| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| About This Book | |
| |
| |
| Conventions Used in This Book | |
| |
| |
| What You're Not to Read | |
| |
| |
| Foolish Assumptions | |
| |
| |
| How This Book Is Organized | |
| |
| |
| |
| Boning Up on Math Basics | |
| |
| |
| |
| Math for Everyday Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| Math to Manage Your Personal Finances | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Part of Tens | |
| |
| |
| Icons Used in This Book | |
| |
| |
| Where to Go from Here | |
| |
| |
| |
| Boning Up on Math Basics | |
| |
| |
| |
| Awesome Operations: Math Fundamentals | |
| |
| |
| Numbers You Can Count On | |
| |
| |
| Reviewing the Four Basic Operations | |
| |
| |
| Addition | |
| |
| |
| Subtraction | |
| |
| |
| Multiplication | |
| |
| |
| Division | |
| |
| |
| Finagling Fractions | |
| |
| |
| Getting familiar with types of fractions | |
| |
| |
| Reducing fractions | |
| |
| |
| Adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions | |
| |
| |
| Converting fractions | |
| |
| |
| Processing Percentages | |
| |
| |
| Converting a common fraction to a percentage | |
| |
| |
| Converting a percentage to a fraction | |
| |
| |
| Grasping Charts and Graphs | |
| |
| |
| Looking at line charts | |
| |
| |
| Gobbling up pie charts | |
| |
| |
| Bellying up to bar charts | |
| |
| |
| Working Wicked Word Problems | |
| |
| |
| Doing the analysis | |
| |
| |
| Applying the math | |
| |
| |
| Other story problem tricks | |
| |
| |
| |
| High School Reunion: Revisiting Key Principles of Algebra and Geometry | |
| |
| |
| "A" Stands for "Algebra" and "Awesome" | |
| |
| |
| Getting acquainted with variables and constants | |
| |
| |
| Expressions and equations | |
| |
| |
| Operating with variables | |
| |
| |
| Applying the same operation on both sides of the equal sign | |
| |
| |
| Keeping order with operations | |
| |
| |
| Jousting with Geometry: Simple Rules about Shape and Size | |
| |
| |
| Looking at geometry's basic parts: Planes, points, and lines | |
| |
| |
| What's your angle? Acute, obtuse, right angles, and more | |
| |
| |
| The shape of things | |
| |
| |
| Calculating areas | |
| |
| |
| Getting pushed to the edge: Perimeters | |
| |
| |
| Speaking volumes about boxes | |
| |
| |
| Summing up geometry | |
| |
| |
| |
| Becoming a Believer: Conversion, Statistics, Probability, and More | |
| |
| |
| Wrangling Ratio-Proportion: The Best Calculation Method | |
| |
| |
| Doing Conversions: Lots of Pleasure and Hardly Any Pain | |
| |
| |
| Factoring in the conversion factor | |
| |
| |
| Using United States customary units | |
| |
| |
| Managing the metric system | |
| |
| |
| Mastering Simple Statistics | |
| |
| |
| An average is a mean thing | |
| |
| |
| Mediating the median | |
| |
| |
| Figuring percentiles | |
| |
| |
| Being aware of statistical fallacies | |
| |
| |
| Predicting the Probable | |
| |
| |
| Determining probability | |
| |
| |
| What are the odds? | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Miracle of Mental Math | |
| |
| |
| Mental Math Basics | |
| |
| |
| Adding and Subtracting on the Fly | |
| |
| |
| Adding numbers quickly | |
| |
| |
| Subtracting numbers quickly | |
| |
| |
| Making Hay of Multiplication and Division | |
| |
| |
| Multiplying in your head | |
| |
| |
| Dividing in your head | |
| |
| |
| Estimating with Ease | |
| |
| |
| Estimating sales tax and value added tax (VAT) | |
| |
| |
| Estimating tips | |
| |
| |
| Estimating guests at a banquet | |
| |
| |
| Doing Simple Cerebral Statistics | |
| |
| |
| Figuring averages | |
| |
| |
| Managing medians | |
| |
| |
| |
| Math for Everyday Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| Let's Make a Deal! Math You Use When Shopping | |
| |
| |
