The Invisible Power of Mathematics - (Copernicus Books) by Giovanni Samaey & Joos P L Vandewalle (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

How does homebanking work? How are board games developed? How reliable can wind energy get? How do we discover forged paintings? Do smart girls stay single? How dangerous can a bioterrorist get? In all these questions (and many others), mathematics plays a crucial role in the search for an answer.​
This book tells the story behind twenty of these questions. This is explicitly not a mathematics book, but a book about the crucial role that mathematics plays in devising the creative solutions the world needs. The questions are divided into three categories: mathematics in everyday life, mathematics for the workplace, and mathematics for tomorrow's society. The themes illustrate not only the incredibly broad applicability of mathematics in the world around us, but also the great diversity of useful mathematical techniques.

From the Back Cover

How does homebanking work? How are board games developed? How reliable can wind energy get? How do we discover forged paintings? Do smart girls stay single? How dangerous can a bioterrorist get? In all these questions (and many others), mathematics plays a crucial role in the search for an answer.​
This book tells the story behind twenty of these questions. This is explicitly not a mathematics book, but a book about the crucial role that mathematics plays in devising the creative solutions the world needs. The questions are divided into three categories: mathematics in everyday life, mathematics for the workplace, and mathematics for tomorrow's society. The themes illustrate not only the incredibly broad applicability of mathematics in the world around us, but also the great diversity of useful mathematical techniques.

Review Quotes

"This book is an enjoyable read for anyone with a penchant for mathematics, and it is also a good resource for anyone interested in knowing how mathematics can be used to solve real-world problems. ... Invisible Power of Mathematics will instill in you a new appreciation for the hidden mathematical structures at work everywhere. " (Firdous Ahmad Mala, The Mathematical Intelligencer, Vol. 47 (2), 2025)

"The Invisible Power of Mathematics by Giovanni Samaey and Joos Vandewalle discusses 20 wide-ranging applications of mathematics, devoting an average of eight pages to each application. ... The book feels like a series of conversations about mathematics while walking through the woods with nothing to write on and with far more words than equations. ... The Invisible Power of Mathematics is closer to the Bell end, which is needed given book's intended purpose." (John D. Cook, MAA Reviews, January 28, 2024)

About the Author

Giovanni Samaey (b. 1978) obtained a PhD in engineering in 2006 and has been a lecturer in Mathematical Engineering at the Computer Science Department of KU Leuven since 2011. He is also a member of the Young Academy.

Joos Vandewalle (b. 1948) is Emeritus Professor of Engineering and taught mathematical engineering for many years at the Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT) KU Leuven. He is a director of the Technical Sciences class of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Sciences and Arts KVAB, member of the Academia Europaea, and Fellow of IEEE, Eurasip and IET.