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¿Para qué sirven las matemáticas?: Cómo dan forma a nuestra vida cotidiana (Drakontos)
Ante la percepción popular de que las matemáticas son inútiles para nuestro día a día, el profesor Ian Stewart nos demuestra que esta disciplina va mucho más allá de los cálculos aburridos que todos recordamos de la escuela y nos propone un curioso recorrido por los usos de las matemáticas que a menudo permanecen ocultos a simple vista, pero contribuyen a nuestras vidas. Desde la trigonometría que mantiene un satélite en órbita hasta los números primos utilizados por los sistemas de seguridad más avanzados del mundo, pasando por los números imaginarios que permiten la realidad aumentada, los métodos más eficientes para los trasplantes de riñón, las aplicaciones en política, la predicción del cambio climático o, incluso, cómo una curva extraña e infinitamente ondulada optimiza las entregas a domicilio; las matemáticas no solo son relevantes para nuestras vidas, sino que sin ellas el mundo moderno como lo conocemos se desmoronaría.
456 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 9, 2022
68 people are currently reading
611 people want to read
About the author
Ian Stewart
270 books758 followersIan Nicholas Stewart is an Emeritus Professor and Digital Media Fellow in the Mathematics Department at Warwick University, with special responsibility for public awareness of mathematics and science. He is best known for his popular science writing on mathematical themes.
--from the author's website
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.
--from the author's website
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 26, 2021
Beware The Mathivores. And Stewart's Myopia. Ok, so the title of this review is a bit of a spoiler, as a "Mathivore" is a creature Stewart describes in the final chapter while summarizing the book. But it doesn't *actually* give anything away, and it makes for an interesting title to the review. (One suspects it wouldn't have worked as well for the title of the book, though I think it would have been awesome. :D) Beyond that, I also find it interesting that the only other review on Goodreads for this book at the time I am writing this one is from a historian with a bare knowledge of mathematics, and I am actually a mathematician (though nowhere near as degreed as Stewart, having just a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and lacking a handful of classes for separate Bachelor's degrees in both Mathematics and Secondary Mathematics Education) with a fair knowledge of history. More than a "normal" person, likely much less - at least in some areas - than the other reviewer. ANYWAY, y'all care about what this book is about, not about me. :D But my background does play a bit into my own experience with the book, so I thought a brief summary was warranted.
With this book, Stewart *mostly* does a truly remarkable job of showing the history and current uses of math, in many ways many may not be aware of or at minimum fully aware of. With my background, I knew that there was *some* form of math in the background of most of the techs and issues Stewart discusses, but Stewart goes full-bore on the details, yes, quite often showing samples of the actual equations - or at least types of the actual equations - involved. And these are far beyond E=MC^2, y'all. ;) But still, Stewart's explanations, at least to my own mathematically inclined brain, were straightforward enough, and there is enough humor (of the British variety) sprinkled throughout to make the overall text much more palatable to the average reader.
But there *are* a couple of weaknesses even from my own perspective, and they combined to knock the book down a star - neither by themselves was quite enough, but combined they are.
The first is that while Stewart does a remarkable job of showing how math is integral to so many fields from elections to medical scanning to photography to fingerprinting, he doesn't do so well in showing how it shapes everyday life outside of the tech people use and the things going on around them. He doesn't show how people actually *use* math every day, from calculating how much a trip will take to estimating their grocery bill or restaurant tab to deciding any of the numerous factors related to personal finance and building or maintaining any form of home. Perhaps a follow-on book could explain how these maths shape even more people's lives.
The second is Stewart's Myopia. By this, I mean those issues where the Professor. At several key points - likely not caught by someone less familiar with the mathematics of the fields - Stewart dismisses advances in mathematics that oppose his positions. In one, while there is indeed still much work to be done, Stewart's disdain for autonomous cars belies the stunning advances made in mathematics related to the field. In the other big one, Stewart seems completely ignorant of the emerging mathematics showing the many varying holes in the current "Climate Change" "science" - including some written by a man who quite literally wrote one of the first textbooks on climate modeling with computers. Another, more obscure one, was where Stewart mentions numeracy and Bayesian statistics, but seems ignorant of Bernoulli's Fallacy (or at minimum dismissive of those who pursue that line of mathematical thinking).
