Book Description

The art of teaching math lies in the ability of the instructor to motivate and inspire individuals to look beyond the numbers and understand the concepts.This book is designed to revive this art, focusing more on the aspects of learning the ideas behind the math rather than the sheer mechanics of mathematical operation. This text addresses the art of teaching mathematics while also providing specific aids and activities in arithmetic, geometry, algebra and probability and statistics for use in the classroom. The authors pay close attention to the role, importance, methods and techniques of motivation. They present ideas that will generate attention, interest, and surprise among students, and will thus foster creative thinking.The material in the text is based on talks given by the authors at professional meetings, as well as the actual application of their ideas in undergraduate and graduate classes they taught.Additionally, many laboratory and discovery activities have been used by authors in teaching junior and senior high school math classes.Instructors of mathematics, school administrators, math specialists, and parents. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Bible for Maths Teaching
This book is an excellent aid for all maths teachers and students alike. It is full of explainations and investigations that are possible to use in a class setting. Teaching Mathematics is also great for recreational maths, posses interesting problems with clear explainations. If your a Maths teachers, buy this book. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Lots of Errors
I am using this book to study for the GMAT because it was the cheapest one available. But as I'm going through the problems and answers, I am finding a mistake on almost every page - in the problems and the answers. This makes it a little bit difficult for someone who is not very great at math to study and understand the concepts.

A materpiece for the GRE
Since I aced the Quantitative section of the GRE, I feel compelled to convey to the World my most sincere gratitude to the makers of this book. This book comprehensively covers most of the aspects of the Quantitative Section of the GRE and greatly helps tp develop that keen sense of grasping the fundamentals of the subject which enables efficacious learning. Less than 8 weeks for the GRe get this book practice it and SCORE HIGH ON THE QUANTITATIVE SECTION. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Just the facts, straightaway
This book presents geometry in a straightforward way. Emphasis is on the facts, without getting sidetracked in proofs, (although the purist might object to the fact that proofs are not given). The drawings are relevant and straightforward. The book is well organized and proceeds logically from beginning to end. There are conversational problems with answers in the text, and lots of multiple-choice test questions with answers in the appendix. The test questions are especially good, because they resemble the standardized tests schoolchildren are forced to take these days. This book, along with with a standard school textbook, should make high-school students highly proficient in this subject, and get them ready for more advanced courses such as calculus and trigonometry. Note: I also have the chemistry, physics, and trigonometry books in the Demystified Series and have found them to be of comparable quality.

NOT RECOMMENDED IF YOU NEED HELP IN GEOMETRY
because of the topic coverage. I picked this up because, though a math teacher, I really don't like Geometry. Never have. This book covers some of what a high school student would need in just a few chapters. So, Why aren't I recommending it to students needing help? Because the author completely skips proofs, which is what most students are having trouble with. It also has no chapter dealing with circles and theorems related to them. What it does cover it covers in a highly interesting and original way (why does a stool have three legs instead of four?). It is also filled with topics not covered in a high school geometry course, but which are very interesting on their own. Given the authors other books' titles, this is perhaps "geometry for electricians and hobbyists". If you are someone with bad memories of geometry, but you would like to try revisiting it, then this is highly recommended. It would also be a good outside source for students doing well in Geometry but wanting to read about some higher level topics (including 3 - 4 - and higher dimensional geometry.) The book has loads of multiple choice test questions, so you can see how well you are understanding what you are reading, but it has no detailed solutions in the back--just the correct answers. (techinical point: readers should know that the author teaches polar coordinates "backwards" from the way we teach it in Trigonometry. The form is (r, theta), NOT (theta, r).) ... Read more

Book Description

The key to conquering the most-feared type of standardized test questions

This is an indispensable resource for the parents of the more than 16 million school children nationwide who, each year, take standardized assessment tests of basic math and language skills. It focuses on the category of test question that students dread the most and in which they do least well: mathematics word problems. Written by a national expert in mathematics education, it takes the fear and frustration out of mathematics word problems by providing a simple, step-by-step approach that emphasizes the mechanics and grammar of problem solving and that is guaranteed to make solving all types of math word problems a breeze, even for math-phobic students.

