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· 342 ratings · 43 reviews

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May 06, 2015 Ami Iida rated it liked it

Recommends it for: criminal investigation

The contents of this　book are ICT and fingerprinting , Bayesian estimation , it is in such as data mining,etc..........
They apply to the criminal investigations.
That is mathematically I criminal investigation. But their contents are old a little, so you may cannot feel them fresh.

Aug 18, 2018 Kelly rated it liked it

I started this book years ago and never finished it, then picked it up yesterday for an "out of the normal" read and actually rather enjoyed it. It's a fast, slightly-dated read with some skimmable sections where the mathematical explanations go a little over my I-barely-finished-college-algebra-head which focuses on the use of math in solving crimes and/or proving a position in court. I basically had no memory of the excerpts from the TV series which I watched 5+ years ago but still found the d I started this book years ago and never finished it, then picked it up yesterday for an "out of the normal" read and actually rather enjoyed it. It's a fast, slightly-dated read with some skimmable sections where the mathematical explanations go a little over my I-barely-finished-college-algebra-head which focuses on the use of math in solving crimes and/or proving a position in court. I basically had no memory of the excerpts from the TV series which I watched 5+ years ago but still found the descriptions of mathematical techniques like changepoint detection, Bayesian inference, and game theory in relation to counterterrorism interesting. I particularly liked the descriptions of how image enhancement/reconstruction is done and of the probability of why "cold hits" in DNA or fingerprints banks may not actually be very likely suspects. ...more

May 20, 2020 Cameron rated it liked it

An interesting read especially if you've watch the show Numb3rs (which I highly recommend). Even if you haven't the book is mostly about various interesting aspects of mathematics from factoring prime numbers to determining how terrorist groups are organized. All the math is pretty accessible and explained well so most people could understand it with some thought but doesn't go much farther than that (they do provide some further reading in some cases)

Sep 05, 2018 Pamela Okano rated it really liked it

Enjoyable book by Stanford mathematics professor and NPR commentator, Keith Devlin, about mathematics and the then hit TV series Numb3rs. Although some of the math went right by me, Devlin is very good at explaining complex subject matter to the lay person. The discussions about prime numbers and encryption were especially interesting and I only wish there were updates to this book, which is 11 years old.

The Numbers Behind NUMB3RS was a fascinating look at how mathematics is used in criminology every day and it's applications towards crime and criminal profiling is just amazing. It was enlightening to learn that several of the television shows episodes were based on real life criminal cases and situations.

The book was somewhat dry in its presentation of the material. If fact, it seemed almost textbook like in the approach. That being said, I found the subject matter and content of the book rich

The book was somewhat dry in its presentation of the material. If fact, it seemed almost textbook like in the approach. That being said, I found the subject matter and content of the book rich enough to overcome this shortfall. It did get technical in some points almost to the point of redundancy and required some mathematical ability to understand in other parts.

I enjoyed this book a lot but it is definitely not for everyone!

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Jan 06, 2014 Davis Pan rated it really liked it

Devlin has written a highly readble account of some of the most highly recondite mathematical systems and techniques underlying modern criminology. Striking the right balance between technical knowledge and general information sharing this book will appeal to the mathophile and to the general public, alike. Numbers Behind Mumb3rs provides an interesting and in some cases fascinating glimpse into the subterranean world of cryptology, data mining, neural networking, social network analysis, change Devlin has written a highly readble account of some of the most highly recondite mathematical systems and techniques underlying modern criminology. Striking the right balance between technical knowledge and general information sharing this book will appeal to the mathophile and to the general public, alike. Numbers Behind Mumb3rs provides an interesting and in some cases fascinating glimpse into the subterranean world of cryptology, data mining, neural networking, social network analysis, change point detecting, DNA & geographic profiling used by crimminologists, scientists and data analysts to crack seemingly unsolvable crimminal investigations. ...more

Oct 06, 2009 Brian Sison rated it it was amazing

This is a fascinating look at how math is used in crime-fighting. The authors do an excellent job of highlighting the multitude of ways that math is used through many aspects and instances in police work.