Overall, this *is* a strong book with quite a bit to be commended. It could simply have been a bit stronger. Very much recommended.
With this book, Stewart *mostly* does a truly remarkable job of showing the history and current uses of math, in many ways many may not be aware of or at minimum fully aware of. With my background, I knew that there was *some* form of math in the background of most of the techs and issues Stewart discusses, but Stewart goes full-bore on the details, yes, quite often showing samples of the actual equations - or at least types of the actual equations - involved. And these are far beyond E=MC^2, y'all. ;) But still, Stewart's explanations, at least to my own mathematically inclined brain, were straightforward enough, and there is enough humor (of the British variety) sprinkled throughout to make the overall text much more palatable to the average reader.
But there *are* a couple of weaknesses even from my own perspective, and they combined to knock the book down a star - neither by themselves was quite enough, but combined they are.
The first is that while Stewart does a remarkable job of showing how math is integral to so many fields from elections to medical scanning to photography to fingerprinting, he doesn't do so well in showing how it shapes everyday life outside of the tech people use and the things going on around them. He doesn't show how people actually *use* math every day, from calculating how much a trip will take to estimating their grocery bill or restaurant tab to deciding any of the numerous factors related to personal finance and building or maintaining any form of home. Perhaps a follow-on book could explain how these maths shape even more people's lives.
The second is Stewart's Myopia. By this, I mean those issues where the Professor. At several key points - likely not caught by someone less familiar with the mathematics of the fields - Stewart dismisses advances in mathematics that oppose his positions. In one, while there is indeed still much work to be done, Stewart's disdain for autonomous cars belies the stunning advances made in mathematics related to the field. In the other big one, Stewart seems completely ignorant of the emerging mathematics showing the many varying holes in the current "Climate Change" "science" - including some written by a man who quite literally wrote one of the first textbooks on climate modeling with computers. Another, more obscure one, was where Stewart mentions numeracy and Bayesian statistics, but seems ignorant of Bernoulli's Fallacy (or at minimum dismissive of those who pursue that line of mathematical thinking).
Overall, this *is* a strong book with quite a bit to be commended. It could simply have been a bit stronger. Very much recommended.
January 17, 2022
This books started out like it would be a “fun” read but turned into more of a text book after a couple of chapters. I skimmed a few more chapters and decided to put it back in the shelf. I have a degree in math, so it’s not that I couldn’t understand it, it just wasn’t the enjoyable read I thought it would be.
July 19, 2022
Really not been into read of late but really enjoyed this. Thought he covered a wide range of topics in a good level of detail - v sad this can't become my book club choice now lol
August 22, 2021
Q:
Reality, beauty, generality, portability, unity, diversity. Which, together, lead to utility.
It’s as simple as that. (c)
Reality, beauty, generality, portability, unity, diversity. Which, together, lead to utility.
It’s as simple as that. (c)
June 2, 2025
What's the Use? is an interesting book about cutting-edge math that is used in products you use every day. But the title is misleading - you won't learn how math shapes your day-to-day life as much as how math developed technologies you use though you don't understand how they work. And since Stewart's book is just an introduction to several different types of technologies, you won't actually understand how these thing really work. You'll know a basic idea of how some of them work.
One thing that grated me about the book was its European view of American politics, "the current method for choosing a President doesn’t depend on the popular vote, but with modern communications the only reason not to change to a fairer system is that a lot of powerful people prefer it the way it is." (p. 17). If you don't understand why Americans set up the Electoral College (gives smaller states more say in what happens in the federal government so large states don't rule everything) then focus on European politics and leave us out of it. This is an opinion not based on mathematics and is unnecessary. There're other typical European center-left ideas but they're not too distracting.
The main takeaway from What's the Use? is that often cutting-edge mathematics is discovered (or created, depending on your perspective) and later is put to use in a new or greatly improved technology. I thought it would be more helpful for my Algebra 2 course but there are few things outside of basic trigonometric functions (sin, cos) which my students could grasp.