• Covers all types of mathematics word problems found on standardized tests and identifies the value of each type on the tests
• Features dozens of examples and practice problems, with step-by-step solutions and key mathematics concepts clearly explained
• Includes a 50-question drill using problems drawn from actual tests, with answers provided at the back of the book

Book Description

The second in a series of systematic studies by a celebrated mathematician I. M. Gelfand and colleagues, this volume presents students with a well-illustrated sequence of problems and exercises designed to illuminate the properties of functions and graphs. (See below for details of other books in this series.) Since readers do not have the benefit of a blackboard on which a teacher constructs a graph, the authors abandoned the customary use of diagrams in which only the final form of the graph appears; instead, the book's margins feature step-by-step diagrams for the complete construction of each graph. The first part of the book employs simple functions to analyze the fundamental methods of constructing graphs. The second half deals with more complicated and refined questions concerning linear functions, quadratic trinomials, linear fractional functions, power functions, and rational functions. Unabridged republication of edition published by The M.I.T. Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1969. Foreword. Introduction. Problems for Independent Solution.
... Read more

Reviews (2)

A great book!
I tend to look at elementary books like this one from the point of someone who doesn't need to learn from it but might want to use it as a text if teaching or tutoring someone. I learned almost nothing from this book, but I didn't expect to, as it's all material I learned ages ago. But for someone encountering this material for the first time, this would be an excellent book.

I see this book as used primarily in a pre-calculus math class or for tutoring someone about to take calculus. It gives a good exposition of material that will be encountered at the time a student takes calculus, but at a level that assumes the student has only the algebra that most students entering a calculus course have taken. And from that point, it explains the elements of drawing graphs of algebraic functions and the ideas of tangency that are so critical to differential calculus, and does so in a clear way, with helpful diagrams. It is a slim book, and probably by itself could not be the only text in a pre-calculus math class, but on the subjects it covers, it is the best I have seen. (And that is underrating it, because there aren't many books on the subject. So one might say that "the best there is" isn't really as high praise as it deserves.)

This book certainly deserves a 5-star rating.

A clear and simple look at functions and graphs
Great book to help you remember how to do graphs. It has many pictures to keep you in track with what you are doing. It also has many examples and problems to illustrate the material. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A nice easy going book.
Can't agree with my friend from Ann Arbor. This is the most accesible book on Riemannian Geometry. Or to be precise, this is not even a book on Riemannian Geometry, It's only a guide! The author doesn't take the universal intrinsic approach to the subject, but only look at everything as a subspace of Eucleadean space, and see how those apparently extrinsically defined concepts indeed have intrinsic meannings. And that gives you a taste of the real part, which you must turn to some other books.

Riemannian Geometry - A Beginner's Guide
Well I am only on page 10 and am considering quiting this book. I have a BSEE with quite a lot of mathematics history, but I know nothing about Riemann geometry. I got bogged down right from the beginning with this book. It's not that the material - so far - is that demanding, but the explanations are terse at best and some formulas seem to pop onto the page from hyperspace. Some variables are undefined, unfamiliar nomenclature is used without explanation and there is no exposition to show from where some rather complicated formula appear. Too much is assumed by the author for a book that claims to be a "beginners guide". You can waste a lot of time trying to guess what is on the authors mind.

I get the impression that by adding another 10 pages or so of elucidating math and text this might be a nice little survey of the subject matter, but as is I can't recommend it. ... Read more

Book Description

Progress in mathematics frequently occurs first by studying particular examples and then by generalizing the patterns that have been observed into far-reaching theorems. Similarly, in teaching mathematics one often employs examples to motivate a general principle or to illustrate its use. This volume uses the same idea in the context of learning how to teach: By analyzing particular teaching situations, one can develop broadly applicable teaching skills useful for the professional mathematician. These teaching situations are the Case Studies of the title.

Just as a good mathematician seeks both to understand the details of a particular problem and to put it in a broader context, the examples presented here are chosen to offer a serious set of detailed teaching issues and to afford analysis from a broad perspective.

Each case raises a variety of pedagogical and communication issues that may be explored either individually or in a group facilitated by a faculty member. Teaching notes for such a facilitator are included for each Case in the Faculty Edition.

The methodology of Case Studies is widely used in areas such as business and law. The consideration of the mathematics cases presented here will help readers to develop teaching skills for their own classrooms.

This series is published in cooperation with the Mathematical Association of America. ... Read more

Book Description

This is one of the few books available in the literature that contains problems devoted entirely to the theory of operators on Banach spaces and Banach lattices. The book contains complete solutions to the more than 600 exercises in the companion volume, An Invitation to Operator Theory, Volume 50 in the AMS series Graduate Studies in Mathematics, also by Abramovich and Aliprantis.

The exercises and solutions contained in this volume serve many purposes. First, they provide an opportunity to the readers to test their understanding of the theory. Second, they are used to demonstrate explicitly technical details in the proofs of many results in operator theory, providing the reader with rigorous and complete accounts of such details. Third, the exercises include many well-known results whose proofs are not readily available elsewhere. Finally, the book contains a considerable amount of additional material and further developments. By adding extra material to many exercises, the authors have managed to keep the presentation as self-contained as possible.

The book can be very useful as a supplementary text to graduate courses in operator theory, real analysis, function theory, integration theory, measure theory, and functional analysis. It will also make a nice reference tool for researchers in physics, engineering, economics, and finance. ... Read more

Book Description

Are you "proud" to admit that you never liked math? Were never good in math?Are you struggling to pique your students' interest in math? Are you bored by the routine, mechanical aspects of teaching to the test in mathematics? This book offers a plethora of ideas to enrich your instruction and helps you to explore the intrinsic beauty of math. Through dozens of examples from arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and probability, Alfred S. Posamentier reveals the amazing symmetries, patterns, processes, paradoxes, and surprises that await students and teachers who look beyond the rote to discover wonders that have fascinated generations of great thinkers. Using the guided examples, help students explore the many marvels of math, including

* The Amazing Number 1,089. Follow the instructions to reverse three-digit numbers, subtract them, and continue until everyone winds up with . . . 1,089! * The Pigeonhole Principle. All students know that guesstimating works sometimes, but now they can use this strategy to solve problems.* The Beautiful Magic Square. Challenge students to create their own magic squares and then discover the properties of Dürer's Magic Square.

The author presents examples to entice students (and teachers) to study mathematics-to make mathematics a popular subject, not one to dread or avoid. ... Read more

Book Description

The second edition of this highly successful textbook has been completely revised and now includes a new chapter on vectors. Mathematics is the basis of all science and engineering degrees, and a source of difficulty for some students. Jenny Olive helps resolve this problem by presenting the core mathematics needed by students starting science or engineering courses in user-friendly comprehensible terms. First Edition Hb (1998): 0-521-57306-8First Edition Pb (1998): 0-521-57586-9 ... Read more

Reviews (3)

One of the best books for self study
As a finance professional, I was becoming overwhelmed with the growing complexity of financial products. Over time, my patch work math education was beginning to fray resulting in growing frustration and loss of confidence.

Jenny Olive's book is very helpful for people entering into a self study math program to bring together their fragmented college level math education and build mathematical understanding. If you were like me, the fast pace of college level courses forced you to cut corners and rush through material without the deep understanding that builds confidence. The book begins with Algebra and moves on to Trig and Calculus. The explanations are extremely lucid and the exercises are put together intelligently to move you toward greater complexity. And yes, there is no substitute for working out the problems as any good mathematician will tell you. I disagree with a previous reviewer on this score. Although, I felt (somewhat arrogantly) that I did not need to review Algebra, I found myself red faced and stuck in some of the more advanced problems. Fortunately the clear explanation and repeated problem solving gave me the insights that I was lacking. I found it helpful to work with a graphing calculator to help visualize some of the mathematics. It's also a great way to learn a graphing calculator!

