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

by Ben Orlin (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 848 ratings
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A hilarious reeducation in mathematics-full of joy, jokes, and stick figures-that sheds light on the countless practical and wonderful ways that math structures and shapes our world.

In Math With Bad Drawings, Ben Orlin reveals to us what math actually is; its myriad uses, its strange symbols, and the wild leaps of logic and faith that define the usually impenetrable work of the mathematician.

Truth and knowledge come in multiple forms: colorful drawings, encouraging jokes, and the stories and insights of an empathetic teacher who believes that math should belong to everyone. Orlin shows us how to think like a mathematician by teaching us a brand-new game of tic-tac-toe, how to understand an economic crises by rolling a pair of dice, and the mathematical headache that ensues when attempting to build a spherical Death Star.

Every discussion in the book is illustrated with Orlin's trademark "bad drawings," which convey his message and insights with perfect pitch and clarity. With 24 chapters covering topics from the electoral college to human genetics to the reasons not to trust statistics, Math with Bad Drawings is a life-changing book for the math-estranged and math-enamored alike.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    376 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Black Dog & Leventhal
  4. Publication date
    September 18, 2018
  5. Dimensions
    7.4 x 1.5 x 9.35 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0316509035
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0316509039
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The book is a more polished, extensive discussion of the concepts that pepper Orlin's blog, featuring his trademark caustic wit, a refreshingly breezy conversational tone, and of course, lots and lots of bad drawings. It's a great, entertaining read for neophytes and math fans alike because Orlin excels at finding novel ways to connect the math to real-world problems-or in the case of the Death Star, to problems in fictional worlds."―Ars Technica

"Ben Orlin is terribly bad at drawing. Luckily he's also fantastically clever and charming. His talents have added up to the most glorious, warm, and witty illustrated guide to the irresistible appeal of mathematics."―Hannah Fry, mathematician, University College London and BBC presenter

"Brilliant, wide ranging, and irreverent, Math with Bad Drawings adds ha ha to aha. It'll make you smile - plus it might just make you smarter and wiser."―Steven Strogatz, Professor of Mathematics, Cornell University, author of The Joy of x

"MATH WITH BAD DRAWINGS is a gloriously goofy word-number-and-cartoon fest that drags math out of the classroom and into the sunlight where it belongs. Great for your friend who thinks they hate math - actually, great for everyone!"―Jordan Ellenberg, author of How Not To Be Wrong

"Ben Orlin has hit the seemingly unattainable sweet spot. He has written a book that is funny and serious, that is entertaining and informative, and that would interest a reader with or without a background in mathematics. Math with Bad Drawings would be a wonderful book for people who love math, used to love math, want to love math, want to know what math is good for, or just want to know what math really is."―Math Horizons

"Orlin's ability to masterfully convey interesting and complex mathematical ideas through the whimsy of drawings (that, contrary to the suggestion of the title, are actually not that bad) is unparalleled. This is a great work showing the beauty of mathematics as it relates to our world. This is a must read for anyone who ever thought math isn't fun, or doesn't apply to the world we live in!"―John Urschel, mathematician named to Forbes® "30 Under 30" list of outstanding young scientists and former NFL player

"Illuminating, inspiring, and hilarious, Math with Bad Drawings is everything you wanted to learn in class but never thought to ask. A joyful romp through mathematics and all its wisdom."―Bianca Bosker, author of the New York Times-bestselling Cork Dork

About the Author

Ben Orlin is the author of the blog Math With Bad Drawings. He also writes on topics related to math for the Atlantic, Slate, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune. He began his teaching career in Oakland, California, and later taught at King Edward's School in Birmingham, England. He lives with his wife, a mathematician, in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Black Dog & Leventhal; Illustrated edition (September 18, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 376 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316509035
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316509039
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.47 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.4 x 1.5 x 9.35 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 848 ratings

About the author

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Ben Orlin

Ben Orlin

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Ben Orlin is a math teacher who can't draw. His books include MATH WITH BAD DRAWINGS (2018), which peaked at #4 on the Kindle nonfiction list, CHANGE IS THE ONLY CONSTANT (2019), MATH GAMES WITH BAD DRAWINGS (2022), and most recently, MATH FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (2024). His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Popular Science, Slate, Vox, and The Los Angeles Times; he himself has appeared in the lines to ice cream stores everywhere. BBC star and leading mathematician Hannah Fry once described him as "terribly bad at drawing."

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
848 global ratings
Math fundamentals made me understand life
5 Stars
Math fundamentals made me understand life
For years I have been confused and often discouraged looking at math, not understanding why it’s important. This book made me realize how amazing math is and that my entire perception was based off some bad experiences in school. Now I’m looking to read Ben Or Lin’s’ next books!
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Top reviews from the United States

Dan Beaudry
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2024
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The book is an impressive combo of math and the 'real world.' I've never been particularly good at math, but still find it fascinating as the language of nature. This book speaks to me on that level. The writing is great, the humor is rich, and the ideas are very interesting.
One person found this helpful
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Ava Courtney Sylvester
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must in Math
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2024
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Don't like math? Try reading a book about it.

