Thinking Better: The Art of the Shortcut

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How do you remember more and forget less

How can you earn more and become more creative just by moving house

And how do you pack a car boot most efficiently

This is your shortcut to the art of the shortcut.
Mathematics is full of better ways of thinking, and with over 2,000 years of knowledge to draw on, Oxford mathematician Marcus du Sautoy interrogates his passion for shortcuts in this fresh and fascinating guide.After all, shortcuts haveenabled so much of human progress,whether in constructing the first cities around the Euphrates 5,000 years ago, using calculus to determine the scale of the universe or in writing todays algorithms that help us find a new life partner.

As well as looking at the most useful shortcuts in history such as measuring the circumference of the earth in 240 BC to diagrams that illustrate how modern GPS works Marcus also looks at how you can use shortcuts in investing or how to learn a musical instrument to memory techniques. He talks to, among many, the writer Robert MacFarlane, cellist Natalie Clein and the psychologist Suzie Orbach, asking whether shortcuts are always the best idea and, if so, when they use them.

With engaging puzzles and conundrums throughout to illustrate the shortcuts ability to find solutions with speed,Thinking Betteroffers many clever strategies for daily complex problems.

Reviews

enjoyably clever with vividly illustrated chapters about the real-world applications of algebra, geometry, probability theoryIts Du Sautoy, in the end, who provides the wisest commentary Steven Poole, Guardian

If you thought Maths was all about long stuff, like long division and long multiplication and taking a long, long time to figure things out, Marcus du Sautoy shows that it's just the opposite. Full of humour, stories and the lightest of touches, this is a sight-seeing tour of some of the world's greatest neat dodges, unexpected turns and useful cut-throughs. Prepare to be caught short Michael Rosen

This book will change the way you look at the world. It's chock full of stories, ideas and clever tricks I loved it. Marcus is a maestro at making big ideas come alive he deserves his place alongside Richard Dawkins, E. O. Wilson and Carlo Rovelli in the pantheon of great modern science writers Rohan Silva, CEO and founder of Second Home

If mathematics has proved anything, it is that shortcuts can change the world. Marcus du Sautoy has come up with a smart, well written and entertaining guide to the connecting tunnels, underpasses and other tricks to traverse the trials of everyday life Roger Highfield, author, broadcaster and Science Director at the Science Museum

The joy of du Sautoys book isnt really the art of the real-world shortcut at all. It is the romp through mathematical ideas, from place value to non Euclidean geometry to probability theoryThere are vivid historical examples of scientists and others using mathematical ideas to solve problems Tim Harford, Financial Times

Author Bio

Marcus du Sautoy is a fellow of Wadham College, Oxford and has been named by The Independent on Sunday as one of Britain leading scientists. In 2001 he won the Berwick Prize of The London Mathmatical Society and in 2006 gace the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. His book The Music of the Prmes' was published in 2003 to widespread acclaim.