Overview

In this lively history of game theory, a gifted math educator and science writer explains for lay readers the uses and value of this innovative yet easy-to-understand approach to mathematical modeling. Essentially, game theory interprets life as a game with mathematical rules. By following the rules, decisions can be calculated that result in the greatest benefit for all participants. The author takes the reader from the 17th century through the Cold War to today's age of turbo capitalism. Along the way he introduces such leading contributors as Blaise Pascal in the 17th century, who invented the theory of probability; Ludwig Wittgenstein in the 20th century, who conceived of the world as a play of words; John Nash (the subject of A Beautiful Mind) in the 1950s, who laid the foundation of modern game theory; and today's practitioners who apply the theory to global finance and military strategy. As the author shows, game theory is more than a type of cost-benefit analysis; ultimately, it is a quest for meaning.

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9781633883734

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PRAISE FOR THE GERMAN EDITION OF <i>GAME CHANGERS</i> The story of the theory of games has never been told in such an elegant and entertaining way. Rudolf Taschner takes us on a journey of contemporary math from the times of Mozart, through Vienna of the twenties and thirties to modern Princeton. He is as much an artful educator as he is a storyteller. --<i>Die Presse</i> In his account Taschner weaves in cameo appearances of the main actors and manages to present dry history as ... suspenseful stories. --APA PRAISE FOR <i>NUMBERS AT WORK</i> .. . [with] facile knowledge and sprightly delivery ... [Taschner] creates a flow that embraces various aspects of reality. Readers of this book will take away the understanding that mathematics is an integral part of nearly everything they do. --Philip J. Davis .. . Rudolf Taschner's book shows us the mysteries of numbers as part of the cultural history of mankind. It is fascinating reading for an interested general public, including students and teachers (not only in mathematics), and for professional scientists. --Friedrich Hirzebruch, Max-Planck-Institut fur Mathematik Taschner is a gifted writer, and his book is accessible to a broad audience. ... I highly recommend this book as an interesting, comprehensive reference for students as well as preservice and in-service educators. The relevant applications of numbers discussed here can serve as a means of motivating even the most reluctant learner to study numbers. --Cathleen M. Zucco-Teveloff, <i>Mathematics Teacher</i> A superb text that appeals to a very wide audience, it illuminates the multifaceted nature of mathematics and emphasizes its deepest links with cultural, historical, spiritual, ideological, and scientific evolution of our society. --<i>Zentralblatt MATH</i>

Author Information

Rudolf Taschner is the author of many books on mathematics and its cultural implications, most recently, The Number That Came in from the Cold- When Math Turns into an Adventure. He has been a professor at the Vienna University of Technology (TU) since 1977. Together with his wife and other colleagues, Taschner founded and runs ""math.space,"" a series of events that presents mathematics as a cultural achievement, located in Vienna's Museumsquartier. In 2004, Taschner was elected ""Scientist of the Year."" In 2011, he was awarded the Prize for People's Education of the City of Vienna.

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