This sequence of numbers is called the Fibonacci Numbers or Fibonacci Sequence. The Fibonacci numbers are interesting in that they occur throughout both. Fibonacci Sequence describes the mathematic theory behind the numbers.

The outer ring of ray florets in the daisy family illustrate the Fibonacci sequence extremely well. Daisies with 13, 21, 34, 55 or 89 petals are quite. Can you predict what the next numbers will be in each of these strings of digits?

123454321234543212...
11235813213455...
993751058209749...

The first sequence has a clear rhythm to it. The second is a little more tricky, but look closely and you might notice that it uses the previous numbers in the string to build the next one. This is the Fibonacci sequence, nature's favourite set of numbers and the first code to be cracked in Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. The third sequence is much trickier.

At first it looks random but if you come at it armed with the right knowledge you might recognise that it is part of the decimal expansion of pi, starting at the 44th decimal place. Once you know this you have total control over the sequence and can predict every twist as it speeds off to infinity.

There is a tendency within our society to view science with suspicion, whether it is stories of nano-robots infiltrating our body and messing with our DNA, black holes appearing in the Large Hadron Collider in Cern that will swallow up the universe, or genetically modified crops sweeping the world and destroying all in their path. All scientific progress involves steps into the unknown, and that inevitably entails risk. That is why books like this are valuable. Once you know about the science and its implications, you are in a much better position to distinguish sinister developments from mere hype.

So when it comes to Baker's numerati, all of us have a responsibility to understand how much companies and government can or cannot use or abuse the maths. This book won't make you an expert on how the mathematicians do their tricks, but it will make you more aware of the the implications. Read it and you'll have a much better idea of who has got your number.

• Marcus du Sautoy is the new Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford and author of Finding Moonshine (Fourth Estate).

Using Fibonacci sequences in knitting or weaving patterns.

Mathematics is all about spotting patterns, finding the underlying logic in the seemingly random and chaotic world around us; and using this information to predict future behaviour. Traditionally maths has been used to make predictions about inanimate objects, like the orbit of planets or the weather. But as Stephen Baker explains in The Numerati, mathematicians are increasingly turning their attention to human behaviour.

What if those strings of numbers are records of the things you've bought, places you've travelled to, websites you've visited, parties you've voted for? Fibonacci sequences? Find the pattern in the numbers and mathematicians will be able to predict, with surprising accuracy - what your next move will be. The 'numerati' is the name Baker gives to the group of latterday fortune-tellers whose job it is to decode our behaviour. His book explores the lives of such people and attempts to analyze how powerful they have become.