Pre-order
1
of
1
Big Math
The Hidden Codes That Run Our World
Brief Description
Imagine every photo on your phone, every movie you stream, and every secure credit card transaction you make online. Big Math (i.e., linear algebra) is operating under the hood for each of these everyday miracles. It is: - The mathematical machinery that compresses images so they...
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3299
$3999
Elsewhere:
Unit price
/
Unavailable
Pre-order
Releases
17th
November 2026
(Approx. Date)
Pre-order "Big Math" now to secure your copy from our first shipment
Found a better price? Request a price match
Big Math
$3299
$3999
Elsewhere:
Unit price
/
Unavailable
Latest News
TV Show Review on: Carrie
Liam's Review Carrie 26’Carrie has been on my radar for a while now, probably my...
The Struggle of Working Somewhere That Sells Beautiful Books
The problem is…I work in the cutest little (I said what I said) bookshop and...
New Releases to add to your TBR this week (12th October)
There's new dark romance from one of our favourites, the brand new US edition of...
Recent Releases I Would Add to My Classroom Library
Lizzy is rounding up a bunch of the recent children's releases that she thinks would...
Anthony Byrt visits Book Hero
We were lucky enough to hear from author Anthony Byrt as he was going to...
See moreBIG MATH is the secret of modern life decoded - en exploration of how BIG TECH has turned into BIG MONEY by award-winning mathematicians and professors Steven Strogatz and Alex Townsend.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
Imagine every photo on your phone, every movie you stream, and every secure credit card transaction you make online. Big Math (i.e., linear algebra) is operating under the hood for each of these everyday miracles. It is:
- The mathematical machinery that compresses images so they can be quickly uploaded to Instagram.
- The secret sauce behind Netflix to recommend your next favourite show.
- The sentinel that encrypts your data to keep it safe from prying eyes.
- The force behind Google's search algorithm allowing you to sift through the vastness of the internet with a few keystrokes.
The brainpower enabling the AI revolution, from self-driving cars to large language models like ChatGPT.
Big math provides the concepts and algorithms needed in today's digital world. Yet Big Math isn't limited to practical applications. It promotes a broader, multi-dimensional thinking style critical for solving problems in all walks of life. It teaches us to see and manipulate relationships in a cloud of numbers, understand structures and patterns, and simplify complex problems into manageable pieces. This skill set is invaluable for scientists, engineers, programmers, entrepreneurs, financial quants, and anyone who deals with the colossal amounts of data that define our information-saturated age.
Big Math is the first book to introduce linear algebra to a non-technical audience - exploring what it is, who created it, and why it matters.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781399819992
Publisher: John Murray Press
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 19 November 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: John Murray Publishers Ltd
Illustration: B&W 50-75 illustrations
Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Width: 153.0mm
Height: 234.0mm
Weight: 0g
Pages: 320
About the Author
Steven Strogatz (Author)
STEVEN STROGATZ is the Winokur Distinguished Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and Mathematics. He is the author of SYNC, THE JOY OF X, and INFINITE POWERS, which was a NEW YORK TIMES bestseller and a finalist for the Royal Society Science Book Prize. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he is one of the world's most highly cited mathematicians, a frequent columnist in THE NEW YORK TIMES and THE NEW YORKER, a regular guest on RADIOLAB and SCIENCE FRIDAY, and the winner of MIT's and Cornell's highest teaching prizes. His awards include the AAAS Public Engagement with Science Award (2013); the Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science (2015); and the nation's top prize for science communication, the National Academies Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communications (2023).Alex Townsend (Author) ALEX TOWNSEND is one of the world's top young researchers in numerical linear algebra, scientific computing, and scientific artificial intelligence. A 2022 Simons Fellow, he has been honored with many international prizes in numerical analysis and linear algebra, including the Leslie Fox Prize (2015), the SIGEST award for best paper in Linear Algebra (2019), the SIAM Linear Algebra Early Career Prize (2018), and SIAM's best paper prize in Computational Science and Engineering (2023). He has taught linear algebra to over three thousand MIT and Cornell students in math, engineering, and computational science. In 2022, he received Cornell's highest teaching prize for junior faculty and is acclaimed for engaging and reaching students at all levels, including those who have lost confidence in their math abilities.Also by Steven Strogatz
View all-
18% offThe Joy of X
Maths is everywhere, often where we don't even realise. Award-winning professor Steven Strogatz acts as our guide as he takes us on a tour of numbers that—unbeknownst to the uninitiated—connect pop culture, literature, art, philosophy, current affairs, business and even everyday life. In The Joy of X, Strogatz explains the great ideas of maths—from negative numbers to calculus, fat tails...Paperback$2300Usually:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Infinite Powers
Shortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book Prize 2019 This is the captivating story of mathematics' greatest ever idea: calculus. Without it, there would be no computers, no microwave ovens, no GPS, and no space travel. But before it gave modern man almost infinite powers, calculus was behind centuries of controversy, competition, and even death. Taking us on a thrilling...PaperbackSold Out
More from Science & Nature
View all-
Nuclear War
The Sunday Times bestselling non-fiction thriller that has to be read to be believed. Baillie Gifford shortlisted, a favourite of Steven Bartlett, with an average reader rating of 4.6, sure to be a mass-market hit. Up to now, no one outside of official circles has known exactly what would happen if a rogue state launched a nuclear missile at the...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Anxious Generation
A powerful argument for reclaiming childhood—and all human relationships—from the online world, from the influential social psychologist and international bestselling author. Jonathan Haidt has spent his career speaking truth and wisdom in some of the most difficult spaces—communities polarised by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the mental health emergency hitting teenagers today in many countries around...Paperback$2299Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Prisoners of Geography
Prisoners of Geography looks at the past, present, and future to offer crucial insights into one of the major factors that determine world history – because if you don’t know geography, you’ll never have the full picture. Originally published in 2015, this completely revised and updated edition brings it up to date with the events and trends of the past...Paperback$2899Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Ultra-Processed People
Launching the runaway bestseller with ambitions to be the biggest non-fiction paperback of the year IT'S NOT YOU. IT'S THE FOOD. "If you only read one diet or nutrition book in your life, make it this one" - Bee Wilson "You've got to get this book in your life . . . Completely compelling . . . Read a page...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Kitchen Confidential
The classic bestseller from the star of Parts Unknown and No Reservations: 25th Anniversary edition, with a new introduction by Irvine Welsh. BEFORE THERE WAS THE BEAR, THERE WAS BOURDAIN. ‘Elizabeth David written by Quentin Tarantino’ — A.A. Gill ‘Fantastic: as lip-smackingly seductive as a bowl of fat chips and pungent aioli’ — Daily Telegraph After twenty-five years of sex,...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Sapiens
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari is an extraordinary exploration of humanity's history from the dawn of our species to the present day. Harari delves into our evolution, offering insights into the cognitive revolutions that allowed Homo sapiens to rise above other animal species. Traversing through various stages of human development, he examines the Agricultural Revolution, the unification of humankind through...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Talk
A Harvard professor shows how we can become better talkers - and why effective conversation will help us all thrive. Conversation is at the heart of our relationships and decision-making, but the science behind our everyday interactions, and how to improve them, is little known. In Talk, Harvard Professor Alison Wood Brooks provides fascinating insights into the power of effective...Paperback$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Clean & Green
Simple swaps and innovative ideas for cleaning and maintaining your home that won't cost the Earth. Learn how easy it is to make simple swaps in your cleaning and tidying methods for a more eco-friendly home. This beautifully illustrated black and white guide with 101 hints and sustainable, natural cleaning tips and hacks will help you take small steps that...Paperback$2999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
18% offThe Genetic Book of the Dead
From one of the world’s great science writers, a book that explores the deepest principles of evolutionary history. In this groundbreaking new approach to the evolution of all life, Richard Dawkins shows how the body, behaviour, and genes of every living creature can be read as a book – an archive of the worlds of its ancestors. A perfectly camouflaged...Hardback$4000Elsewhere:$5499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Coming Wave
The instant Sunday Times bestseller from the ultimate AI insider - the only book you need to read on this subject. An Economist, Financial Times, Guardian, Prospect and Sunday Times Book of the Year Shortlisted for the FT and Schroders Business Book of the Year This is the only book you need to understand our new world - from the...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Breath
Discover the transformative power of breathing in Breath by esteemed journalist James Nestor. This revolutionary book delves into the science and history of one of the most fundamental human activities - breathing. From the bustling streets of São Paulo to the serene temples of India, Nestor embarks on a global journey to uncover the secrets of ancient breathing techniques such...Paperback$2100Elsewhere:$2600Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Murder Before Evensong
THE INSTANTLY ICONIC NO. 1 BESTSELLER 'I've been waiting for a novel with vicars, rude old ladies, murder and sausage dogs... et voila!' Dawn French 'Cosy crime with a cutting edge' Telegraph 'Whodunnit fans can give praise and rejoice' Ian Rankin 'Charming and funny' Observer 'Even better than I knew it would be' India Knight 'Quintessentially English' Sunday Express 'An...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
Science & Nature lists from the team
Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!