I understand that Ms. Olive is adding two new chapters to her next edition, which she has kindly made available on her website for persons who own the current version. It would be nice if she would make it available in a downloadable PDF version.

I am hoping that the author will choose to follow this up with similar books on Probability and Linear Algebra. Her recommendations for further reading would also be very helpful. Great math books (and math teachers)are worth their weight in gold. Buy this book for your math library. You won't regret it.

A great review
I didn't take any Math senior year, and I took 2 years off after high school, and now I'm going to be a Computer Science major, so I really needed this book! I bought it a week ago and I'm halfway done, so now I won't have to take precalculus over again. The previous reviewer is right, it could include more, but if I have time, I'll just buy a Schwab outline to cover vectors and so on. One thing about this book is that it has few exercises, which is fine, because what person self-studying is actually going to do 30 exercises . . . I would, but the few exercises gets me moving through the material faster.

self help book for alg/trig/log/calc I. (applied science)
This book is written for someone who has been exposed to the subject but did not understand it, or has not had a math class in a while. Ms. Olive has taken extra effort to help the students avoid the pitfalls often encountered in these math topics. This attitude is reflected throughout the book. I felt that with the numerous problems solved at the back of the book (in detail), the price of this book,was a frugal investment. With vectors and additional physical science problems added to this book, I would give it 5 stars. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Math that Every Adult Should Know
As an educator (retired), I got an advance copy of this book. My first reaction was, "This is everyday math?!" Then in the third chapter it hit me: This is not necessarily what everyone knows (if that was the case, there would be no need for the book). It's what every American adult should know by the time they graduate from high school. Sadly, given the state of math education in this country, this book probably should have the subtitle "in an Ideal World." I recommend that anyone who wants to really understand math, and not just rush through it as some sort of evil necessity, study this book thoroughly -- after, or in addition to, their high school courses. And don't fret the abstract stuff. Math is abstract by its very nature. ... Read more

Book Description

Sequencing practice, whether picture stories or simple word stories, provides young learners with many important skills. This book provides a wide variety of reproducible cut-and-paste sequencing activities for children from preschool to beginning readers.

The book is divided to the progressively difficult sections beginning with real-life sequencing experiences and moving on to three-, four-, and six- part picture stories, sequencing words into sentences, and finally sentences into simple stories.

Details on each section in the book:

1. Beginning Sequencing -- teaching ideas for sequencing real-life events, full-page picture cards for sequencing three popular nursery rhymes.

2. Picture Stories -- reproducible cut-and-paste pages begin with four three-part picture stories and progress to six four-part and 10 six-part stories.

3. What Happens Next? -- students either cut & paste or draw to show what follows pictured events. (10 pages)

4. Make a Sentence -- students cut out words and past in order to tell about a picture. Beginning vocabulary; sentence length three-five words. (10 pages)

5. Pictures and Words -- students cut out sentences with simple-vocabulary (short vowels, common sight vocabulary) and paste them under the correct picture to create a four-part story. (20 pages)

6. Sequence Stories -- students cut and paste four or six sentences to create a story about a picture. Vocabulary contains short and long vowels and more special words. (13 pages)

7. Sequence and Write -- students cut and paste three, four, or six pictures in order and them write about the pictures to tell a story. (10 pages)

Complete step-by-step directions and all the patterns you need are included. Fun, instructive illustrations throughout. All 112 pages perforated for easy removal. ... Read more

