July 2023 MBR The Mathematics Shelf

The Mathematics Shelf

The Manga Guide to Cryptography
Masaaki Mitani, Shinichi Sato, Idero Hinoki, and Verte Corp.
No Starch Press
www.nostarch.com
9781593277420 $24.95 pbk / $14.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Manga-Guide-Cryptography-Guides/dp/1593277423

Synopsis: Cryptography is hard, but it's less hard when it's filled with adorable Japanese manga. The latest addition to the Manga Guide series, The Manga Guide to Cryptography, turns the art of encryption and decryption into plain, comic illustrated English.

As you follow Inspector Jun Meguro in his quest to bring a cipher-wielding thief to justice, you'll learn how cryptographic ciphers work. (Ciphers are the algorithms at the heart of cryptography.) Like all books in the Manga Guide series, The Manga Guide to Cryptography is illustrated throughout with memorable Japanese manga as it dives deep into advanced cryptography topics, such as classic substitution, polyalphabetic, and transposition ciphers; symmetric-key algorithms like block and DES (Data Encryption Standard) ciphers; and how to use public key encryption technology. It also explores practical applications of encryption such as digital signatures, password security, and identity fraud countermeasures.

The Manga Guide to Cryptography is the perfect introduction to cryptography for programmers, security professionals, aspiring cryptographers, and anyone who finds cryptography just a little bit hard.

Critique: Illustrated with a black-and-white manga (Japanese comics) framing story The Manga Guide to Cryptography is an in-depth educational tool about the practice of cryptography - that is, making communication secure from spies or adversaries by transforming it into a difficult-to-read encrypted state. (It should be noted that the practice of cryptography is something completely different from digital currencies known as "cryptocurrency", although cryptocurrencies necessarily utilize a form of strong cryptography.) Chapters examine the mathematical foundations of encryption, symmetric-key algorithms, public-key encryption, and practical applications of encryption including hash functions, message authentication codes, digital signatures, public-key infrastructure, and more. The Manga Guide to Cryptography is extremely accessible, ideal for both classroom use or self-study, and highly recommended for high school, college, and public library mathematics collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Manga Guide to Cryptography is also available in a Kindle edition ($14.99).

The Manga Guide to Regression Analysis
Shin Takahashi, Iroha Inoue, and Trend-Pro Co. Ltd.
No Starch Press
www.nostarch.com
9781593277284 $24.95 pbk / $14.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Manga-Guide-Regression-Analysis/dp/1593277288

Synopsis: Follow along with Miu and Risa in The Manga Guide to Regression Analysis as they calculate the effect of temperature on iced tea orders, predict bakery revenues, and work out the probability of cake sales with simple, multiple, and logistic regression analysis. You'll get a refresher in basic concepts like matrix equations, inverse functions, logarithms, and differentiation before diving into the hard stuff. Learn how to:

Calculate the regression equation
Check the accuracy of your equation with the correlation coefficient
Perform hypothesis tests and analysis of variance, and calculate confidence intervals
Make predictions using odds ratios and prediction intervals
Verify the validity of your analysis with diagnostic checks
Perform chi-squared tests and F-tests to check the goodness of fit

Whether you're learning regression analysis for the first time or have just never managed to get your head around it, The Manga Guide to Regression Analysis makes mastering this tricky technique straightforward and fun.

Critique: Regression Analysis is a type of statistical modeling used to estimate relationships between variables - for example, calculating the effect of local outdoor temperature on a shop's iced tea orders. The Manga Guide to Regression Analysis uses black-and-white manga (Japanese comics) to make learning regression analysis accessible and fun! Chapter 1 presents a refresher on necessary mathematic fundamentals such as differentiation and matrix operations; Chapter 2 covers simple regression analysis; Chapter 3 explores multiple regression analysis; and Chapter 4 discusses logistic regression analysis. The manga pages tell a delightful framing story about a young maid cafe worker who wants to learn regression analysis, her brilliant co-worker, and the handsome but shy student who frequents their cafe, but make no mistake - The Manga Guide to Regression Analysis is at its core a detailed, in-depth educational tool ideal for classroom use or self-study! Highly recommended, especially for high school, college, and public library Mathematics collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Manga Guide to Regression Analysis is also available in a Kindle edition ($14.99).

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