A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra)

Whether you are a student struggling to fulfill a math or science requirement, or an established professional embarking on a career change that requires a higher level of math competency, A Mind for Numbersoffers the necessary tools for getting a better grasp on this often intimidating but inescapable field. Engineering professor Barbara Oakley knows firsthand how it feels to struggle with math. She flunked her way through high school math and science courses, but when she saw how her lack of mathematical and technical savvy was severely limiting her options post-graduation, she returned to college newly determined to retool her brain to master the very subjects that had given her so much trouble.

In A Mind for Numbers, Dr. Oakley lets us in on the secrets to effectively learning math and science, based on insights from neuroscience and cognitive psychology. Contrary to popular belief, math requires creative, as well as analytical, thinking. Many people think there's only one way to solve a problem, when in fact there are often a number of methods - you just need the creativity to see them. For example, there are more than three hundred different known proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem.

We all have what it takes to excel in math, and learning it is not as painful as some might think.