Book Description

Robert Kaplan's The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero was an international best-seller, translated into eight languages. The Times called it 'elegant, discursive, and littered with quotes and allusions from Aquinas via Gershwin to Woolf' and The Philadelphia Inquirer praised it as 'absolutely scintillating.' In this delightful new book, Robert Kaplan, writing together with his wife Ellen Kaplan, once again takes us on a witty, literate, and accessible tour of the world of mathematics. Where The Nothing That Is looked at math through the lens of zero, The Art of the Infinite takes infinity, in its countless guises, as a touchstone for understanding mathematical thinking. Tracing a path from Pythagoras, whose great Theorem led inexorably to a discovery that his followers tried in vain to keep secret (the existence of irrational numbers); through Descartes and Leibniz; to the brilliant, haunted Georg Cantor, who proved that infinity can come in different sizes, the Kaplans show how the attempt to grasp the ungraspable embodies the essence of mathematics. The Kaplans guide us through the 'Republic of Numbers,' where we meet both its upstanding citizens and more shadowy dwellers; and we travel across the plane of geometry into the unlikely realm where parallel lines meet. Along the way, deft character studies of great mathematicians (and equally colorful lesser ones) illustrate the opposed yet intertwined modes of mathematical thinking: the intutionist notion that we discover mathematical truth as it exists, and the formalist belief that math is true because we invent consistent rules for it. 'Less than All,' wrote William Blake, 'cannot satisfy Man.' The Art of the Infinite shows us some of the ways that Man has grappled with All, and reveals mathematics as one of the most exhilarating expressions of the human imagination. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

As complex as math can be.
As if math wasn't complex and confusing enough, a book with equally confusing english was written about it. With out bragging, I am fluent in mathmatics; I understand it as if it were my primary language. What I am not fluent in is English, and unfortunately this book was written only for the English elite. 1/4th of the time I understood half of the poetic correlations between mathmatics and philosophy described in this book, which, consequently happens to be 3/4ths of the context. Basically, if you understand mathematics as well as I do, but do not understand poetry and philosiphy well, do not read this book, you're well off where you are. If you do understand English, extreemly well, and want to know more about mathematics, read the book. But if you could care less about mathematics, or english, then don't even read this review.

Is the Prose Delightfully or Excessively Rich?
As you can read from other reviews, this book rates 5 stars for its excellent description and illustration of many fascinating topics in mathematics. Not all readers, in contrast, will appreciate the authors' most unusual prose style. At times they can't seem to write a sentence without a metaphor, and often a startling or even madcap one. Allusions, philosophical insights, snatches of poetry and unusual quotations, verbs that wriggle or hop--they are all crammed together. So at times the mathematics seems a good deal easier to handle than the prose.

I was at first tempted just to dismiss this style as mere overwriting, but as I read further I started to see that it nicely fit the remarkable turns of thoughts of the master mathematicians as they tested their brains on the challenges of number and space. The more-than-quirky prose, including its philosophical and quasi-religious asides, definitely adds to the interest and instructiveness of the book, I finally decided.

This book is, as you can imagine, far more absorbing than the school math most of us were subjected to. Five stars.

The proof of a.0 = 0 is incomplete.
In the proof on page 40 of a.0 = 0,

Line 1: a.0 = a(1-1)
Line 2:.......= a - a
Line 3:.......= 0

since (1-1) is shorthand for 1+(-1), distributivity only yields

a(1-1) = a[1+(-1)] = a.1+a(-1)

so that going from Line 1 to Line 2 implicitly assumes that a(-1) is equal to -a, which has not been previously established from the axioms.

Great Math..... Obscure Prose
The mathematics in this book is clear and absolutely delightful - reminiscent of high school math. The derivations, proofs, figures and equations are all very clear and the words immediately associated with them are very useful complements. The problem arises when we are in-between the mathematical expositions, i.e., where historical and miscellaneous other snipets are presented; these would normally be pleasant diversions and would make the book even more interesting. But here, this is not the case. The prose is rather obscure, complex and cryptic and tends towards the quasi-poetic, quasi-philosophical and quasi-parabolic all at once. This is most unfortunate for a math book where simplicity and clarity of expression are paramount. Had the historical and other digressions been written clearly and in plain English, then this book, in my opinion, would have easily been 5-star material. But as it is, the math is worth an easy 5 stars, the prose an unfortanate 1 star for an average of 3 stars.

