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Street-Fighting Mathematics
- lolptdr 11y agofree download of the book (for the lazy): https://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/free_download/9780262514293_Street_Fighting_Mathematics.pdf https://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/free_dow... Mahajan also offers paperback and ebook options.
- anarcat 11y agoi often wonder why "free downloads" often mean "PDF" while ePUB needs to be paid for... in my case, it is certainly less convenient to have a PDF because i use an e-reader, but everyone has tablets these days that read PDFs fine...
- gberger 11y ago> i often wonder why "free downloads" often mean "PDF" while ePUB needs to be paid for > it is certainly less convenient to have a PDF There's your answer.
- stblack 11y agoThis is a very good book to refine tactical approaches to several classes of math problems. I read it last year and, at the time, I wished I had come upon it sooner.
- sn9 11y agoFollow that up with his slightly more advanced The Art of Insight in Science and Engineering [0]. I feel like these two books plus Art Benjamin's Secrets of Mental Math [1] would put your Fermi calculation abilities on another level. [0] https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/art-insight-science-and-engineering https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/art-insight-science-and-engin...
- JadeNB 11y agoWithout meaning to slight those who have the latter ability, I think that building your problem-solving muscles, as I believe that this book tries to encourage, is far more important than building your mental-math muscles. (I say this as someone who takes pride in my own very limited capacity for mental math.) While these muscles are not totally unrelated, it is possible to be good at either skill and poor at the other; and, to the extent that it is necessary to choose, I had much rather live in a society of people who can solve problems well but ponderously slowly than one of people who can find lightning-fast answers, but only when others have already asked the right questions.
- thekingofspain 11y agoApologies in advance for not adding anything to the discussion, but I believe you mean "I would much rather", because "I'd much rather" != "I had much rather".
- Fezzik 11y agoIt can mean I had, I would, or I should, depending on context: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/i'd http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/i'd
- akc1 11y agoThere is also a class at MIT under the same name: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-098-street-fighting-mathematics-january-iap-2008/ http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-098-street-fightin...
- sremani 11y agoLink to Archived Course on EdX. https://www.edx.org/course/street-fighting-math-mitx-6-sfmx https://www.edx.org/course/street-fighting-math-mitx-6-sfmx
- pareci 11y agoThe problem is not math. The problem is not fighting. The problem is not the street. The problem is ego. Until you lose yours, you will not grasp logic.
- irascible 11y agoRead this in Master Pos' voice.
- borski 11y agoThis was easily my favorite course at MIT, and there were a lot I liked. In fact, I liked this course so much that the CTF team I started back in college was named "The Art of Approximation in Science and Engineering," the name of the course taught by this professor / that used this book. Highly recommend.
- jadc 11y agoThe course was also presented on edX: https://www.edx.org/course/street-fighting-math-mitx-6-sfmx https://www.edx.org/course/street-fighting-math-mitx-6-sfmx you can enroll and view the archives.