geeky

math isn’t just for kids, it’s for grownups too

In my former life as an algebra teacher, I tried my best to incorporate everyday “adult” uses for the mathematic formulas that were being drilled into my student’s heads. “No really… you will need this as an adult.” Most of us can giggle about how calculus isn’t in our daily lives (well, I work in statistics, so that doesn’t always apply to me), but practical math is all around us.

So, in a way, I fell in love with Laura Laing’s Math for Grownups when I first read the title. And it really didn’t stop as I read through all of her no-nonsense practical ways to approach math in our daily lives. Her book covers the basic techniques that will help you feel more powerful with numbers (estimation, eliminating zeros, being “close enough”) and then delves into every day situations where these techniques can be used. Some examples jump into money/purchasing, others into finding the bargain, and still more yet for unit conversions, space planning and even some fun traveling tips!

I can definitely see this as being an incredibly empowering book for people who claim to be, “not so good” at math. It takes away all of the hard and rigid rules of the right answer, and helps you use numbers to your advantage everywhere you go. And you can use a calculator too!

And in case you are one of those people who get a bit jumpy when you see a fraction or need to convert fluid oz. to ML, then you’re in luck. I’ll be giving away my review copy to one lucky blog reader – and you even get to use the awesome new Rafflecopter widget to win!

Just leave a comment on this post sharing why YOU need this book – then click below to show that you’ve done it! That’s it! You can also grab extra entries for following me on Twitter, like-ing my Facebook page, following this blog via Google Friend Connect (GFC), or subscribing via RSS. If you already do those things, you get the entry too! AND… you can earn an extra entry by tweeting about the contest each day (that’s 4 extra entries).

The product(s) in this review was provided to the reviewer for the purpose of writing a review. This in no way effects the quality of the review provided. No monetary exchange occurred in exchange for the writing of the review. The views expressed in this review are strictly that of the reviewer. All reviews provided here are the work of the reviewer and remain completely unbiased.

14 Comments

  • Brianna

    Oh man, do I need this. I can add and subtract… and that’s about all I can do. (Poli Sci major, transferred to the university I did bc of their easier math requirments)… I need this because we’re having our first child this fall, and I need to figure out how to estimate space better so we can fit all that baby stuff into our home. And so I can eventually help our kid with homework. :)

  • atout

    Oh gosh, I really need this! I panicked just the other day when I realized I no longer knew how to do long division. I work in scientific research and have depended on my calculator for far too long.

  • Lucy

    Thanks for the chance to win this! I need it because … when you’re explaining some concepts to an 8 year old, but they can do math in their head faster than you can, you know you have a problem!

  • Kira

    I need this book to help me set and stick to a budget! This first year being out of college and “on my own” has been a wake up call!

  • Katie

    After studying for the GRE last year and literally reteaching myself everything I’d ever learned in math I realized how fun and useful numbers are. However splitting rent and bills every month is still a nightmare for me and I’d like to become a little more independent and a little less “I’ll just marry someone that’s good at math.”

  • Anna B

    I need this to give to my mom, a math teacher who has always been good at telling her kids that even if they don’t like math they need to be able to calculate sales tax on their purchases. This book would be further proof for her to use!

  • Christiana

    I need this book because I am ALWAYS asking my husband percents, and then the other day I used a calculator to figure out 10% off an item… then realized I could have moved the decimal point over- for shame!

  • Maya

    I’m still scarred from math experiences as a kid– I just never had the confidence! This book sounds like a fantastic idea.

  • Katie

    I just jumped over to your blog on Mandy of OMGMom’s recommendation – and I love it already! This book just seems smart all around – I’m not terrible at math, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to brush up on my skills and to have a reference on hand!