One thing that grated me about the book was its European view of American politics, "the current method for choosing a President doesn’t depend on the popular vote, but with modern communications the only reason not to change to a fairer system is that a lot of powerful people prefer it the way it is." (p. 17). If you don't understand why Americans set up the Electoral College (gives smaller states more say in what happens in the federal government so large states don't rule everything) then focus on European politics and leave us out of it. This is an opinion not based on mathematics and is unnecessary. There're other typical European center-left ideas but they're not too distracting.
The main takeaway from What's the Use? is that often cutting-edge mathematics is discovered (or created, depending on your perspective) and later is put to use in a new or greatly improved technology. I thought it would be more helpful for my Algebra 2 course but there are few things outside of basic trigonometric functions (sin, cos) which my students could grasp.
August 18, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and Basic Books for the chance to read an early copy of this book!
This is a fantastically fun journey through our world and how math underlies our 21st-century lives. I love that the author focuses on topics where the mathematical discoveries have completely unexpected applications, often centuries later, like how solving a puzzle about bridges in the 1700s now helps match up kidney donations. I also love that the author hits some hot topics -- we start off with the mathematics of political districts, and I read that chapter just as the census results came out; we also hit cybersecurity, GPS, and climate change along the way. The author keeps the tone accessible, often simplifying the math in order to keep the book suitable for the average reader (and telling us when he's doing so).
I can already think of three different people who would love this book -- it will make a great gift for people who love to learn, and will enjoy the conversational tone as well as the sense of wonder and exploration.
This is a fantastically fun journey through our world and how math underlies our 21st-century lives. I love that the author focuses on topics where the mathematical discoveries have completely unexpected applications, often centuries later, like how solving a puzzle about bridges in the 1700s now helps match up kidney donations. I also love that the author hits some hot topics -- we start off with the mathematics of political districts, and I read that chapter just as the census results came out; we also hit cybersecurity, GPS, and climate change along the way. The author keeps the tone accessible, often simplifying the math in order to keep the book suitable for the average reader (and telling us when he's doing so).
I can already think of three different people who would love this book -- it will make a great gift for people who love to learn, and will enjoy the conversational tone as well as the sense of wonder and exploration.
October 14, 2021
Not as accessible as I was hoping. The chapter on gerrymandering, though, was really interesting
March 11, 2022
Hard to read without maths background I can imagine
August 26, 2023
Mathematics has been my favorite subject, with Physics being a close second. When I was a middle schooler, I seem to recall telling myself that I’d like to be a mathematician when I grow up!
No luck there, though I did have my fair share of mathematics, even some advanced concepts often bearing illustrious names like Fourier, Lagrange, Bernoulli, and later on even harder applied science fields like Stress and Tensile Mechanics, Road and Traffic Engineering, and the likes. Reading this book brought back many fond, even if a bit diabolical, memories of trying to understand those dense concepts, and realizing I was never going to become a mathematician!
When I picked this book up, I didn’t expect the breadth and depth of detail this book encompassed, and while I thoroughly enjoyed being on the fringes of understanding some of the farther-out-there concepts, this is not a book for the layman. It takes you down numerous number-filled roads, as it journeys to its logical but also often surprisingly serendipitous applications of mathematical concepts ubiquitous with contemporary lifestyles.
What I found most fascinating is that the author manages to steer away from any of the more extraterrestrial and theoretical science related fields, and sticks to brilliantly practical origin stories of the applications of mathematics in daily life. Often, he begins his tales with an interesting historical segue, before arriving at a more contemporary and much used area, that almost everyone knows must use some sort of math, though very few actually have a clue where or how. He avoids putting in actual equations, and none of the long winded proofs mathematicians love, and instead keeps his narrative interesting enough by sprinkling it with an occasional dash of Brit humor!
All in all, well worth the investment of time and effort and patience, and a fond remembrance of why I used to, and still wholeheartedly do, love mathematics!
No luck there, though I did have my fair share of mathematics, even some advanced concepts often bearing illustrious names like Fourier, Lagrange, Bernoulli, and later on even harder applied science fields like Stress and Tensile Mechanics, Road and Traffic Engineering, and the likes. Reading this book brought back many fond, even if a bit diabolical, memories of trying to understand those dense concepts, and realizing I was never going to become a mathematician!
