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

‘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 GBP208 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.