To Infinity, And Beyond!
We all take our pleasures where we find them, and everyone is different, with different sources to draw upon. It will seem peculiar to many people that others could take pleasure in mathematics. Children usually learn to be bored or frightened by math, but there isn't any reason for this, other than incompetent teaching. As an attempt at remedy, husband and wife team Robert and Ellen Kaplan in 1994 began the Math Circle, Saturday morning sessions for kids who just wanted to find out more about mathematics. (The sessions were changed to Sunday morning when soccer practice interfered). Some kids (especially those who were pushed into the classes by their parents) dropped out, but some have come back, year after year, and the Kaplans have found that posing questions, inviting conjectures, asking for examples, and even suggesting ways towards proofs can be something children can enjoy. Mathematicians have been telling us for centuries about the beauty of the objects and systems that they have explored. The Math Circle seems to have taught math in a way to at least some kids who have caught the spirit of the quest for mathematical beauty. In _The Art of the Infinite: The Pleasures of Mathematics_ (Oxford University Press), the Kaplans have put some of those lessons into book form, concentrating on infinities of various kinds. This is a book for adults, or kids who hanker to think about math like adults ought to, but it is full of a sense of play.

As you might expect, things start simple and get very complicated, and this is true right off in the first chapter, considering more and more complicated numbers. The Natural Numbers are introduced with patterns, as if you had stones to position on a table. 1, 3, 6, and 10 stones make pleasing equilateral triangles, and 1, 4, 9, and 16 make pleasing squares. We move from these to zero and negative numbers: "Certainly zero and the negatives have all the marks of human artifice: deftness, ambiguity, understatement." Are these numbers invented or discovered? The profundity of this question is plumbed throughout the book. Rationals, irrationals, and finally the complex numbers are all included. As the numbers mount up, the irregularity and regularity of the primes is considered, one of the most fruitful arenas of number theory. Euclid had to make an assumption about the infinite, his famous fifth postulate; but it is only an assumption; assuming that parallel lines meet eventually produces also a worthy geometry that tells us much about how the Einsteinian universe works. But there is no need to look into these strange worlds to find wonders; before leaving Euclid's terra firma, we are reintroduced to the triangle, and are presented with some astonishing revelations of secret points within and around the simple three sides that will remind you that no matter how simple things look, or even how simple things are, everything is more complicated than you can imagine.

And if you want your infinities more complicated still, the final chapter has to do with Cantor's work. Common sense tells us there must be half as many even numbers as there are whole numbers, but Cantor showed that the infinity of both was equal. He showed that the infinite number of points in a line as long as your finger was equal to the infinite number in a line as long as from here to the Sun. In fact, the number of points on a line is equal to the number of points in a plane. And yet, some infinities are bigger than others. This is strange territory indeed, and requires some concentration to understand and enjoy, even with the Kaplan's literate, witty, and clear explanations. This is a fine introduction to different aspects of serious mathematics; true to its subtitle, it is a book full of pleasures. ... Read more

Book Description

Practical Math Success: In 20 Minutes a Day, 2nd edition takes a fresh approach to arithmetic, elementary algebra, and geometry with a quick and easy 20-step program designed to dramatically increase math skills in just four weeks! Practice examples and exercises, an introductory diagnostic test to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses, and a section specifically tailored to the standardized test-taker are just some of the unique features of this comprehensive skill-builder. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

You can start off Math with this great book.
I was probably the worst math student in my Class ( I never used to pass), but today after a long bitter dedicated struggle now i am working as a financial analyst by completing a masters in Financial Engineering. And this is where it all began, with this book and i still remember when i started out i had a lot of fear, just to start out this book.
After I finished this i was ready to move on to algebra, Geometry ,Trignometry & Calculus with Peter Selby.Then I did it all and now i realise it was not me who was a math idiot but it was the teachers who should be shot dead for installing a huge math fear in me and i swore i'll never ever learn anything in the classroom anymore.

