The Numbers You Need

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 081038373X ISBN 13: 9780810383739

Publisher: Gale Group, 1992

'...for anyone who doesn't have the time, patience, or paper to sit down and re-figure the hundreds of formulas used at work, home and play...'-from the back cover.

From Library Journal:

Intended as a dictionary of everyday numbers and calculations, this book provides information about such mysteries as mortgage points, sun protection factors, the Richter scale, and bowling scores. It is very similar in concept to Mary Blocksma's Reading the Numbers ( LJ 4/1/89), and about half of the subjects covered are the same. The main differences are that The Numbers You Need has a section on sports scores, some detailed models of consumer situations (such as buying a car or investing money), and both conversion tables and a perpetual calendar, while Reading the Numbers hold closer to the idea of a "number dictionary," featuring examples and explanations of different numerical scales in common use (including interesting trivia such as hat sizes, ISBN numbers, and U.S. highway numbers). Of the two, Reading the Numbers is more fun to read, makes better use of tables to explain the different scales, and (since some of the entries in The Numbers You Need seem overly abbreviated) is more likely to be a useful library reference book. Librarians should note that the paperback edition cited above is titled Go Figure. -- Amy Brunvand, Fort Lewis Coll. Lib., Durango, Col.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.