200 Percent of Nothing An Eye-Opening Tour Through the Twists and Turns of Math Abuse and Innumeracy

200% of Nothing In this delightfully witty excursion into the world of mathematical manipulation, popular columnist and math whiz A. K. Dewdney unveils the vast array of ways in which numbers are twisted and statistics are turned in order to fool the unsuspecting public. From the case of the 'Incredible Expanding Toyota' to that of the 'National Security Googol,' Dewdney exposes the slick tricks and subtle schemes used by advertisers, politicians, special interest lobbyists, stockbrokers, car dealers, and just about anybody who tries to impress us with numbers, charts, and graphs. At turns funny and infuriating, Two Hundred Percent of Nothing is packed with real-life examples from the worlds of advertising, government, business, and media that demonstrate all types of math abuses. Dewdney identifies them by name, from 'number bludgeoning' to 'occult sampling' and shows us exactly how they play upon our innumeracy-the common inability to understand the rules of percentages, ratios, statistics, and basic math logic. You may want to buy the halogen light bulbs that an ad claims will save you 200% on energy costs, until Dewdney points out that it's impossible to save any more than 100% of something. And you may never want to play the lottery again when you learn that your chances of winning are mathematically equivalent whether you play or not. Why should we be skeptical of 4 out of 5 dentists surveyed? What's the bull behind the bull market? Do statistics really prove it's safer to fly than drive across country? When would financing a car through a dealer be a bad deal? With the wry wit and professorial wisdom that made his math column a favorite among Scientific American readers for nearly a decade, Dewdney gives the answers. Furthermore, he explains the basic math behind the answers so that the next time you see mathematical chicanery, you'll recognize it. Though you may be shocked at how pervasive math abuse is, you may be even more astonished to discover how rapidly you can learn the simple tricks and basic logic of defending yourself against it. As Dewdney writes in his Introduction: 'It is far easier to calculate a percentage than it is to drive a car.' Math abusers are every-where, but with Dewdney's shrewd pointers, you can easily catch them at their own game.Dewdney, A. K. is the author of '200 Percent of Nothing An Eye-Opening Tour Through the Twists and Turns of Math Abuse and Innumeracy' with ISBN 9780471577768 and ISBN 0471577766.