| Determining Actual Cost | |
| |
| |
| Finding the total cost of acquisition | |
| |
| |
| Figuring the total cost of ownership | |
| |
| |
| Uncovering hidden costs | |
| |
| |
| Making Tradeoffs: A Fun Balancing Act | |
| |
| |
| Buying in Quantity: A Good Deal? | |
| |
| |
| Knowing the Real Cost of Sale Items | |
| |
| |
| Counting coupons | |
| |
| |
| Calculating percentage decreases: You save 10 percent! | |
| |
| |
| Calculating the real percentages in "get one free" offers | |
| |
| |
| Dealing with dining specials | |
| |
| |
| Doubling down on discounts | |
| |
| |
| How Do You Wanna Pay for That? | |
| |
| |
| Capturing bargains with credit cards | |
| |
| |
| Taking advantage of layaway | |
| |
| |
| Discovering Deals at the Grocery | |
| |
| |
| Estimating the whole grocery bill | |
| |
| |
| Estimating how much to buy | |
| |
| |
| Comparing unit prices | |
| |
| |
| Comparing products per roll or square foot | |
| |
| |
| Calculating volume (25 percent more free!) | |
| |
| |
| Determining Where to Shop | |
| |
| |
| Narrowing your choices | |
| |
| |
| Looking at externalities | |
| |
| |
| Gauging the impacts of different store types | |
| |
| |
| |
| Mmm, Mmm, Good: Kitchen Calculations | |
| |
| |
| Taking Measure | |
| |
| |
| Knowing your units | |
| |
| |
| Equivalencies - All things being equal | |
| |
| |
| Scaling a Recipe | |
| |
| |
| The keys to scaling a recipe | |
| |
| |
| Scaling in action | |
| |
| |
| Using Math to Buy and Cook Smart | |
| |
| |
| Calculating per-serving costs | |
| |
| |
| Taste by the ton: Buying in bulk | |
| |
| |
| |
| It Does a Body Good: Math for Health and Weil-Being | |
| |
| |
| Figuring Your Nutritional Needs | |
| |
| |
| Read the label, Mabel: Nutrition facts | |
| |
| |
| Figuring out your ideal daily calorie intake | |
| |
| |
| Following the recommended daily allowance | |
| |
| |
| Calculating Calories | |
| |
| |
| Counting calories in your food | |
| |
| |
| Managing your weight with math | |
| |
| |
| Comparing your current weight to your goal weight | |
| |
| |
| Calculating BMI | |
| |
| |
| Exercise Math | |
| |
| |
| These METs won't win a pennant: Metabolic equivalent of task | |
| |
| |
| Figuring an activity's calorie burn rate | |
| |
| |
| Being the Doctor at Home | |
| |
| |
| Understanding medicine labels | |
| |
| |
| For good measure: Dispensing liquid medications | |
| |
| |
| |
| Putting Geometry to Work at Home | |
| |
| |
| Calculating Your Way to a Better Lawn and Garden | |
| |
| |
| Figuring how much seed you need | |
| |
| |
| Mulching math | |
| |
| |
| Planting the seeds of success - mathematically | |
| |
| |
| Knowing how much you really mow | |
| |
| |
| Fixing Up the Place | |
| |
| |
| Laying carpet | |
| |
| |
| Calculating paint amounts | |
| |
| |
| Pouring a patio | |
| |
| |
| |
| Math and Statistics around Town and on the Road | |
| |
| |
| Automobile Arithmetic: Figuring Costs, Mileage, and More | |
| |
| |
| It's a gas! Comparing fuel prices and mileage | |
| |
| |
| Are we there yet? Figuring distance, time, and speed | |
| |
| |
| Making sense of the mechanic's bill | |
| |
| |
| Dining Out | |
| |
| |
| Calculating the tip | |
| |
| |
| Splitting hairs and bills | |
| |
| |
| Taking a Vacation: To Drive or to Fly? | |
| |
| |
| Leaving on a jet plane | |
| |
| |
| Driving: The daring alternative | |
| |
| |
| Gambling: Money You Take to Las Vegas Stays in Las Vegas | |
| |
| |
| Understanding odds, bets, and payouts | |
| |
| |
| Playing the most popular games | |
| |
| |
| The worst casino bets | |
| |
| |
| |
| Math to Manage your Personal Finances | |
| |
| |
| |
| Budgets, Bank Accounts, Credit Cards, and More | |
| |
| |
| Beginning with a Budget | |
| |
| |
| Identifying what's in a budget | |
| |
| |
| Using your math skills to make a budget | |
