Outnumbered

Sumpter's [...] expertise and sceptical approach are brought alive with fascinating examples including Banksy and Space Invaders.

Sumpter's [...] expertise and sceptical approach are brought alive with fascinating examples including Banksy and Space Invaders.

[David Sumpter] reckons with the sheer scales of the systems that manage much of our digital lives. Step by step he details the maths that underpins each of these systems , laying out the straightforward, if advanced, calculations that govern their outcomes – and their limitations.

An important message.

As millions slowly wake up to the pitfalls of handing over their digital lives, Sumpter combines engaging hands-on demonstrations with stories from insiders to shed light on precisely how data alchemists seek to persuade and predict us, and whether their almighty algorithms are all they're hyped up to be.

You've heard about these algorithms that run your life and you want to know two things: how exactly do they work? And how much should I worry? With a refreshing mix of in-depth knowledge and personal honesty, David Sumpter answers both those questions.

A stellar book about the application of mathematics to the real world. Each chapter tells a fascinating story, and David's warm and witty style demonstrates that a mathematician can be so much more than just a machine for turning coffee into theorems. A riveting read.

David Sumpter is Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Uppsala, Sweden. Originally from London, but growing up in Scotland, he completed his doctorate in Mathematics at Manchester, and held a Royal Society Fellowship at Oxford before heading to Sweden. His scientific research covers everything from the inner workings of fish schools and ant colonies, analysis of the passing networks of football teams, and segregation in society to machine learning and artificial intelligence.

David has written for The Economist , The Telegraph , Current Biology , Mathematics Today and FourFourTwo magazine, amongst others. He has been awarded the IMA’s Catherine Richards prize for communicating mathematics to a wider audience. David’s first book was Soccermatics: Mathematical Adventures in the Beautiful Game .