X and the City

What mathematical modeling uncovers about life in the city

X and the City, a book of diverse and accessible math-based topics, uses basic modeling to explore a wide range of entertaining questions about urban life. How do you estimate the number of dental or doctor's offices, gas stations, restaurants, or movie theaters in a city of a given size? How can mathematics be used to maximize traffic flow through tunnels? Can you predict whether a traffic light will stay green long enough for you to cross the intersection? And what is the likelihood that your city will be hit by an asteroid?

Every math problem and equation in this book tells a story and examples are explained throughout in an informal and witty style. The level of mathematics ranges from precalculus through calculus to some differential equations, and any reader with knowledge of elementary calculus will be able to follow the materials with ease. There are also some more challenging problems sprinkled in for the more advanced reader.

Filled with interesting and unusual observations about how cities work, X and the City shows how mathematics undergirds and plays an important part in the metropolitan landscape.

"[Y]ou'll find this book quite extensive in how many different areas you can apply mathematics in the city and just how revealing even a simple model can be. . . . A Mathematical Nature Walk opened my eyes to nature and now Adam has done the same for cities."---David S. Mazel, MAA Reviews

"It goes without saying that the exposition is very friendly and lucid: this makes the vast majority of material accessible to a general audience interested in mathematical modeling and real life applications. This excellent book may well complement standard texts on engineering mathematics, mathematical modeling, applied mathematics, differential equations; it is a delightful and entertaining reading itself. Thank you, Vickie Kearn, the editor of A Mathematical Nature Walk, for suggesting the idea of this book to Professor Adam--your idea has been delightfully implemented!"---Svitlana P. Rogovchenko, Zentralblatt MATH

"Read this book and come away with a fresh view of how cities work. Enjoy it for the connections between mathematics and the real world. Share it with your friends, family, and maybe even a municipal planning commissioner or two!"---Sandra L. Arlinghaus, Mathematical Reviews Clippings

"For mathematics professionals, especially those engaged in teaching, this book does contain some novel examples that illustrate topics such as probability and analysis."

"[Adam's] writing is fun and accessible. . . . College or even advanced high school mathematics instructors will find plenty of great examples here to supplement the standard calculus problem sets."

"In X and the City, John Adam proves himself to be a genial and endlessly curious companion as he takes us on a stroll through that fascinating place where reality meets the mathematical imagination. How many squirrels live in Central Park? Should you walk or run in the rain? Anyone who's ever pondered puzzles like these will find this book to be a treat."—Steven Strogatz, Cornell University

"Why did the chicken cross the road? Because the Jaywalker Equation said it had enough time between cars. How does the Ambler Gambler Graph tell if you can blast through a yellow traffic light before it turns red? And why are taxicabs slower than Euclid? These and many other mathematical conundrums are answered in John Adam's admirable new collection."—Neil A. Downie, author of The Ultimate Book of Saturday Science and Vacuum Bazookas, Electric Rainbow Jelly, and 27 Other Saturday Science Projects (both Princeton)

"This is a nice introduction to modeling that draws from questions arising naturally to people who are curious about how cities work. It will certainly interest readers of pop math books and will be useful to teachers of calculus and differential equations who are looking for good examples for their classes."—Anna Pierrehumbert, Community Charter School of Cambridge, Massachusetts