Geekspeak

Geekspeak: How Life + Mathematics = Happiness by Graham Tattersall, an English freelance engineer, is a fun and fascinating read. If you are a math teacher, I recommend you consider using this book as the text for your course. At the least, get a copy for yourself as a resource for lesson planning. The problems in this book are far more interesting than the traditional two trains traveling at different speeds. For example, Tattersall explains how to calculate the time it would take Scotty to beam you from Earth to Mars. Or how to determine the speed in miles per hour of a sneeze as compared to a fart. Now that’s interesting! If you prefer to consider more serious issues, there is calculating the number of trees you would need to plant each year to offset your carbon footprint. Or how to determine which is more efficient, a car powered by gasoline or electricity.

Geekspeak is for everyone. This book could even be a cure for those who have a phobia for math. Tattersall’s purpose is to help non-mathematicians use figures to analyze and understand the world better. He laments that we have come to rely too heavily on experts without checking for ourselves the reliability of their advice. What is the danger of sea levels rising because of melting artic ice? How much energy does it take to construct a home? How has smaller families contributed to lower social connectivity and loss of community? These are a few questions Tattersall addresses using math.

There is also plenty for trivia enthusiasts. Learn how to calculate how many flies it would take to pull a car. Determine how long you could keep a 100-watt light bulb lit with the energy released by jumping off a 300-foot cliff. Be able to tell the weight of a bus by simply looking at it.

Tattersall has a clear and engaging writing style. This is no dry mathematical treatise filled with complicated formulas. In fact, most of the math in the book can be done in your head. Tattersall has an entire chapter on things you can figure out while sitting on a deck chair at the beach.

If you are a student who complains that math is irrelevant to everyday life, read this book. If you are out of school and glad you are no longer tortured having to take math classes, read this book; it will help you develop an appreciation and interest in math you never thought possible. If you want to be an informed citizen, read this book. If you are just looking for something to read while sunning yourself on the beach, take this book along. You’ll discover just how enjoyable math can be. Who would have thought being a geek could be so much fun?