Do you have to quit your job and break up a relationship? How do you know if you’re watching a good show or a bad one? How do you cope with the avalanche of information? It would seem that the answers can only be found by experience. But David Sumpter, Ph.D., suggests using math. More precisely, just 10 formulas. They provide answers to trivial and profound questions – about ourselves and the world.
Applying them, you can see interconnections as if on an X-ray. Manage seemingly chaotic processes. Not fall into a cycle of anxiety. The beauty of these 10 equations is that they permeate all areas of life. Sharing some interesting insights from the book “The Ten Equations That Rule the World.”
The Power of Mathematics
Reading this book is a fascinating journey. These are not equations describing an abstract something. But clear and understandable formulas for real life. How to assess the importance of information, how to stay calm, how to understand whether they are telling you the truth or not – the numbers will tell you.
And David Sumpter himself is an erudite and witty conversationalist who will explain why the world is a little less complicated than it seems.
You will be rethinking terms, re-evaluating judgments, and revising stereotypes , source.
Don’t be afraid to be confused. Here’s what Dr. Sumpter says: “I never grasp mathematical reasoning when I first read it. And I have seen very few professional mathematicians who can grasp equations without going back to them later.”
№ 1. The equation of stakes
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Imagine you are on a plane for the hundredth time, but this flight is different. The plane begins to rumble and shake – such bumpiness you have not yet felt. Everyone around you is clearly frightened. What is it? A worst-case scenario?
If you take all the information, including statistics and how you feel, and apply it to the Bayesian formula (that’s the betting equation), this is what you get:
Even if it’s the worst bobblehead you’ve ever experienced, you’ll land safely with a 99.99999% probability.
The same applies to a whole host of seemingly dangerous situations. Even if you think a shark is swimming on the Australian coast, it’s unlikely. You’re worried when you can’t reach your loved ones – but chances are they forgot to charge their phone.
№ 3. Confidence Equation
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Equation 3 allows you to make more accurate statements about your confidence in an event.
Imagine looking for a hotel with a rating of 4 stars or higher. There is noise, that is, a one-star margin of error: people give a 3, 4, or 5-star rating with an average of 4.34. So, you don’t have to read over every review with a 1 or 5 star rating, the average rating will be pretty accurate.
It’s not just hotels that can be rated with stars. Is it worth quitting a job where the boss is a rabid boss? Should you break up if you’re always fighting?
Pick a period of time, for example 30 days, and every day put from 0 to 5 stars – how you feel about work and relationships. And then, after counting everything, make decisions about your future.
№ 8. The Reward Equation
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Imagine you’re watching a new TV series. The first episode is great (as always), the second episode is ew, the third episode is slightly better. The question is: How long should you watch before you quit?
Here’s what you should do. You give the first episode a score on a 10-point scale – say, 9. So Q1 = 9. Remember that number. The next episode gets a score of 6. Now we have Q2 = 9/2 + 6/2 = 7.5. Let’s see some more.
When do I quit? You decide for yourself. For someone the threshold is 7, someone is more patient and will wait until 5.
You can calculate Qt not only for the series, but also to see if you like to go to yoga or run, read a certain author, learn.
Math for Life
This book has equations, but no recipes. Rules and recipes exploit our fears. But this book doesn’t intimidate, it explains how to turn 10 equations to our advantage even without being a mathematician.
We can benefit from applied science:
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How to know if you are being told something useful or nonsensical
– Equation 7, which ignores our desires
– The paradox of friendship
– What are the odds that you are not you but someone else
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“Don’t give up” and other math mantras
– How and why to measure your and others’ skills
– Secrets of financial markets
– What to do about life’s unpredictability
– The secret society “ten
”
…270 pages about looking at problems and challenges from another angle and making good decisions for your health, work, life in general.
How often do good people make mistakes? Should you take advice? The 10 equations in this book will answer important questions. Mathematics is not a bunch of formulas, but a new way of thinking. And you can master it.
Prepared from the book Ten Equations That Rule the World.
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