{"id":1834988,"date":"2024-11-22T11:49:58","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T16:49:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/?p=1834988"},"modified":"2024-11-22T11:54:42","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T16:54:42","slug":"review-mapmatics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2024\/11\/review-mapmatics\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Mapmatics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The first intimation I had that maps involved mathematics was when I looked up a map projection and came face to face with the equation that generated it. Math was never my strongest subject, so it\u2019s probably for the best that I never went into cartography. Especially since it turns out that there\u2019s a lot more math hidden behind the maps we use on a daily basis than you might think, a point demonstrated in detail by Paulina Rowi\u0144ska\u2019s book, Mapmatics<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, which came out in June from Picador<\/a> in the U.K. and from Belknap<\/a> in the U.S. in September.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Book<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Cartographic problems are often mathematical problems: Gauss\u2019s Remarkable Theorem<\/a> demonstrates that a flat projection of a round globe must necessarily add distortion. Surveying by triangulation is simple trigonometry. The coastline paradox<\/a>, whereby the length of a coastline depends on the scale at which it\u2019s measured, is because the coastline is fractal<\/a>. Real-world navigational problems can be solved via topology and graph theory, algorithms and heuristics. The takeaway from this book is these things are math<\/em>, and that math is at the heart of so much of this<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rowi\u0144ska is a mathematician and science writer, and she very much approaches her subject from the math side of things. Making the subject accessible to non-mathematicians is no small challenge, especially when moving to subjects that, while absolutely part of the discipline of mathematics, don\u2019t obviously code as such to normies. Graph theory, number theory, probability density function and topology make their appearances. (I confess to being surprised at the omission of GPS, but now that I think about it, GPS is really about timekeeping and physics.) No less a challenge is finding the balance between explaining the mathematical concepts and explaining how they apply to mapping, and doing so in a way that doesn\u2019t completely lose the plot and turn the whole thing into a math textbook with cartographic examples.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Book<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

On balance I think Rowi\u0144ska mostly<\/em> succeeds: there were plenty of points where the math was still esoteric to me, but I still got that, yes, this was math, and here\u2019s what it does in these cases. As the book progresses the math gets a bit more remote from popular understanding, and the map side of things is less about maps than the data being mapped, but even then the examples are absolutely real-world and relatable (gerrymandering, disease mapping), and there are plenty of a-ha moments coming from the math behind familiar puzzles like the travelling salesman problem<\/a> and the four-colour theorem<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I received an electronic review copy from the publisher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: Map Books of 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Mapmatics<\/a><\/strong><\/em>
by Paulina Rowi\u0144ska
Picador<\/a>, 6 Jun 2024 (UK) | Belknap<\/a>, 17 Sep 2024 (US)
Amazon<\/a> (Canada<\/a>, UK<\/a>) | Bookshop<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first intimation I had that maps involved mathematics was when I looked up a map projection and came face to face with the equation that generated it. Math was never my strongest subject, so… More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[],"autoblue_post_url":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,29],"tags":[30,1707],"class_list":["post-1834988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-reviews","category-cartography","tag-books","tag-mathematics"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1788711,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2020\/04\/star-maps-history-artistry-and-cartography\/","url_meta":{"origin":1834988,"position":0},"title":"Star Maps: History, Artistry, and Cartography","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"14 April 2020","format":"link","excerpt":"The March 2020 issue (PDF) of Calafia, the journal of the California Map Society, has as its theme the mapping of space. It also has something from me in it: my review of the third edition of Nick Kanas\u2019s Star Maps: History, Artistry, and Cartography. 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