alt.hn

1/1/2026 at 6:20:38 PM

Street-Fighting Mathematics (2008)

https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/18-098-street-fighting-mathematics-january-iap-2008/pages/readings/

by mpweiher

1/1/2026 at 11:29:52 PM

I've read this book. It's definitely one of the more interesting and readable maths texts out there. I wasn't exactly sure I'd use the methods. Working as a mechanical engineer I probably go straight to numerical methods, or approximate things even more crudely and approximately than a mathematician's 'rough' work. Though "replace a complicated function with a rectangle" definitely resonated. Overall the impression was that it was full of great techniques for mathematicians and scientists puzzling out every bit of meaning they can from a situation whose true features aren't yet known.

by rm445

1/1/2026 at 9:37:40 PM

This is a good book. Also, any time this kind of book becomes available (be it a 100 year old one or a new one), it is worth looking into - great improvements in isnight and simplicity are possible above the "baseline" of US math education today.

So for example, I posit that the engineers or scientists you might admire from the 1950's didn't learn calculus or linear algebra the way you did.

by stmw

1/1/2026 at 10:31:42 PM

Feynman learned calculus from the textbook "Calculus for the Practical Man".

by gpcz

1/2/2026 at 12:39:00 AM

Another book title aimed at getting people who haven’t read their pile of books to buy another.

by groundzeros2015

1/1/2026 at 10:35:26 PM

what is it about?

how to distribute fighters so that your team defeats-in-detail your opponents?

by NooneAtAll3

1/1/2026 at 11:04:21 PM

It is about useful tricks you can usually not learn in university classes.

by slow_typist

1/2/2026 at 3:35:48 AM

tricks of what kind

by NooneAtAll3