Maths on the Back of an Envelope by Rob Eastaway - Popular Maths Non Fiction - Paperback

Condition: BRAND NEW
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780008444495
Publisher: HarperCollins

Overview:
Maths on the Back of an Envelope is Rob Eastaway's playful guide to figuring things out without a calculator. Across 208 pages, this paperback shows curious readers how to tackle everyday puzzles - from estimating cats worldwide to lottery odds and counting to a million - using nothing more than a pencil, a scrap of paper, and a little logical thinking. Warm, witty, and endlessly practical, it's a book for anyone who enjoys numbers in the real world.

About the Book:
Rob Eastaway's Maths on the Back of an Envelope demystifies estimation, showing how quick mental checks unlock surprisingly accurate answers without ever reaching for a calculator. The book is built from bite-sized puzzles and practical rules of thumb, encouraging readers to sketch a rough model of a problem before worrying about precision. Along the way you'll meet lively scenarios - counting wildlife, guessing crowd sizes, comparing travel times, and weighing the odds on everyday bets - that show how numbers behave once you stop chasing exact answers. Eastaway's voice throughout is friendly and encouraging, favouring intuition-building over formula memorisation, making the book approachable for readers who might normally shy away from maths. The tone blends anecdote, gentle humour, and clear reasoning. While centred on estimation, the book also explores why some questions resist neat answers, helping readers judge when a quick estimate suffices and when a problem calls for deeper analysis. It's less a collection of party tricks than a genuine mental toolkit for navigating everyday uncertainty - checking plausibility, comparing magnitudes, and building confidence with numbers. It suits curious teenagers and adults alike, teachers seeking an engaging classroom resource, and anyone who enjoys spotting maths in the wild. With practical exercises and a light touch, Eastaway makes estimation feel like a game rather than homework.

Key Benefits:

• An engaging, easy-to-follow guide to estimation that makes maths genuinely useful in everyday life.
• Compact 208-page paperback, ideal for commutes, classrooms, or gifting.
• Packed with anecdotes, quick puzzles, and real-world scenarios that sharpen numerical intuition.
• Written by an award-winning author renowned for making maths approachable and fun.
• Praised by fellow science writers for its clarity and charm.

About the Author:
Rob Eastaway is an English author who has spent decades popularising mathematics for general readers, and was awarded the Zeeman Medal in 2017 for excellence in the promotion of maths. He is best known for bestselling titles including Why Do Buses Come in Threes? and Maths for Mums and Dads, and has written or co-written numerous books exploring the maths of everyday life, alongside works on cricket, memory, and creative thinking.

Why You'll Love This Book:
Whether you're planning a trip, checking a statistic, or simply curious about the world, this book helps you think clearly without getting bogged down in equations. A brilliant gift for anyone who loves a good numerical puzzle.

Please Note: Book dispatched will match the UK ISBN and UK edition cover as shown.