John Allen Paulos
Encyclopedia
John Allen Paulos is a professor of mathematics
at Temple University
in Philadelphia who has gained fame as a writer and speaker on mathematics and the importance of mathematical literacy
. His book Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and its Consequences
(1988) was an influential bestseller and A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper (1995) extended the critique.
He has also written on other subjects, such as the mathematical and philosophical basis of humor in Mathematics and Humor and I Think, Therefore I Laugh, the vagaries of the stock market in A Mathematician Plays the Stock Market, quantitative aspects of narrative in Once Upon a Number, and the emptiness of the arguments for God in Irreligion.
Paulos wrote a mathematics-tinged column for the Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom, and "Who's Counting"
— his long-running monthly column on ABCNews.com — deals with mathematical aspects of stories in the news as well.
in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
. His academic work is mainly in mathematical logic
and probability theory
.
) Award for Promoting the Public Understanding of Science and Technology.
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
at Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
in Philadelphia who has gained fame as a writer and speaker on mathematics and the importance of mathematical literacy
Numeracy
Numeracy is the ability to reason with numbers and other mathematical concepts. A numerically literate person can manage and respond to the mathematical demands of life...
. His book Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and its Consequences
Innumeracy (book)
Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and its Consequences is a 1988 book by mathematician John Allen Paulos about "innumeracy", a term he embraced to describe the mathematical equivalent of illiteracy — incompetence with numbers rather than words...
(1988) was an influential bestseller and A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper (1995) extended the critique.
He has also written on other subjects, such as the mathematical and philosophical basis of humor in Mathematics and Humor and I Think, Therefore I Laugh, the vagaries of the stock market in A Mathematician Plays the Stock Market, quantitative aspects of narrative in Once Upon a Number, and the emptiness of the arguments for God in Irreligion.
Paulos wrote a mathematics-tinged column for the Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom, and "Who's Counting"
— his long-running monthly column on ABCNews.com — deals with mathematical aspects of stories in the news as well.
Biography
Paulos grew up in Chicago and Milwaukee and received his Ph.D.Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
. His academic work is mainly in mathematical logic
Mathematical logic
Mathematical logic is a subfield of mathematics with close connections to foundations of mathematics, theoretical computer science and philosophical logic. The field includes both the mathematical study of logic and the applications of formal logic to other areas of mathematics...
and probability theory
Probability theory
Probability theory is the branch of mathematics concerned with analysis of random phenomena. The central objects of probability theory are random variables, stochastic processes, and events: mathematical abstractions of non-deterministic events or measured quantities that may either be single...
.
Awards
Paulos received the 2003 AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
) Award for Promoting the Public Understanding of Science and Technology.
External links
- John Allen Paulos's home page
- Who's Counting columns at ABC NewsABC NewsABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
- Paulos speaking at Beyond Belief conference
- All Hail Numeracy
- He Conquered the Conjecture essay by Paulos on Grigory Perelman from The New York Review of BooksThe New York Review of BooksThe New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...
- Metric Mania
- Measuring Bacteria With a Yardstick
- Paulos on David Letterman
- Review excerpts of Paulos' books
- Paulos' columns in the Guardian