Book Review: The Mathematics of Life by Ian Stewart

            “What mathematics is, and how useful it is, are widely misunderstood.”

Source: http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2862#comic

When we talk about Mathematics, the other courses that first comes to mind are usually Physics and Chemistry. After all, we do use numbers in these sciences. We don’t usually classify other sciences with Mathematics, especially those which does not deal so much with numbers. However, Mathematics is also a growing science. Its growth proceeds in an ‘intimidating rate’ and has affected even the most unusual science it could pair up with-Biology.

            Ian Stewart in his book, The Mathematics of Life, states that Biology is the sixth stage of revolution transforming a new way for scientists to study about life. For a long time Mathematics has existed, it may not seem revolutionary for it to become paired with Biology. Sequences and dating is one way for Mathematics to be used in Biology however, Stewart notes that Mathematics could do more than simple statistics. Much of the concepts in Biology like neurons and DNA sequencing can now be understood through chemistry and physics. This allows more understanding than mere data analysis. Through Mathematics, Biology can not only analyse statistical data but can give more approximations for other problems. Ian Stewart closes the gap between these two sciences and gives us more depth for Mathematics which is not used only for mere arithmetic and also broadens our idea of Biology which is not only for mere classification and identification.

            This book is actually more interesting than the name appears it to be. Personally, anything which involves a large ‘Mathematics’ as its name would hint me a difficult read but it is actually lighter than the previous, What is Mathematics, Really by Reuben Hersh. It touches an in-depth argument of the revolution of Mathematics in Biology and a new light for the application of Mathematics other than mere arithmetic. This book gives us more of an idea on how versatile Mathematics is and how the versatility of the science impacts more (even unusual) concepts than what we originally thought it should be.