact. There is also mention of the case regarding Clever Hans and his horse where it was believed that the horse could count the number of a dice that his trainer threw on the floor, but was actually lead by a gesture his trainer would make. Although I believed the horse would
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Oct 16, 2007
Russell
rated it:
This book is along the same lines as “What the Numbers Say”, although it wasn’t as engaging. And since “What the Numbers Say” was written after this one, they did build off it, expanding on several topics Paulos touched upon.
Still, Paulos does a fantastic job driving home the need to shake off the shackles of innumeracy and become a numerate society again.
I really enjoyed his discussions of various ways being numerate helps one think clearly and logically and More...
Apr 09, 2011
Jake
rated it:
Good for a mildly entertaining introduction to probabilities and statistics. My favorite story is toward the beginning where the author points out an individual who nit-picked grammar usage of others, but then she readily admits that she was "no good with numbers." This person was "innumerate."
The book was written in the early 90's, but it remains interesting despite having other authors cover these areas in a more entertaining and in-depth way since this book was
The book was written in the early 90's, but it remains interesting despite having other authors cover these areas in a more entertaining and in-depth way since this book was
Dec 22, 2010
Smerdyakov
rated it:
"Though innumeracy may seem far removed from these people's real problems and concerns — money, sex, family, friends — it affects them (and all of us) directly and in many ways."
Would feel more relevant if Paulos actually supported (with more than a handful of anecdotes) that innumeracy is such a significant problem he seems to think. It was still worth reading for its wit and nice collection of mathematical curiosities.
Would feel more relevant if Paulos actually supported (with more than a handful of anecdotes) that innumeracy is such a significant problem he seems to think. It was still worth reading for its wit and nice collection of mathematical curiosities.
Jan 30, 2011
lamesalmon
rated it:
Engaging enough tour through common errors in estimation, probability, and understanding magnitude, but I wanted either more number theory or more in-depth prescriptions for improving numeracy education (and less time spent debunking astrology and other pseudosciences). This book did make me want to track down some workbooks for geometry proofs and statistics, though!
Jul 11, 2010
Rodger
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Who would have thought a book about math could be so much fun. While there were a couple of places where Paulos should stick to math, in all he is very informative. Basically I learned some stuff about statistics and odds. At one time while reading I thought, "I should find a good math class at the communtiy college and take it." The urge passed quickly however.
Mar 23, 2008
marcali
rated it:
not quite what expected -- weirdly focused on how nutty it is to believe in astrology or ESP!
But- for example- when explaining how probabilities are calculated, equations are given without much explanation about how it's set up & where the numbers come from!! For the slightly innumerate like myself-- i kept thinking, why that? where'd that come from? Of course, I'd keep reading along-- and later, as he'd come back to probabilities again-- i'd be able to pick up more on how that the equatio More...
But- for example- when explaining how probabilities are calculated, equations are given without much explanation about how it's set up & where the numbers come from!! For the slightly innumerate like myself-- i kept thinking, why that? where'd that come from? Of course, I'd keep reading along-- and later, as he'd come back to probabilities again-- i'd be able to pick up more on how that the equatio More...
Feb 27, 2009
Puja
rated it:
I had to read this book for my dreaded physics class from hell, but it was a surprisingly easy and informative read. Paulos is right - America really does have no idea what numbers really mean. And this book is a fun, easy to way to put all those big numbers politicians and statisticians like to throw around in perspective.
Feb 22, 2009
Jeremy
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A pretty interesting book, but will not reveal much to those who are actually knowledgeable about statistics and algebra. A very entertaining and easy-to-read collection of ideas, revealing how inability to handle some fairly simple mathematical principles can result in a profound misunderstand of how the world works.
Dec 03, 2008
Peter
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This book changed the way I read and watch news, statistics, and politics. Illiteracy is something everyone can universally agree is shameful, but as Paulos points out, widespread innumeracy has far greater social, political, and economic consequences on our everyday lives. (A love of math is not required to enjoy)
Nov 25, 2011
Martin
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It's one thing to continue educating myself with book such as these, and make headway towards being fooled less and less by ridiculous statistics and pseudoscience in general. It's another to have it delivered by a clever, snarky individual to make the reading pleasure even more profound. I seriously enjoyed this one.
Sep 16, 2010
Kimberly
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I really liked the amount of information in this book; I found it quite interesting, and I took a lot of notes. Unfortunately, it wasn't very well written. Sometimes important ideas were not explained fully, and many difficult concepts were dispatched with much too quickly.
Interesting fact though: one million seconds is about 11 days. one billion seconds is more than 30 years. one trillion seconds is the length of human history since the neanderthals. I wouldn't have guessed tha
Interesting fact though: one million seconds is about 11 days. one billion seconds is more than 30 years. one trillion seconds is the length of human history since the neanderthals. I wouldn't have guessed tha
May 17, 2011
Dexter
rated it:
Immensely enjoyed this book! John Paulos really hits you in the face with very good facts and stories of math illiteracy in high schools. This book was written in 1988 and is even more applicable today as less and less students are pursuing degrees in math and less and less students are required to take math class in high school. Definitely worth a read whether you are young or old or a math enthusiast!
Mar 27, 2009
Dick
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This is Shari's book. It is one of the best books on math I have ever read. If I had read this when in junior high school or thereabouts, my grasp of numbers and embracing of math would have taken an entirely new way. I wish my kids had known about this book, too.
Sep 15, 2011
Kim
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Just as an individual or a culture can be weak at literacy, so can an individual or a culture be weak at numeracy. Paulos does a generally strong job at delineating how our lack of facility with numbers affects the decisions we make.
Mar 12, 2010
Loretta
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Do you like to say "Math is hard" or "I'm bad with math"? That is a declaration of innumeracy and really, would you really want to say that any more than "I'm illiterate"? Of course not. And here's a book with plenty of examples of why not.
Aug 30, 2009
Cory
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Read this book as part of our biostats training in med school. Gives a disturbing analysis of how bad humans are when it comes to estimating probabilities or understanding how to apply numbers to their decision-making process.
Jun 08, 2010
Brett
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This was an enjoyable read. Paulos has some great insight and fascinating examples on the mathematical illiteracy of our culture. His personal politics invades the discussion at times and gives unhelpful commentary.
Jan 14, 2012
Stefani
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A fun read. Numbers are easily manipulated. Learn some math, so you can understand (or see through) the numbers and stats that are around everyday. Now to find some math puzzle books for my kids (so they won't be innumerate).
