Thinking Better

The Art of the Shortcut in Math and Life

By: Marcus Du Sautoy

Narrated by: Mark Elstob

One of the world's great mathematicians shows why math is the ultimate timesaver - and how everyone can make their lives easier with a few simple shortcuts.

We are often told that hard work is the key to success. But success isn’t about hard work - it’s about shortcuts. Shortcuts allow us to solve one problem quickly so that we can tackle an even bigger one. They make us capable of doing great things. And according to Marcus du Sautoy, math is the very art of the shortcut.

Thinking Better is a celebration of how math lets us do more with less. Du Sautoy explores how diagramming revolutionized therapy, why calculus is the greatest shortcut ever invented, whether you must really practice for 10,000 hours to become a concert violinist, and why shortcuts give us an advantage over even the most powerful AI. Throughout, we meet artists, scientists, and entrepreneurs who use mathematical shortcuts to change the world.

Delightful, illuminating, and, above all, practical, Thinking Better is for anyone who has wondered why you should waste time climbing the mountain when you could go around it much faster.

©2021 Marcus du Sautoy (P)2021 Basic Books

Critic reviews

“Du Sautoy masterfully guides readers through complex math.... All the while, he’s encouraging about the importance of problem-solving: ‘Mathematics is a mindset for navigating a complex world and finding the pathway to the other side.’ Math-minded readers will find much to consider.” (Publishers Weekly)

“In Thinking Better, Oxford mathematician Marcus Du Sautoy pulls back the curtain to show how mathematicians think. The result is an engaging, delightful adventure through a variety of situations where mathematical thinking - in particular, the search for clever shortcuts - illuminates deeper mathematical truths. And it turns out these short cuts are incredibly useful for the rest of us, too!” (David Schwartz, author of The Last Man Who Knew Everything)

Cleverly designed and engaging

The choice to orient this story around the discoveries of mathematicians who’ve found shortcuts to solve complicated problems is engaging and captivating. I’ve enjoyed the author’s prior work on the four part series, “The Story of Maths,” and find that they have inspired me to think more deeply while also appreciating the work of mathematicians who have done the hard work to develop shortcuts. The analogy of standing on the shoulders of giants is apropos.

I really enjoyed devouring this book!

Interesting

interesting discussions but difficult to follow without access to diagrams. Overall I enjoyed the book.

Needs a pdf supplement

This is a great book, but there are too many equations and diagrams to do it justice as an audiobook. I’ve seen other books in this vein do this well by providing a PDF attachment of the figures and equations.

An entertaining examination of shortcuts

I've read several nonfiction books that deal with math in everyday life and specific situations and this one takes an interesting tack - it comes from the perspective of humanity's need to find the most straightforward and efficient way to an answer. In both math and in other aspects of life. (e.g. our use of language is a type of shortcut). Perhaps not the most riveting math book I've read, but one that covers a lot of intriguing ground.

The reader for this is absolutely fantastic.

Awesome

But should re-do with pen and paper so I can do some of the maths. It is a perfect addition to any aspiring data scientist

Journey to a shortcut

You don't have to be a mathematician to appreciate the learning in this book. This book is more about the process, or the journey, than about tricks to making life easier. It was fascinating to hear the stories behind so many things we take for granted, and a joy to imagine what awaits us.

Don't fear the maths.

Great framework to think about the shortcuts that power our progress as a humans, and the ways to find application to our own everyday work.

Very difficult to flow without diagrams

I can’t imagine that you can only listen to someone just describing graphs. Without accompanying the audio with a pdf of graphs it is impossible to understand the content.

Not very useful

The book does a lot of rambling about mathematical formulas and "shortcuts" but discusses nothing of the sort of a "transfer learning" approach to real world applications.

Worthwhile, but awkward for audio

Me Sautoy is a charming speaker. His radio interview prompted me to buy the audio book. Lots of interesting ideas and their histories made it worth my time to finish. It's hard to appreciate the book's structural gimmicks and algebra.