Sunday, June 7, 2020

Six of the best books to help demystify Covid-19 data

Hannah Fry is an Associate Professor in the Mathematics of Cities at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College London. She works alongside a unique mix of physicists, mathematicians, computer scientists, architects and geographers to study the patterns in human behaviour - particularly in an urban setting. Her research applies to a wide range of social problems and questions, from shopping and transport to urban crime, riots and terrorism.

Her latest book is Hello World: Being Human in the Age of Algorithms.

At the Guardian, Fry tagged the best books to help you understand numbers and help demystify Covid-19 data. One title on the list:
Adam Kucharski, who is fast becoming a key voice of reason in the media circus surrounding the virus, examines the models we’re currently using to chart the course of the infection in The Rules of Contagion. Here he gives a clear, calm, historical overview of the mathematical ideas at the forefront of our pandemic response, where they came from and how well they stand up when you put them to the test.
Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue