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Join MoMath at Volumes, the MoMath book club, on August 24, to discuss Math on Trial: How Numbers Get Used and Abused in the Courtroom by Leila Schneps and Coralie Colmez.

Math on Trial has all the marks of a good mystery: tense conflicts, diverse characters and shocking conclusions… Mathematicians Leila Schneps and Coralie Colmez describe ten trials from the nineteenth century to the present, in which mathematical arguments were used—and disastrously misused—as evidence. It tells the real story of frauds and forgeries involving the likes of Charles Ponzi, Hetty Green, and Alfred Dreyfus, among others.

Numerical errors are not unique to the courtroom: similar issues crop up elsewhere in life, which makes this book's message even more important. Gripping and insightful, it successfully highlights the dangers of carelessly sprinkling mathematics over real-world problems. Math on Trial is intrinsically fascinating in its depiction of the frailty of human judgments.

Plus, author Coralie Colmez will join us for the first part of the discussion!

Refreshments will be served.

When
August 24th, 2017 from  6:30 pm to  8:00 pm
Location
National Museum of Mathematics
11 East 26th Street
New York, NY 10010
United States
Contact
Phone: 212-542-0566
Event Fee(s)
Volumes Event Fee
Event Fee $10.00
Optional donation to help defray costs $10.00