Don't let the title full you... this is not written specifically for a die-hard fan of the TV show, NUMB3ERS. I've seen a total of one episode of the show, but loved this book nevertheless. The appendix does contain a very brief synopsis of each episode of the first three seasons. For me, these

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Jul 06, 2010 C.O. Bonham rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Numb3rs fans

If you loved the hit TV show Numb3rs but ever wondered if it was really possible to use math like that then this is a must read.

This is Suprisingly readable book that anyone with a highschool understanding of mathmatics should be able to follow. I have an A.A. degree with a major in writing and I understood it.

The authors use real life examples of when math was used to crack open an investigation as well as elaborate on the techiques used in the Television show.

This book was fascinating. I can't say I understand all of the mathematical formulas but I do understand why the authors include them. The true life cases and fingerprinting analysis is interesting. They say that no 2 fingerprints are alike but this book says thats not the case. The poker chapter was interesting for those who are avid poker players. This book was fascinating. I can't say I understand all of the mathematical formulas but I do understand why the authors include them. The true life cases and fingerprinting analysis is interesting. They say that no 2 fingerprints are alike but this book says thats not the case. The poker chapter was interesting for those who are avid poker players. ...more

It reveals the accuracy of the math used in the tv show "Numb3rs," as well as the inaccuracies in the portrayal of it upon occasion. Fascinating read for anyone who enjoys this television show, math or ideally, both. It reveals the accuracy of the math used in the tv show "Numb3rs," as well as the inaccuracies in the portrayal of it upon occasion. Fascinating read for anyone who enjoys this television show, math or ideally, both. ...more

Jan 24, 2012 Richard rated it liked it

Talks about the math theories used in Numb3rs. Interesting, but not revealing.

DISCLAIMER: I will admit, I couldn't finish the book, so take this with a grain of salt if you want.

It had some good information in it, and I liked the show and the examples they used, but when it went into depth, I was way out of my league. Maybe it just wasn't the best time to try and tackle this book (I've had a lot on my mind and stress the past few months), but I appreciated finding out what things were called and the things law enforcement uses regarding mathematics to solve crimes and fin

DISCLAIMER: I will admit, I couldn't finish the book, so take this with a grain of salt if you want.

I did like that--but the math and explanations are a bit intimidating if you're not good at math. Maybe I'll come back to it when I've re-learned a good bit (trying to reteach myself), but otherwise, not my schtick right now. Anybody good at math would probably like it a lot more. I'd need a class to explain what they were trying to explain.

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Mar 28, 2018 Jeroen rated it really liked it

I started to read this book while rewatching the series Numb3rs. As someone with a mathematical background it is always interesting to see how wide the subject is and how widely used it is. The series itself provides a good view of this but doesn't provide a lot of depth when it comes to the math used. This book delves bit deeper, and covers a range of topics where math has something to say about the area of crime. Very interesting read, and written such that someone without a thorough understan I started to read this book while rewatching the series Numb3rs. As someone with a mathematical background it is always interesting to see how wide the subject is and how widely used it is. The series itself provides a good view of this but doesn't provide a lot of depth when it comes to the math used. This book delves bit deeper, and covers a range of topics where math has something to say about the area of crime. Very interesting read, and written such that someone without a thorough understanding of Math can enjoy it too. ...more

Dec 02, 2018 Ben rated it really liked it

I enjoy Numb3rs and this book has light explanations of the math we see used in the show. You have to appreciate how fresh the show was when it first aired. it probably made many want to dig more into the math we watched. It's doesn't teach the math but the concepts. It also shows that a lot of TV magic happened with the show, but we prefer to be entertained that to deal with closer-to-reality issues such as the time to do the math, gather the data to do the math and the unlikelyhood that one pe I enjoy Numb3rs and this book has light explanations of the math we see used in the show. You have to appreciate how fresh the show was when it first aired. it probably made many want to dig more into the math we watched. It's doesn't teach the math but the concepts. It also shows that a lot of TV magic happened with the show, but we prefer to be entertained that to deal with closer-to-reality issues such as the time to do the math, gather the data to do the math and the unlikelyhood that one person could be an expert in math across so many fields.

