Picador

Mapmatics

How We Navigate the World Through Numbers

Author:	Paulina Rowinska
Published:	2025
Format:	Paperback, 384 pages
Size:	198 × 129 × 24 mm

£12⁹⁹

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How maths and maps help us make sense of space

Paulina Rowinska reveals how mathematical thinking powers the maps we rely on. From air routes to crime scenes, a fresh look at how we read the world.

How does a delivery driver distribute hundreds of packages in a single day?

Why can maps influence elections?

Where should we look for serial killers?

The answers lie in the connection between maps and maths. Mathematician Dr Paulina Rowinska explores the mathematical foundations of maps and cartography's impact on mathematics. From sixteenth-century maps which we still use on our phones to public transport maps that both guide and mislead, she uncovers how maps and maths shape our sense of space and time, and our worldview.

Through engaging stories, unforgettable characters and real-world examples, Mapmatics reveals the mathematical techniques behind maps and how they help us better understand - and care for - the world around us.

Praise for Mapmatics

"This book blew my mind, again and again"

— Roma Agrawal, author of Built

"Entertaining, illuminating . . . An engaging look at a fascinating subject"

— New Scientist

"An expansive journey through time and place"

— The Observer

"If you have ever wondered why an airliner bound from London to Los Angeles flies over Greenland, how we know what lies inside the Earth, or how computers correct errors, then this book is for you"

— John Gribbin, author of In Search of Schrodinger's Cat

About the Author

Dr Paulina Rowinska has a PhD in Mathematics of Planet Earth from Imperial College London. Her 2017 TEDx talk ‘Let’s Have a Maths Party!’ explained that maths is all around us. Thanks to her science communication activities, in 2019 she received the Imperial College President’s Award for Excellence in Societal Engagement. She has created interactive maths and data science content for Brilliant, an educational company. Mapmatics is her first book.