Why Do Buses Come in Threes: The Hidden Mathematics of Everyday Life

by Robert Eastaway

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SKU 9780471379072

"Deals in a very entertaining way with problems in normal life related to mathematics, luck, coincidence, gambling."--The Independent (London)

Why do your chances of winning the lottery increase if you buy your ticket on Friday? Why do traffic lights always seem to be red when you're in a hurry? Is bad luck just chance, or can it be explained?

The intriguing answers to these and other questions about the curiosities of everyday life can be found in this delightfully irreverent and highly informative book. Why Do Buses Come in Threes? explains how math and the laws of probability are constantly at work in our lives, affecting everything we do, from getting a date to catching a bus to cooking dinner. With great humor and a genuine love for the subject, Rob Eastaway and Jeremy Wyndham present solutions to such conundrums as how fast one should run in the rain to stay dry and who was the greatest sportsman of all time. Discover the mathematical explanations for the strange coincidence of two.

Presidents dying on July 4, the uncanny "accuracy" of horoscopes, and other not-so-coincidental coincidences. Eastaway and Wyndham also reveal how television ratings work, which numbers are more likely to be big winners in the lottery, and why bad things, just like buses, always seem to happen in threes.

Whether you have a degree in astrophysics or haven't touched a math problem since high school, this book sends you on a fascinating journey through the logic of life where Newton?s laws explain bar fights, exploding rabbit populations, and why showers always run either too hot or too cold. Why Do Buses Come in Threes? is a delightfully entertaining ride that reveals the relevance of math in absolutely everything we do.

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Book details

Author: Robert Eastaway, Jeremy Wyndham
Imprint: Trade Paper Press, an imprint of Turner Publishing Company
Published: March 1, 2000
Pages: 170
Formats: Paperback, Hardcover
Subjects: Mathematics › Recreations & Games
Topics: probability · luck and chance · statistics · gambling · lottery
ISBN-13: 9780471379072 (Paperback)9781620456224 (Hardcover)

About the author

ROBERT EASTAWAY is an author and speaker specializing in the popularization of mathematics, and a recipient of the Christopher Zeeman Medal. His books include Maths for Mums and Dads and Why Do Buses Come in Threes?

Eastaway holds a degree in Engineering and Management Science from the University of Cambridge and served as President of the UK Mathematical Association for 2007/2008. In 2017 he received the Christopher Zeeman Medal for excellence in the public communication of mathematics.

When he’s not writing, Eastaway has served since 2004 as Director of Maths Inspiration, a national programme of theatre-based lecture shows for teenagers. This work reflects his longstanding commitment to connecting mathematics with everyday life.

Robert lives in London.

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