It is a good book to a TV series I enjoy.

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Dec 31, 2018 Christy rated it really liked it

I am not a math person at all, but I love NUMB3RS. Overall, I think this book does a good job explaining the real math behind the show math to the regular population of non-math geniuses. There were some parts, especially those with equations that were still over my head, but there were other chapters I flew through because they were interesting. If you enjoy the show I do recommend this book as a little add on/companion piece.

Definitely an interesting read. Book is not as awesome as it's title suggest. I'll recommend to a math aficionado. The part where machine learning, neutral network ,etc are explained is nice but later on there are parts where author just casually/ lazily put things.
But it's still worth reading.
It'll probably be better to watch the "Numbers" series first. Definitely an interesting read. Book is not as awesome as it's title suggest. I'll recommend to a math aficionado. The part where machine learning, neutral network ,etc are explained is nice but later on there are parts where author just casually/ lazily put things.
But it's still worth reading.
It'll probably be better to watch the "Numbers" series first. ...more

Jan 02, 2013 Rita rated it liked it

I became addicted to the television series "Numb3rs" a few months ago. I watched every episode and was interested in learning more about the techniques Charley Epps uses to help is FBI brother solve crimes.
Although the technical aspects of the mathmatics are over my head I found the book's explanation of how these techniques are used on the show and in real life fascinating.
Some of these things apply to everyday life and I thought they would help with some of my research and writing.
If you ar I became addicted to the television series "Numb3rs" a few months ago. I watched every episode and was interested in learning more about the techniques Charley Epps uses to help is FBI brother solve crimes.
Although the technical aspects of the mathmatics are over my head I found the book's explanation of how these techniques are used on the show and in real life fascinating.
Some of these things apply to everyday life and I thought they would help with some of my research and writing.
If you are a fan of "Numb3rs" or crime solving this book will open your eyes to the astounding application of math. ...more

Feb 16, 2013 Rachel rated it it was amazing

As someone who's a scientist but doesn't care much for math, I didn't expect I'd enjoy this book very much, but I was pleasantly surprised. It didn't just cover pure mathematical analysis of crimes, but math applied to other aspects of criminal justice. For example, it discusses the math behind fingerprint analysis, and does the most beautifully clear job I've ever seen of explaining the difference between "random match probability" and "database match probability" in the field of forensic DNA a As someone who's a scientist but doesn't care much for math, I didn't expect I'd enjoy this book very much, but I was pleasantly surprised. It didn't just cover pure mathematical analysis of crimes, but math applied to other aspects of criminal justice. For example, it discusses the math behind fingerprint analysis, and does the most beautifully clear job I've ever seen of explaining the difference between "random match probability" and "database match probability" in the field of forensic DNA analysis. Those two chapters alone are a must-read for anyone interested in working in fields of criminal justice where those topics might come up. ...more

Sep 22, 2014 Amanda rated it really liked it

A very interesting look at the mathematics used in the crime-solving show, NUMB3RS. As I'm currently watching this show, it was hard to pass up.

This is written for the everyman, the Don Eppeses and Colby Grangers of the world, not the Charlie Eppeses or math genii. Just as in the show, the math is more easily explained with visual references and analogies. Using both scenarios from the show and real-life crimes, the authors show us the very practical ways mathematics is used in crime fighting.

A very interesting look at the mathematics used in the crime-solving show, NUMB3RS. As I'm currently watching this show, it was hard to pass up.

Some of these concepts I did find harder to grasp, but for the most part they're well-explained and demonstrated.

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The book is very informative and I give a lot of credit to the authors for their efforts to communicate the main highlights of subjects such as Prime Number Factorization, Bayesian Statistical Analysis, Fourier Transforms, and other neat math topics more or less accesible to laypersons - or at least the followers of the CBS' series Numb3rs.

