Biology by Numbers: An Encouragement to Quantitative Thinking

Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press, 1998. 1st Edition 2nd Printing. Soft cover. Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. xiii 238, indexed, annotated with bibliographic references. The book has been covered in contact, and there is an ownership signature on the front end paper, else pristine. "Biologists are notoriously reticent about using mathematics. This textbook is both an introduction to quantitative biology and a guide for the number-shy. Richard Burton fosters a sense of the fundamental importance and usefulness of mathematical principles in biology, with a fascinating range of examples. The book is geared towards the non-mathematician, and covers the basics as well as various more advanced topics from many diverse biological disciplines. Questions and calculations encourage active participation without holding up the reader. A key feature is the structure of the book. Rather than building it around biological disciplines, Dr Burton emphasises the common ways of reasoning used in areas as diverse as insect and population growth, seed mortality and sensory response (to mention a few that use logarithms). Written primarily for beginning undergraduates, this enlightening text will also be an essential aid for students throughout their undergraduate and graduate years." (publisher) CONTENTS : 1. Putting two and the two together 2. Units, formulae and the use of old envelopes: confronting some obstacles to quantitative thinking 3. Aspects of energy metabolism 4. Getting things in proportion 5. Perilous percentages, dangerous rations 6. Building a trophic pyramid 7. Sodium in animals and plants 8. Exchanges of water and carbon dioxide 9. A geometric series 10. Introduction to logarithms 11. Bringing logarithms to life 12. Exponential relationships 13. Aspects of allometry 14. More and allometry, and on quantitative patterns in nature 15. How the abundance of food affects rates of feeding 16. The characterization of trees and other branching systems 17. Epilogue.