When I picked this book up, I didn’t expect the breadth and depth of detail this book encompassed, and while I thoroughly enjoyed being on the fringes of understanding some of the farther-out-there concepts, this is not a book for the layman. It takes you down numerous number-filled roads, as it journeys to its logical but also often surprisingly serendipitous applications of mathematical concepts ubiquitous with contemporary lifestyles.
What I found most fascinating is that the author manages to steer away from any of the more extraterrestrial and theoretical science related fields, and sticks to brilliantly practical origin stories of the applications of mathematics in daily life. Often, he begins his tales with an interesting historical segue, before arriving at a more contemporary and much used area, that almost everyone knows must use some sort of math, though very few actually have a clue where or how. He avoids putting in actual equations, and none of the long winded proofs mathematicians love, and instead keeps his narrative interesting enough by sprinkling it with an occasional dash of Brit humor!
All in all, well worth the investment of time and effort and patience, and a fond remembrance of why I used to, and still wholeheartedly do, love mathematics!
May 25, 2021
As a historian, my knowledge of math is lacking. I managed to take the minimum number of classes in college, and always felt it was a "left brain" thing that wouldn't jive well with my "Right brain" dominated mind.
Stewart manages to dispel that belief, and, more importantly, he makes math more relevant than ever. As someone who lives in the humanities, I didn't buy his argument that people today don't seem to care about math. Ask anyone about what the rest of society thinks about his/her passion, and they'll say the same thing: it's not appreciated. I feel STEM is pushed on kids more than ever, and while they may not be doing the actual calculating, they certainly are going into fields that rely on it. Maybe monitor it?
That being said, I think this book gives a lot to how important mathematics is to other fields of study. After all, nothing is contained in a vacuum. Gerrymandering's math, which is something that I have never thought about, and how the world of business collides with computation, show that it's there, lurking under the surface.
I felt that the chapters often began great, and was appreciative of the visuals that Stewart includes. My only hangup was that sometimes, I felt like he needed to "slow down" and explain a little more. There were several times I had to go back and reread what he was trying to say, to think about the logic of the math he was incorporating. At times, I felt that I still didn't have the mathematical background to get all I could have out of the book. Still, overall, a unique read
Stewart manages to dispel that belief, and, more importantly, he makes math more relevant than ever. As someone who lives in the humanities, I didn't buy his argument that people today don't seem to care about math. Ask anyone about what the rest of society thinks about his/her passion, and they'll say the same thing: it's not appreciated. I feel STEM is pushed on kids more than ever, and while they may not be doing the actual calculating, they certainly are going into fields that rely on it. Maybe monitor it?
That being said, I think this book gives a lot to how important mathematics is to other fields of study. After all, nothing is contained in a vacuum. Gerrymandering's math, which is something that I have never thought about, and how the world of business collides with computation, show that it's there, lurking under the surface.
I felt that the chapters often began great, and was appreciative of the visuals that Stewart includes. My only hangup was that sometimes, I felt like he needed to "slow down" and explain a little more. There were several times I had to go back and reread what he was trying to say, to think about the logic of the math he was incorporating. At times, I felt that I still didn't have the mathematical background to get all I could have out of the book. Still, overall, a unique read
March 12, 2022
Zastanawialiście się kiedyś jak to możliwe, że w USA wybory wygrać może osoba, która łącznie zdobyła mniej głosów niż jej rywal?
Na jakiej zasadzie funkcjonuje system łączący dawców i biorców nerek?
Jakim cudem w naszych smartfonach można przechowywać tysiące dobrej jakości zdjęć?
Na te i wiele innych intrygujących pytań odpowiedź znajdziecie w książce ,,Po co nam matematyka".
🧮📟
Jest to pozycja, która pozwala na szczegółowe zapoznanie się z różnorodnymi zastosowaniami matematyki w życiu codziennym. W każdym kolejnym rozdziale autor przedstawia konkretne zagadnienie, wyjaśnia jego związek z królową nauk, a następnie szczegółowo je omawia.
Z pewnością książka ta wymaga skupienia, ponieważ dużo w niej matematycznej terminologii (nic dziwnego oczywiście). Przyznaję, że niektóre fragmenty musiałam czytać kilkukrotnie, ponieważ mój nieszczególnie matematyczny mózg odmawiał czasem współpracy.
