Random Tales of a College Math Professor, Over-Easy, on Wry - Paperback

by Mick Norton (Author)

Many believe that math and humor must be mutually exclusive, or that the life of a college professor must be boring. Ha Not many careers would provide opportunities for someone to solve a geometry problem (what position was the body in when the bullet went through her head?) and thereby convince police that a death was a homicide. Or to collect and analyze data to show that wrestlers at a weigh-in can make a scale register less than their true weight - temporarily - if they stand on their heads before they step on the scale. Written for a popular audience, this book presents stories about expert witnessing, consulting, teaching, being a professor, and about how probability (think random events) impacted someone's life in a very direct way. And oh yes, the humor is wry. QUESTION: WHO SHOULD BUY THE BOOK? ANSWER: There are precisely four groups. People anywhere who are interested in real-world applications of mathematics and statistics - some of them a wee bit wacky - is one. People who would give math and humor a chance to mix is a second. People who enjoy reading stories set in Charleston, South Carolina would be a third. The fourth group may be described as OTHER (and you know who you are).

Author Biography

Mick Norton received his Ph.D. in mathematics at Oklahoma State University in 1974 and BS degree in mathematics from Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University) in 1968. He is the author of A Quick Course in Statistical Process Control (Prentice Hall) and numerous journal articles in the areas of statistics, statistical process control (SPC), statistics education and mathematics. Now a professor emeritus of mathematics at the College of Charleston, he continues to teach occasional courses, work with students, and engage in two of his favorite hobbies - serving as a statistics expert witness, and consulting with manufacturers on statistics and SPC issues.