No, seriously, you should, if it's this book.

Ben Orlin acts as the ideal teacher, able to explain some of the hardest aspects of his field of study in a way that amateurs and decades-out-of-practice people can comprehend. Along the way, you'll see how math can be used to understand science, politics, economics, and even history. Whatever your interests are, there's a way math can apply to them, thereby sparking an interest in math itself.

Final thought: Some of the best jokes are in the endnotes, including a great bit poking fun at the people thirsty enough to read the endnotes. He sees me!
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GT
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun to read.
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2024
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I really enjoy this book. I am a math professor, but I believe my middle schooler can read the book. It is entertaining and contains various topics in mathematics.
One person found this helpful
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LA in Dallas
4.0 out of 5 stars Math with bad drawings and jokes
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2022
Verified Purchase
Ben Orlin is a very funny guy. Let me give you a couple of examples.

"Pop quiz! What is the basic activity of Wall Street banks?

"A. Powering the world economy via the intelligent allocation of capital B. Buying Italian suits with blood money snatched from the pockets of the working class C. Pricing things

"If you answered A, then you work for Wall Street. (Hey, nice suit! Is that Italian?) If you answered B, then I’m honored that you’re reading my book, Senator Sanders."

Here's another one, with a point:

'You can tell your dinner guests that the “average human” has one ovary and one testicle, but will this not bring conversation to an awkward standstill? (I’ve tried; it does.)'

That joke is not just funny. (Well, it made me laugh, especially the final parenthetical comment -- as a scientist I always appreciate the person who's willing to Do The Experiment.) It also illustrates what's wrong with averages -- the average does not exist.

In his Introduction, Orlin struggles to explain why people don't see the beauty and pervasiveness of mathematics. These words put my back up, 'If this description rings false to you, it’s perhaps because you’ve been to a place called “school.” If so, you have my condolences.' I come from a family of teachers and have been one myself -- I was not overjoyed to see Orlin bash schools. But as I read on I realized that he was talking about himself. He teaches math, and he has struggled to do it effectively and to help his students understand why they should want to learn math.

Here he sets out to show why math is worth studying. He does this mostly with examples. The result, for person who makes jokes about his dinner guests' nads, is surprisingly deep and subtle.

The Introduction is followed by 24 chapters of applications. To me they were convincing. Now, to be clear, when Orlin seeks to illustrate applications of math, he doesn't do it by telling you how it'll put food in your belly or money in your pocket. No, Orlin provides deep explanations of the way the world is. That means the physical world, the biological, human and social worlds, and the world of ideas. You come away with a deeper understanding of all these areas.

If I have one criticism, it is that the emphasis on probability and statistics was too heavy. I am one of the few people I know (well, perhaps the one person I know) who actually finds statistics interesting. If it's too much for me, then yeah, it's probably too much. It is fairly clear to me why he does this -- he wants something the people can relate to in their daily lives, and of course we all see stats used and abused every day.
25 people found this helpful
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Athan
5.0 out of 5 stars If Pixar made math books
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2019
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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.
26 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars Laugh out loud good.
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2019
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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.
13 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Pat Bourgault
5.0 out of 5 stars Math understanding
Reviewed in Canada on November 8, 2023
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This is what if I had in school would have worked for better understanding. I would recommend for those who “don’t get it” in the conventional ways
To take a look at this.
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Tom
2.0 out of 5 stars Helemaal anders dan ik me had voorgesteld
Reviewed in Belgium on October 5, 2023
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Ik had het boek aangekocht op basis van de leuke cartoons die ik regelmatig op Facebook zie verschijnen. Ik had gedacht dat het boek dan een mooie collectie van dergelijke cartoons zou zijn, maar dat is het helemaal niet. Ik heb er even in gebladerd, maar de inhoud is niet erg aantrekkelijk, en ik heb al leukere populariserende wiskundeboeken gezien. Ik stuur het boek terug.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!!
Reviewed in India on July 12, 2022
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Couldn't stop reading it until it's done.
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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Ótimo livro de matemática recreativa!
Reviewed in Brazil on June 7, 2019
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O livro vem com uma capa dura, é bem maior do que eu esperava, tem 367 páginas.
A escrita do Ben Orlin é cativante e engraçada. Algumas partes do livro eu já tinha lido no blog, mas foi bem interessante ter tudo organizado em um livro.
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly fun read!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 7, 2020
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This book is not a text book or anything like it. It’s waaaay more fun and enjoyable to read and super interesting. I have a degree in pure physics and Ben takes some of the maths I know and made it so much fun. I highly recommend it.
3 people found this helpful
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