The organization of the book and the flow could use some improvement, but all in all it is a good resource for people with enough curiosity to find out more a

The organization of the book and the flow could use some improvement, but all in all it is a good resource for people with enough curiosity to find out more about ways math is used to fight crime and national security threats.

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Apr 11, 2008 Maria rated it really liked it

I call this book my "field trip" book, because most of the reading I've done on it has been during a field trip. (Yes, I'm not original. Get over it.) So far, I've learned a lot about data mining and the different ways they use math. It's been muy interesante... And it just requires a little effort to understand the math. I call this book my "field trip" book, because most of the reading I've done on it has been during a field trip. (Yes, I'm not original. Get over it.) So far, I've learned a lot about data mining and the different ways they use math. It's been muy interesante... And it just requires a little effort to understand the math. ...more

Feb 02, 2015 Kai rated it liked it

Did not watch the show Numb3rs, but i've heard much about it. Interesting book with examples of application and much ideas for interested readers to explore further.

Good amount of simplified explanations and examples for the readers untrained in Mathematics and yet there are still enough depth to engage the mathematically-adept readers.

Did not watch the show Numb3rs, but i've heard much about it. Interesting book with examples of application and much ideas for interested readers to explore further.

Good amount of simplified explanations and examples for the readers untrained in Mathematics and yet there are still enough depth to engage the mathematically-adept readers.

...more

Feb 02, 2008 Steven rated it did not like it

The book was a disappointment. Perhaps if you are a fan of the television show you will like it more than I did. The stories were brief and uninspired; basically they were just summaries of television shows with incomplete explanations of the mathematics.

Aug 05, 2008 Brian rated it liked it

layman's intro to the mathematics depicted in numb3rs episodes, as well as how math has been used in actual crime investigations (several of which inspired episodes). fairly well written and interesting, but I'm the wrong audience. layman's intro to the mathematics depicted in numb3rs episodes, as well as how math has been used in actual crime investigations (several of which inspired episodes). fairly well written and interesting, but I'm the wrong audience. ...more

Aug 14, 2008 Kate rated it really liked it

I got a lot out of about half of this book. Math has never been my strong suit, but I found I was able to follow approximately half of the math discussions. The other half seemed to be at a much higher level and I wasn't able to keep up. I got a lot out of about half of this book. Math has never been my strong suit, but I found I was able to follow approximately half of the math discussions. The other half seemed to be at a much higher level and I wasn't able to keep up. ...more

Jan 11, 2009 Elaine marked it as to-read

Well, I decided to finally just return this books as I wasn't getting very far. I only had a small fine on it though, which was a relief. I guess I'll just have to check it out again when I have more reading time. Well, I decided to finally just return this books as I wasn't getting very far. I only had a small fine on it though, which was a relief. I guess I'll just have to check it out again when I have more reading time. ...more

Oct 02, 2008 Tiffany rated it really liked it

A nice little (sometimes semi-in-depth, sometimes elementary) look at some of the math techniques used on the crime show Numb3rs. 3.5 stars.

Dr. Keith Devlin is a co-founder and Executive Director of the university's H-STAR institute, a Consulting Professor in the Department of Mathematics, a co-founder of the Stanford Media X research network, and a Senior Researcher at CSLI. He is a World Economic Forum Fellow and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His current research is focused on the use of differ Dr. Keith Devlin is a co-founder and Executive Director of the university's H-STAR institute, a Consulting Professor in the Department of Mathematics, a co-founder of the Stanford Media X research network, and a Senior Researcher at CSLI. He is a World Economic Forum Fellow and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His current research is focused on the use of different media to teach and communicate mathematics to diverse audiences. He also works on the design of information/reasoning systems for intelligence analysis. Other research interests include: theory of information, models of reasoning, applications of mathematical techniques in the study of communication, and mathematical cognition. He has written 26 books and over 80 published research articles. Recipient of the Pythagoras Prize, the Peano Prize, the Carl Sagan Award, and the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics Communications Award. He is "the Math Guy" on National Public Radio. ...more

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