What's the Use?: The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics

Description

'Stewart is Britain's most brilliant and prolific populariser of maths' - Alex Bellos 'The instructive equivalent of a Michelin-starred tasting menu' - Tim Radford Many people think mathematics is useless. They're wrong. In the UK, the 2.8 million people employed in mathematical science occupations contributed 208 billion to the economy in a single year - that's 10 per cent of the workforce contributing 16 per cent of the economy. What's the Use? asks why there is such a vast gulf between public perceptions of mathematics and reality. It shows how mathematics is vital, often in surprising ways, behind the scenes of daily life. How politicians pick their voters. How an absurd little puzzle solved 300 years ago leads to efficient methods for kidney transplants. And how a bizarre, infinitely wiggly curve helps to optimise deliveries to your door.

Ian Stewart is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at the University of Warwick and the author of the bestseller Professor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities. His recent books include Do Dice Play God?, Significant Figures, Incredible Numbers and Seventeen Equations that Changed the World (all published by Profile). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Praise for Ian Stewart: 'Humbling and inspiring. Stewart shows with his typical clarity how the power of pure thought has shaped our world for over two millennia' - Jim Al-Khalili 'This is not pure maths. It is maths contaminated with wit, wisdom, and wonder ... A mind-boggling journey from the ultra trivial to the profound' - New Scientist 'An engaging history ... [Stewart] at his best' - Tom Whipple 'Captivating ... Ian Stewart shows us how math makes the world - and the rest of the universe - go round' - Steven Strogatz, Professor of Mathematics, Cornell University 'Stewart has served up the instructive equivalent of a Michelin-starred tasting menu' - Tim Radford