Uważam jednak, że pozycja ta jest naprawdę interesująca i że osoby ciekawe świata i otaczającej je rzeczywistości mogą znaleźć tutaj coś dla siebie.
Równowagą dla często niełatwych do zrozumienia zagadnień jest błyskotliwa narracja autora, która sprawiła, że uśmiech niejednokrotnie zagościł na mojej twarzy.
Zapewne (tak jak to było u mnie) niektóre rozdziały zainteresują Was bardziej, inne nieco mniej, ale bez obaw - jest z czego wybierać.
Na jakiej zasadzie funkcjonuje system łączący dawców i biorców nerek?
Jakim cudem w naszych smartfonach można przechowywać tysiące dobrej jakości zdjęć?
Na te i wiele innych intrygujących pytań odpowiedź znajdziecie w książce ,,Po co nam matematyka".
🧮📟
Jest to pozycja, która pozwala na szczegółowe zapoznanie się z różnorodnymi zastosowaniami matematyki w życiu codziennym. W każdym kolejnym rozdziale autor przedstawia konkretne zagadnienie, wyjaśnia jego związek z królową nauk, a następnie szczegółowo je omawia.
Z pewnością książka ta wymaga skupienia, ponieważ dużo w niej matematycznej terminologii (nic dziwnego oczywiście). Przyznaję, że niektóre fragmenty musiałam czytać kilkukrotnie, ponieważ mój nieszczególnie matematyczny mózg odmawiał czasem współpracy.
Uważam jednak, że pozycja ta jest naprawdę interesująca i że osoby ciekawe świata i otaczającej je rzeczywistości mogą znaleźć tutaj coś dla siebie.
Równowagą dla często niełatwych do zrozumienia zagadnień jest błyskotliwa narracja autora, która sprawiła, że uśmiech niejednokrotnie zagościł na mojej twarzy.
Zapewne (tak jak to było u mnie) niektóre rozdziały zainteresują Was bardziej, inne nieco mniej, ale bez obaw - jest z czego wybierać.
September 19, 2022
A very interesting book, with plenty of examples of interesting math and how it is now 'unreasonably' but effectively applied to areas which it was not designed for.
As someone working with data and mathematical techniques it is always good to get insights into other mathematical techniques and what they are used for. Some of these might be interesting for my work.
In addition, it is interesting to see how someone else explains mathematical techniques. Ian Stewart is supposed to be one of the best at this, and he largely delivers with this book. In parts though, even I struggled to keep up even with a mathematical background. This was primarily true for the chaos theory chapter, which did spark my further curiosity. Similar for the climate change/Ising model chapter, which leans heavily on physics and math but did not feel accessible for the less informed reader.
For those interested in how math is ever present in our current society, even when the majority of people don't realise this, this is a great book; even more so when you have some mathematical understanding.
As someone working with data and mathematical techniques it is always good to get insights into other mathematical techniques and what they are used for. Some of these might be interesting for my work.
In addition, it is interesting to see how someone else explains mathematical techniques. Ian Stewart is supposed to be one of the best at this, and he largely delivers with this book. In parts though, even I struggled to keep up even with a mathematical background. This was primarily true for the chaos theory chapter, which did spark my further curiosity. Similar for the climate change/Ising model chapter, which leans heavily on physics and math but did not feel accessible for the less informed reader.
For those interested in how math is ever present in our current society, even when the majority of people don't realise this, this is a great book; even more so when you have some mathematical understanding.
March 24, 2022
The audiobook narration is almost shrill, part of the time it's so high-pitched that I can't hear clearly and I need to tune it up, then part of time it hurts and I need to tune it down. I can't finish the audio. I had hopes for Ian Stewart - perhaps I need to finish this book using visual reading.
About the book's content - I agree with its goal to explain how math is used in everyday life. But when it gets into voting and gerrymandering details it is a little hard to focus, esp. if you also got hosed down by Jordan Ellenberg's Shape book recently on the same topic.
My future plan to better appreciate this book - read it visually, instead of using audiobook; put a mental break between books on similar topics (Shape vs. this one).