| |
| |
| Applying budgeting principles | |
| |
| |
| Balancing Your Checkbook | |
| |
| |
| Homing in on Mortgage Math | |
| |
| |
| Having a PITI party | |
| |
| |
| Amortization: Paying down the loan | |
| |
| |
| A second mortgage or home equity line of credit | |
| |
| |
| Using Smart Math for Other Big Purchases | |
| |
| |
| Cruising around car loan math | |
| |
| |
| Studying up on education loans | |
| |
| |
| Calculating How to Avoid or Get Out of a Credit Card Hole | |
| |
| |
| Understanding how credit cards work | |
| |
| |
| Avoiding annual and other fees | |
| |
| |
| Paying down credit cards | |
| |
| |
| Selecting Savings Accounts | |
| |
| |
| |
| Key Principles of Investment Math | |
| |
| |
| Factoring Personal Info into Investment Decisions | |
| |
| |
| Knowing your tolerance for risk | |
| |
| |
| Looking at your investment horizon | |
| |
| |
| Choosing between appreciation or income | |
| |
| |
| Playing with Instruments: Not the Musical Kind | |
| |
| |
| Basic financial instruments | |
| |
| |
| Climbing the investment pyramid | |
| |
| |
| Growing the Green Stuff: The Time Value of Money | |
| |
| |
| Calculating simple interest | |
| |
| |
| Calculating compound interest | |
| |
| |
| Calculating future value | |
| |
| |
| Oh, see how it grows! The joys of making regular deposits | |
| |
| |
| Rounding Up Retirement Plans | |
| |
| |
| The feisty 401(k)/403(b): Defined contribution plans | |
| |
| |
| Adding up IRAs and their kin | |
| |
| |
| Making sensing of Social Security | |
| |
| |
| Calculating current and future tax advantages | |
| |
| |
| Managing Mutual Funds | |
| |
| |
| Paying attention to fees | |
| |
| |
| Figuring the average annual return | |
| |
| |
| Considering Common Stocks | |
| |
| |
| Processing P/E ratios | |
| |
| |
| Figuring your dividends | |
| |
| |
| Investing in Bonds | |
| |
| |
| Calculating interest on bonds | |
| |
| |
| Calculating yield | |
| |
| |
| |
| Covering Your Assets: Insurance Math | |
| |
| |
| Honing in on How Insurance Works | |
| |
| |
| Spreading risk around | |
| |
| |
| Evaluating risks | |
| |
| |
| Determining premiums | |
| |
| |
| Making Calculations about Your Own Lines of Insurance | |
| |
| |
| Auto insurance | |
| |
| |
| Homeowner's insurance | |
| |
| |
| Health insurance | |
| |
| |
| Life insurance | |
| |
| |
| |
| Taking Math to Work | |
| |
| |
| Setting Prices | |
| |
| |
| Managing markups | |
| |
| |
| Figuring discounts | |
| |
| |
| Predicting time and materials costs | |
| |
| |
| Paying Attention to Profit | |
| |
| |
| Calculating profit margin | |
| |
| |
| Determining gross profit | |
| |
| |
| Pre-tax profit | |
| |
| |
| Net profit | |
| |
| |
| Making Change | |
| |
| |
| Tracking Your Time | |
| |
| |
| The timesheet | |
| |
| |
| Heavens, no - Not project accounting! | |
| |
| |
| Parsing Your Paycheck | |
| |
| |
| Calculating your gross pay | |
| |
| |
| Figuring your net pay: All about deductions | |
| |
| |
| Using Form W-4 to change how much is withheld | |
| |
| |
| |
| How Taxing! (Almost) Understanding the Government | |
| |
| |
| Illuminating Income Taxes | |
| |
| |
| Taming Form 1040 | |
| |
| |
| Deciding whether to itemize | |
| |
| |
| Observing Other Taxes | |
| |
| |
| Surveying sales tax | |
| |
| |
| Processing property tax | |
| |
| |
| Fee, fie, foe, fum | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Part of Tens. | |
| |
| |
| |
| Ten Quick Calculations You Can Do in Your Head | |
| |
| |
| Miles to Kilometers | |
| |
| |
| Miles to Your Destination | |
| |
| |
| Time to Destination | |
| |
| |
| Sales Tax and VAT | |
| |
| |
| Tips | |
| |
| |
| How Much Paint to Buy | |
| |
| |
| Number of Pizzas to Buy | |
| |
| |
| Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) | |