Math with Bad Drawings: Illuminating the Ideas That Shape Our Reality Hardcover – Illustrated, September 18, 2018

A Pixar movie of a book: the plot is for the kids; the jokes are for the adults.With that said, the jokes are AWESOME, the little cartoons much better than the title suggests and the (ninth grade) math is explained so well I wish I had this book in ninth grade. Perhaps these days it’s an eighth grade book, I don’t know. (My kids are still too young.)Also, rather embarrassingly, I LEARNED STUFF FROM HERE. No, I did not learn math. I learned stuff I ought to have figured out for myself but was too focused on my grades to ponder. Like, why elephants have thick legs: for the same reason the sky is black! I’m serious, it’s the same reason and you can read it here…Halfway through the book the author actually runs out of amazing things about the natural world and from there he takes you to the mathematics of Wall Street and the IRS, which I did not find as captivating, let us say. It all remains just as funny, though.So this was a fun book to read. Probably an awesome gift for your friends’ kids. If the little ones don’t read it, the adults will at least get some good laughs out of it.

I don’t recall ever writing an Amazon review for anything. Ever. And given that most of my disposable income somehow finds itself in the mitts of this site that is quite a statement.What prompted me to write this review was something that I had never thought possible. While reading Mr Orlin’s excellent tome on math(s) (I’m English.....I’ll always be maths). “What was that?” I hear you clamor. Well, what we have here is a book about mathematics that actually made me laugh out loud. Yes, a math(s) book. Yes, a book about math(s). Laugh. Heartily. Page 153, paragraph 4 to be exact, about 10 minutes prior to me posting this review. In the probability section. Ironically the probability of me laughing while reading a math(s) book should really be close to zero but as Mr Orlin takes pains to make clear, sometimes low probability things happen. And happen it did. To me and to a certain Mrs Clinton as outlined on page 153.I’m just less than half way through this fantastic book and I already believe in equal parts that Mr Orlin and his (no so bad) drawings are both a national treasure and that he should be given complete control over all school curriculums.Yes, it is that good. I mean he made me laugh. Out loud. While reading a math(s) book.

I am a high school student who read this for enrichment while taking Algebra 2. I think this book was a fantastic read. The drawings were humorous and added with the text that corresponded with them, subjects or topics became understandable. The writing itself was smooth and engaging. I also appreciated the careful organization of the book. Not only was this an entertaining book, but the information itself was also interesting, and gave me something to think about after each segment. "Math With Bad Drawings" is perfect when you’re aligning it with highschool math.

Very clear explanations. Range of topics covered a bit thin for someone with accounting background. i.e. I already knew 50% or more. For general population probably great.

I am a middle school math teacher and I cannot say enough great things about this book. It is written with humor and in a style to be understood and appreciated by any adult, math inclined or not. I left it sitting on the kitchen table and my 11-year-old began flipping through it, drawn-in by the cute and quirky illustrations. He became engrossed, reading about complex math topics for longer than I ever would have predicted. If more adults could appreciate math in this way, and pass that appreciation on to their kids, we'd have a more math-literate society. Everyone, please, read this book! You won't regret it.

As a former math teacher, I have had great fun reading this book. The explanations are clear and the author has a great sense of humor.. and liberally but not obnoxiously injects it into his text. I would have used parts of this book with my classes. Started with the Kindle version but ended up buying the hardcover for readability of the drawings.

I was expecting some new insight from this book, but didn't get any. The drawings make for a catchy title, but I don't think they add much beyond what the text offers.For a math book, I am not looking for Proof by Simile. Saying that a function smooths out like the German Autobahn strikes me as distinctly nonmathmatical.I am not sure who the target audience is, but it seems too dense for younger children, and not rigorous enough for people interested in math and science. Perhaps best for people who never took college level math classes but are looking for something sciencey...

I love this book. Orlin leads a playful romp through a universe of mathematical ideas, with interesting stories, anecdotes, and examples. The book is at once profound but also highly accessible. Math-lovers will find a lot of to appreciate about this book, but so will young people, teachers, engineers and scientists, and the math-curious layperson. It's laugh-out-loud funny in nearly every chapter, but your giggles and chortles will be interspersed with fascinated "hmmm..." and surprised "Ahhh!"s. The "bad drawings" are a highlight, but the clever writing is the real star. I can't wait for volume 2! There will be a volume 2, right Mr. Orlin??