MAKING NUMBERS COUNT

A unique popular math book.

Most writers in this genre proclaim that math is fun or warn that math can fool you, but Heath, a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, and science writer Starr have another fish to fry. Even though “nobody really understands numbers” and most efforts to talk about them fail, the authors do a good job showing otherwise. In 22 short chapters, they deliver a painless, ingenious education in how to communicate statistics and numbers to people who find them confusing. One of the authors’ most striking examples of statistics in action shows that, in one test, 34% of White and 14% of Black job applicants without criminal records received a callback. When applicants revealed a drug felony conviction and prison term, 17% of Whites and 5% of Blacks were called back. It takes a second, write the authors, to realize the real significance of those numbers: White job applicants who have served jail time are more likely to get a job than a Black applicant with a clean record. The nearest star is 4.25 light-years away from Earth, a number comprehensible only to astronomers. As the authors show, comprehension is easier with a picture: “Imagine shrinking the solar system down to the size of a quarter. You leave a quarter at the goalpost of a soccer field and walk toward the goalpost at the other end of the field. When you reach it, drop another quarter to represent the solar system of our nearest neighbor.” With comparisons, the more bizarre, the better. That livestock produce 14.5% of global greenhouse gases is a boring statistic. Instead: China and America are No. 1 and No. 2 in gas production. No. 3 is represented by all of the world’s cows. Packed with tables, anecdotes, and amusing facts, the narrative makes math accessible.

Astute advice for businesspeople and educators.