Understanding Mathematics in the Digital Age : A Non-Mathematicians Guide to Concepts, Methods and Modern Software Tools (9781912556007)
This book provides a new and highly approachable introduction to mathematics in the digital age. Numerous practical case studies are provided, from CD data recording to population modeling, with clear explanations and worked examples using widely available personal computer tools. These tools include spreadsheets such as Excel and modern mathematical software packages such as MATLab and Maple. Part I of the book introduced the topic and its intended audience. Parts II to IV are the main sections of the book. Part II provides foundation materials explaining the origins of our system of numbers and the notation used in mathematics. It then explores a number of familiar topics including the determination of times and distances, the structure of sound waves, the speed of light and gravity measurement. Part III takes the exploration process further, using the computer as a tool to investigate credit card and email security, digital photography, arithmetic by computers and the modeling of po...