What's the Use?

The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics

Professor Ian Stewart

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Paperback

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English

Profile
16 November 2021

Mathematics & Sciences; Mathematics

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. How an Irish mathematician's obsession with a new number system improves special effects in movies and computer games. How SatNav relies on at least six mathematical techniques. And how a bizarre, infinitely wiggly curve, helps to optimise deliveries to your door.

By: Professor Ian Stewart
Imprint: Profile
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: Export/Airside
Dimensions: Height: 232mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 28mm
Weight: 420g
ISBN: 9781788168076
ISBN 10: 1788168070
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 16 November 2021
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

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

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

Praise for Ian Stewart Stewart is Britain's most brilliant and prolific populariser of maths -- Alex Bellos This is not pure maths. It is maths contaminated with wit, wisdom, and wonder ... He guides us on a mind-boggling journey from the ultra trivial to the profound. Thoroughly entertaining * New Scientist * 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 * FRS * This is a superb Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities that deserves a place with the classics of the genre. * Mathematics Today * With captivating stories and his signature clarity, 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, or perhaps a smorgasbord of appetisers. And of course, appetisers are designed to give you an appetite for more. -- Tim Radford * Guardian * Intriguing ... [Do Dice Play God? is] a challenging but rewarding trip through a quantum world of uncertainties. -- Publishers' Weekly The innumerate will struggle, but every reader will encounter gems and jolts in this expert analysis of probability * Kirkus * [An] engaging history ... [Stewart] at his best -- Tom Whipple * Times * [An] entertaining guide * Wall Street Journal *