Big Math
On sale
19th November 2026
Price: £24.99
It’s in every photo you post to Instagram, every Google search you make and every prompt you give to ChatGPT . . .
Big Math – the branch of modern mathematics behind our digital revolution – operates under the hood of these everyday miracles, driving the biggest shifts in how we shop, communicate, live, and think.
Yet the arithmetic itself is not especially new or mysterious: rather, it is made up of humble concepts and processes such as matrices and vectors, networks and Markov Chains, optimization and linear algebra. These basic concepts are the cornerstone of computer science and quantum computing, and they’re crucial for aspiring tech workers and ordinary citizens alike to understand if we’re to comprehend the changes sweeping the world.
The story of how this little math grew so large, and how it became central to our modern lives, is also one of the great intellectual adventures of all time, with precursors in a bamboo puzzle book in an ancient Chinese tomb and inheritance law in ninth-century Baghdad.
But after a long history of working harmoniously with humans, today this reliable branch of mathematics has slipped the leash. As Big Math has expanded to contend with ever larger problems and ever vaster sets of data, it has also begun to operate in ways that we don’t comprehend.
Celebrated mathematicians Steven Strogatz and Alex Townsend ask: what happens when Big Math outgrows us – when it becomes something we no longer understand, only something we witness? And what if it no longer needs us at all?
Big Math – the branch of modern mathematics behind our digital revolution – operates under the hood of these everyday miracles, driving the biggest shifts in how we shop, communicate, live, and think.
Yet the arithmetic itself is not especially new or mysterious: rather, it is made up of humble concepts and processes such as matrices and vectors, networks and Markov Chains, optimization and linear algebra. These basic concepts are the cornerstone of computer science and quantum computing, and they’re crucial for aspiring tech workers and ordinary citizens alike to understand if we’re to comprehend the changes sweeping the world.
The story of how this little math grew so large, and how it became central to our modern lives, is also one of the great intellectual adventures of all time, with precursors in a bamboo puzzle book in an ancient Chinese tomb and inheritance law in ninth-century Baghdad.
But after a long history of working harmoniously with humans, today this reliable branch of mathematics has slipped the leash. As Big Math has expanded to contend with ever larger problems and ever vaster sets of data, it has also begun to operate in ways that we don’t comprehend.
Celebrated mathematicians Steven Strogatz and Alex Townsend ask: what happens when Big Math outgrows us – when it becomes something we no longer understand, only something we witness? And what if it no longer needs us at all?
Reviews
'A thrilling journey through the mathematics quietly and profoundly shaping modern life.'
'Big Math is Big Fun.The topical and fascinating story of how a few unglamorous mathematical concepts, revved up with massive computational power, have changed the world. What I loved most about this book is that it is so enjoyable to read. The text is lively, beautifully clear, and endlessly engaging. Math popularisation at its best.'
'Essential readingfor our increasingly confused times...Cuts through the flood of mystification around AI and recenters the human in the equation.'
'Written with warmth and generosity, Big Math is an invaluable gift for anyone who feels locked out of this present moment.'
'Absolutely overflowing with ideas and intuition...the perfect book for our times.'
'Afascinating and engaging tour of the invisible structures on which modern life is built.'
'A friendly and authoritative guide to the way math has scaled up, from the frontiers of quantum computing to the piles of boxes in Amazon's warehouses.'
'Reveals how the miraculous technologies of our modern world are built on profound and surprisingly beautiful mathematics. Accessible and thoroughly enjoyable...a colossal delight!'
'We're entering the Big Math era, and there is no going back. I can't think of a better guide than this book.'
Your chatbot doesn't want you to read this book-you might get a better understanding of how AI works and you could become the one in control. Through its vivid stories, Big Math traces how we got here and what's at stake: human ownership of the future.