Book of the Year

Escape From Model Land

We review the eighth (and last) of this year’s nominees for the Book of the Year

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30 March 2023

This post is part of the Chalkdust Magazine Book of the Year 2022.

Erica Thompson is a senior policy fellow at the London School of Economics (LSE). Escape From Model Land (Amazon UK, Waterstones) is her book all about mathematical modelling.

Style

This book is a real insight into the world of mathematical modelling, and looks at both how models are designed and how they are used.

Control

The book is full of examples of real models that are used in a wide range of areas. These examples are well written and clearly explained.

Damage

Modelling is a part of maths that isn’t often covered in this sort of popular science book. This book does a great job of showing the reader how modelling is done and why it’s important to be able to assess how good models are.

Aggression

Highly recommended.

 

You can vote for your favourite book on the Book of the Year shortlist below. The winning book will be crowned the Chalkdust Readers’ Choice. Voting closes at 1pm (BST) on Saturday 31 March.

What is your favourite book on the 2022 Book of the Year shortlist?

  • An Introduction to the Math of Voting Methods by Brendan W Sullivan (44%, 101 Votes)
  • Peculiar Deaths of Famous Mathematicians by Ionna Georgiou and Asuka Young (19%, 44 Votes)
  • Congruent Triangles by X and Y (15%, 35 Votes)
  • Escape from Model Land by Erica Thompson (8%, 18 Votes)
  • Math Games with Bad Drawings by Ben Orlin (7%, 16 Votes)
  • A Ring of Cats and Dogs (and Other Curious Puzzles) by Daniel Griller (7%, 15 Votes)
  • The Irrational Diary of Clara Valentine by Coralie Colmez (0%, 1 Votes)
  • Beyond Measure by James Vincent (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 230

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