Prologue: Literacy for the Modern World. 1. Principles of Reasoning. The Forces of Persuasion-An Overview of Common Fallacies.
Propositions-Building Blocks of Logic.
Logical Arguments: Deductive and Inductive.
Analyzing Real Arguments.
2. Statistical Reasoning. Fundamentals of Statistics.
Should You Believe a Statistical Study?
Basic Statistical Graphs.
Graphics in the Media.
Causal Connections.
3. Problem-Solving Tools. Using Unit Analysis.
Systems of Standardized Units.
The Process of Problem Solving.
4. Numbers in the Real World. Concepts of Number.
Uses and Abuses of Percentages.
Putting Numbers in Perspective.
Dealing with Uncertainty.
5. Financial Management. The Power of Compound Interest.
Savings Plans (Annuities).
Loan Payments, Credit Cards, and Mortgages.
Income Taxes.
Investments.
6. Modeling Our World. Functions: The Building Blocks of Mathematical Models.
Linear Graphs and Modeling.
Formulas as Models.
7. Exponential Growth and Decay. Unit.
Exponential Astonishment.
Doubling Time and Half-Life.
Exponential Modeling.
Real Population Growth.
8. Probability: Living with the Odds. Unit.
Principles of Counting.
Fundamentals of Probability.
Combining Probabilities.
The Law of Averages.
Probability, Risk, and Coincidence.
9. Putting Statistics to Work. Characterizing Data.
Linear Regression Models.
Statistical Inference.
Sample Issues in Statistical Research.
10. Mathematics and the Arts. Fundamentals of Geometry.
Mathematics and Music.
Perspective and Symmetry.
Proportion and the Golden Ratio.
Fractal Geometry.
11. Discrete Mathematics in Business and Society. Network Analysis.
The Traveling Salesman Problem.
Project Design.
Voting: Does the Majority Always Rule?
Theory of Voting.
12. The Power of Numbers: A Few More Topics. Balancing the Federal Budget.
Energy: Our Future Depends on It.
Density and Concentration.
Logarithmic Scales: Earthquakes, Sounds, and Acids.
Selected Answers. Index.