About the book's content - I agree with its goal to explain how math is used in everyday life. But when it gets into voting and gerrymandering details it is a little hard to focus, esp. if you also got hosed down by Jordan Ellenberg's Shape book recently on the same topic.
My future plan to better appreciate this book - read it visually, instead of using audiobook; put a mental break between books on similar topics (Shape vs. this one).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2025
3.5 stars
Rating would be higher if my limited grasp of most of the complexities explored and so well enunciated wasn’t a factor.
Nevertheless, the take aways and enlightenment from this read are many. This is true especially if one is interested in seeing how real world problems are solved through mathematics, and understanding how cause and effect in wholly divergent areas plays such a pivotal role.
Mathematics has been engaged to transform and simplify almost everything in our world, most of which never see and didn’t know that we didn’t know, but all of which we now take for granted.
Rating would be higher if my limited grasp of most of the complexities explored and so well enunciated wasn’t a factor.
Nevertheless, the take aways and enlightenment from this read are many. This is true especially if one is interested in seeing how real world problems are solved through mathematics, and understanding how cause and effect in wholly divergent areas plays such a pivotal role.
Mathematics has been engaged to transform and simplify almost everything in our world, most of which never see and didn’t know that we didn’t know, but all of which we now take for granted.
September 21, 2022
Some of the middle chapters, say nine and ten, dragged a bit for me. The gerrymandering portions were rather interesting and I followed more or less. Later chapters were well beyond my powers to understand, which was a bit frustrating as someone who likes working with numbers. I'd thought that perhaps I could share some of this with students at my school but I think it would probably fall flat. The fault would be mine for not understanding, but it also feels like a missed opportunity. Many passages were wholly opaque to me, even with re-reading.
July 18, 2023
I like math and, being an engineer, it certainly is important. Some of the illustrations and examples are hard to follow. Probably a result of trying to write to a math-phobic audience. Was hoping for a little bit more of the book’s main premise: a branch of math developed for whatever reason then becoming central to something else. That was not always obvious in parts of the book.
September 10, 2022
DNF. It's just boring. I was hoping for a Freakonomics or Planet Money vibe but it's just not that interesting. You'd be better off just reading whatever comes up on 538. It would be similar but better than this.
October 17, 2022
Very interesting, but fairly technical book; I knew most of the maths explained only because I did it Calculus I and II back at university and read a tons of books on physics, but this is still hard on untrained ears.
March 21, 2024
Scriverò forse un giorno la recensione di questo libro che mi ha accompagnato da dentro fino a molto dopo la mia degenza in ospedale, è stato un buon compagno; avrei piacere di sfogliarlo nuovamente con tranquillità per assaporarne di nuovo il contenuto.
June 15, 2022
Math was dense but applications were super creative! I could keep reading forever and ever
October 4, 2022
Not my kind of books. The author wrote a lot before diving into the mathematics. It just let me cannot focus on the maths content.
February 18, 2023
2.5 stars
July 16, 2023
I love math and this was decent but not spectacular
June 15, 2025
Хорошее снотворное.
March 7, 2023
Well, I listen to this while I was getting ready for bed and boy did it help me fall asleep.
Context: I am not a math person so take my review for what it’s worth, which isn’t much in this situation.
Context: I am not a math person so take my review for what it’s worth, which isn’t much in this situation.
December 26, 2023
Empecé con ganas este libro que llevaba tiempo con la etiqueta del want to read, y me he llevado una tremenda desilusión porque es un auténtico peñazo. Qué lástima, ya que el tema es interesante y puede dar mucho juego, cautivando al lector con anécdotas y curiosidades... pero no ha sido así. Te encuentras capítulos aburridísimos, temas muy largos y recurrentes, que conducen a una lectura pesada y eterna. He subrayado muy poco, y muy pocas partes podría salvar de la quema.
He leído otros libros de Ian Stewart que me habían agradado y me parece un gran divulgador, pero este concretamente se lo podía haber ahorrado.
He leído otros libros de Ian Stewart que me habían agradado y me parece un gran divulgador, pero este concretamente se lo podía haber ahorrado.
October 27, 2022
No sé si és que no he triat el moment adequat per llegir-lo o que senzillament és molt dens. Se m'ha fet pesat i no he estat capaç d'acabar-lo. Ho provaré més endavant.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews