NotYourAverageJenn

Well, for a math book it was pretty good! I read it for extra credit in my Survey of Mathematics class. (Yeah, I needed the extra points! LOL)

Ouellette uses a humorous approach, relate-able stories, and history to tell about the practical uses of calculus. Did you know that the process of "balancing" in Algebra was invented more than 1000 years before the equal sign? I was fascinated to learn about Cartesian coordinates, vectors and then how the Mad Tea Party ride works. (It's dueling vectors that make it really fun!) I was also interested by the modeling for infectious disease. Based on the black plague and "Dawn of the Dead", rate of change and derivative calculus, I know we either have to defeat the Zombies right at the start, or hide out at the mall if we hope to survive!

Now, if you are a mathy (read-serious math)person. This is probably not the book for you. But, if you've ever wondered how all that dumb math they made you learn is ever going to apply to anything, then you might enjoy this read. I'm also a fan of history, so learning the origin of these ideas was interesting too.