Making Numbers Count: The Art and Science of Communicating Numbers

A practical guide to understanding numbers and data from bestselling author Chip Heath.

How much bigger is a billion than a million? A million seconds is twelve days, while a billion seconds is thirty-two years.

Understanding numbers is crucial, but humans struggle to grasp them. Most languages lacked words for numbers beyond five, referring to anything from six to infinity as “lots.” Despite the complexity of numbers in our world, our brains remain stuck in the past. How can we translate millions, billions, milliseconds, and nanometers into comprehensible concepts?

Heath, an expert in making ideas stick, outlines principles in Making Numbers Count to translate numbers into our brain’s language. The book features examples of extreme number transformations, presenting dry numbers in a way that captivates readers.

(This book may contain a sharpie mark on the top or bottom edge and may show mild signs of shelfwear.)