Under The Microscope

MATHSEMANTICS: MAKING NUMBERS TALK SENSE, by Edward MacNeal; Penguin Books, 1994; 310 pages; $24.95

You know that a book has succeeded when for a couple of weeks after reading it you're quoting examples and trying out the ideas it has elicited. Mathsemantics is just such a book. It's a personalised, highly readable discussion of how the way we use words affects the way we use maths, and the sort of implications this has for everyday life.

How would you answer this: 2 oranges plus 5 apples =? Of 196 job applicants MacNeal tested over the years, he got 56 different answers! He uses this to start the ball rolling on how we group things, estimate distances and risks, and talk about numbers, using all sorts of interesting practical examples. This is a great book for both the mathematician and the mathematically challenged. Read it.

Vicki Hyde is the editor of New Zealand Science Monthly.