Annals of Improbable Research

JULY | AUGUST 2010 (volume 16, number 4)

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Special Issue:Mathematics

Chernoff Faces,
Horse Calculus,
Cocker’s Arithmetick…

Contents

The features marked with a star (*) are based entirely on material taken straight from standard research (and other Official and Therefore Always Correct) literature. Many of the other articles are genuine, too, but we don’t know which ones.

Special Section: Mathematics

Chernoff and the Face Value of Numbers* — Alice Shirrell Kaswell
Horse Calculus* — Michael Berry
Cocker’s Arithmetick* — Stephen Drew

Improbable Research

Snow-Clearing from SUV Roofs and from Fire Hydrants: An Informal Look — John Trinkaus
It’s Hard: To Be a Bat* — Alice Shirrell Kaswell

Improbable Research Reviews*

Improbable Research Review* — Dirk Manley
Improbable Medical Review* — Bertha Vanatian
Ig® and Beyond* — Nan Swift
Boys Will Be Boys* — Katherine Lee
Soft Is Hard* — Alice Shirrell Kaswell and Bissell Mango
May We Recommend* — Stephen Drew

News & Notes

AIR Vents (letters from our readers)
AIR Books
Puzzling Solutions — Emil Filterbag
Teachers’ Guide
Editorial Board
Ig® Nobel Limericks: Pregnant Stand — Martin Eiger
KIM CARTOON: “Aardvark Spokesperson” — Nick Kim

Back Issues

HMO-NO News: Fat Cell Count!
XKCD: “Science Montage” — Randall Munroe
Unclassified Ads

On the Front Cover

Numerical data can be presented in the form of “Chernoff Faces” — see page 6 (these particular faces are from a study by Bernhard Flury and Hans Riedwyl). The bat pictured here (photo by Geri Sullivan) is not performing the activity described on page 18.

On the Back Cover

Large-scale computation as practiced in 1924. Photo: Library of Congress.

Supplemental Articles (Published online only)

What is the Probability that Barack Obama Will Be Re-Elected in the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election?* — Eric Schulman and Daniel Debowy