Presh Talwalkar

This book is a selection of the best articles from Game Theory Tuesdays, a column from the blog Mind Your Decisions. Articles from Game Theory Tuesdays have been referenced in The Freakonomics Blog, Yahoo Finance, and CNN.com.Game theory is the study of interactive decision making--that is, in situations where each person's action affects the outcome for the whole group. Game theory is a beautiful subject and this book will teach you how to understand the theory and practically implement solutions through a series of stories and the aid of over 30 illustrations.This book has two primary objectives.(1) To help you recognize strategic games, like the Prisoner's Dilemma, Bertrand Duopoly, Hotelling's Game, the Game of Chicken, and Mutually Assured Destruction.(2) To show you how to make better decisions and change the game, a powerful concept that can transform no-win situations into mutually beneficial outcomes. You'll learn how to negotiate better by making your threats credible, sometimes limiting options or burning bridges, and thinking about new ways to create better outcomes.As these goals indicate, game theory is about more than board games and gambling. It all seems so simple, and yet that definition belies the complexity of game theory. While it may only take seconds to get a sense of game theory, it takes a lifetime to appreciate and master it. This book will get you started.

An Introduction to Strategic Thinking

The Joy of Game Theory

In May 2014, Presh Talwalkar made a YouTube video about how to multiply numbers by drawing lines. By the end of the month, the video received over a million views.Multiplying by lines is an innovative visual method to multiply numbers. It works like magic and gets people excited about math.This book illustrates how you can multiply by lines, enumerates the precise steps in the process, and offers examples of how to use the method. There are also novel applications of how one diagram can solve additional problems and how multiplying by lines can be used for algebraic expressions. The book includes 35 exercises with solutions.

Multiply Numbers by Drawing Lines

Can you multiply 35x35 in your head? That is, can you square the number 35?There's a mental math trick so that you can easily square any number ending in 5. Here's how the trick works.Look at the first digit of 35, which is the number 3. We add one to that number, 4, and then multiply those two numbers together. So we have 3x4 = 12, and these are the leading digits of the answer.Now we just write 25 as the last two digits, so we get 1225. And that's it! We have calculated 35 squared is 1,225 in an amazingly simple way!Math does not have to be hard. The Best Mental Math Tricks is a collection of methods that can help you become a lightning calculator. You will learn how to solve daily problems like calculating percentages and figuring out which day your birthday is every year. Then you will learn how to square numbers, multiply numbers, divide numbers, and even solve complex problems like calculating the cube root of numbers in your head!Each method is explained in detail with numerous examples. Every method is mathematically justified with a formal proof. Each section also contains practice problems accompanied with complete solutions so you can try the method and check your work.

Presh Talwalkar

About

Books

Join the club