TL;DR
MIT OpenCourseWare hosts the readings for the January IAP 2008 offering of 18.098, Street-Fighting Mathematics. The course page lists session topics, page ranges from Sanjoy Mahajan’s text, and links to a published MIT Press edition available as a free PDF.
What happened
MIT OpenCourseWare published the readings and related materials for the January IAP 2008 course 18.098, titled Street-Fighting Mathematics. The page organizes readings intended to be consulted after each session and maps sessions to chapters and page ranges from Sanjoy Mahajan’s textbook. Sessions 1–11 cover topics including dimensions; extreme cases (and applications to drag); discretization (with an application to pendulum period); picture proofs; 'taking out the big part'; analogy; operators; and a handout on approximating logarithms using musical intervals. The course listing points to both the later MIT Press published textbook (Mahajan, 2010, ISBN 9780262514293) available as a free PDF from MIT Press and an earlier single-file edition (PDF, 1.3 MB). Supplemental PDFs such as lecture questions and answers accompany many sessions.
Why it matters
- Provides free access to a practical problem-solving textbook used in an MIT course.
- Maps concrete lecture topics to short, focused readings and exercises.
- The materials offer compact techniques (e.g., dimensional analysis, extreme cases) useful across science and engineering.
- Useful reference for instructors and learners seeking concise approaches to estimation and heuristic reasoning.
Key facts
- Course number: 18.098 — Street-Fighting Mathematics (January IAP 2008).
- Readings are arranged for 11 sessions and are intended to be read after attending each session.
- Session 1: Dimensions — Chapter 1, pp. 3–12.
- Session 2: Extreme cases — Chapter 2, pp. 13–26; Session 3 applies Chapter 2 to drag (pp. 26–30).
- Sessions 5–6: Discretization — Chapter 3, pp. 31–40; application to pendulum period pp. 41–44.
- Session 7: Picture proofs — Chapter 4, pp. 45–56.
- Session 8: Taking out the big part — Chapter 5, pp. 57–79.
- Session 9: Analogy — Chapter 6, pp. 80–85; Session 10: Operators — Chapter 7, pp. 86–90.
- A handout for Session 11 covers approximating logarithms using musical intervals.
- Mahajan, Sanjoy. Street-Fighting Mathematics published by MIT Press (2010), ISBN 9780262514293; the book is available as a free PDF from MIT Press. An earlier single-file edition (PDF, 1.3 MB) is also linked.
What to watch next
- Check the MIT Press link for the current availability and exact PDF file provided on the course page.
- Compare the earlier single-file edition and the published MIT Press edition for editorial or pagination differences.
- not confirmed in the source: whether the course has been updated or offered in subsequent terms.
Quick glossary
- Dimensional analysis: A technique that uses units and dimensions of physical quantities to check formulas, derive relationships, or make estimates.
- Discretization: The process of approximating continuous functions or equations by discrete counterparts, often to simplify analysis or computation.
- Extreme cases: A problem-solving heuristic that examines limiting or boundary conditions to reveal structure or simplify a problem.
- IAP (Independent Activities Period): A short, intensive term held at some institutions (including MIT) during which special courses and seminars are offered; here it refers to the January session in 2008.
Reader FAQ
Is the textbook freely available?
Yes — the MIT Press published textbook is listed on the course page and is available as a free PDF from MIT Press.
Which chapters correspond to the course sessions?
The course maps sessions to chapters 1–7 with specific page ranges for each topic; the page ranges are listed on the course readings page.
Are lecture questions and answers provided?
Yes — many sessions link to PDFs of questions and, for some sessions, answers.
Is there a single-file earlier edition available?
Yes — the course page links to an earlier edition PDF (1.3 MB).
Are video lectures or updated syllabi available?
not confirmed in the source
The readings for each session are designed to be read after attending that session. For a listing of the topics discussed in each session, see here: (PDF) Published Textbook Mahajan,…
Sources
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