Finally...MATH SUCCESS!
I just bought this book to brush up on math skills for my new job. I love the step by step lessons, and all the practice. I really improved when I took the test at the end of the book. I think anyone who needs help with math should get this book!

It really builds your math rusty skills
I learned at High School that Math was a matter of practice, practice and practice. This book presents a great methodology to develop this rusty skills, and put them to work again. I highly recommend you this book, if you are consistant and determine to work toward all the excercises. ... Read more

Book Description

Ready-to-Use Math Proficiency Lessons and Activities 4th Grade Level offers teachers a collection of 40 key objectives that help students master the standard mathematics curriculum at the 4th grade level. Each of these objectives includes three developmental activities.

• Activity 1 provides physical models and the materials that are described in detail, including pattern sheets, building mats, and worksheets with answer keys.
• Activity 2 uses pictorial models such as pictures or diagrams that help students retain and assess what they have learned.
• Activity 3 encourages exploration and application of newly learned lessons. Worksheet items for this third stage give students more opportunities to prepare for the testing experience.

... Read more

Book Description

This contributed volume explores equity and social justice within the field of mathematics education. In part one, Helga Jungwirth's introductory chapter provides a strong theoretical overview that is based in actual classroom behaviors and a typology that classifies the various interpretations found within this volume. Also in part one, Laurie Hart discusses developments in equity research in the United States. Part two focuses on results of studies about social justice and their impact on learning in mathematics classrooms in various parts of the world. For example, in a chapter on Peru, social justice does not just encompass gender, but also inequalities in opportunities to learn, such as problems of resources, living and social conditions, communal demands and language needs. And, part three focuses on computers as a resource to mathematics teaching. ... Read more

Book Description

Innovative, hands-on math and science activities of many cultures, from one of the world's foremost science museums.

Too often, the study of science, math, and technology is limited to the major successes of the Western world. Yet people all over the world have observed and explored nature and developed technologies to help them in their everyday lives.

From the creators of the national bestseller and Parent's Choice Book Award-winner The Explorabook (over one million copies sold) comes Math and Science Across Cultures, designed to help teachers, parents, and youth-group leaders use hands-on activities to explore the math and science of different cultural traditions, and to make these subjects more relevant and approachable for children of all backgrounds. With instructions in this book, you can:

• Construct a Brazilian carnival instrument and investigate the science of sound.
• Play a peg solitaire game from Madagascar and learn about mathematical patterns.
• Experiment with a traditionally prepared cup of Chinese tea and learn about energy flow.
• Count like an Egyptian, decipher Mayan mathematical symbols, and decode the ancient Inca number system of knotted cords. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Also ideal for use in a homeschooling environment
Collaboratively compiled and written by Maurice Bazin, Modesto Tamez, and the Exploratorium Teacher Institute, Math And Science Across Cultures: Activities And Investigations From The Exploratorium is specifically designed to enable teachers and parents to make science and math both relevant and interesting to children through the use of hands-on activities drawn from different cultural traditions. While construction the Cuica (a Brazilian instrument used during Carnaval) students can investigate and learn about the science of sound. Through the use of "Sona" (Southwestern African sand drawings), students will re-enact ancient storytelling traditions the use complex, interwoven patterns which reflect basic mathematical principles. From counting like an Egyptian, to decoding like a Mayan, to drawing like a Tchwokee, Math And Science Across Cultures will entertainingly and informatively engage children in the discoveries, innovations, and creative explores of cultures from around the globe. Highly recommended as a traditional classroom curriculum supplement, Math And Science Across Cultures is also ideal for use in a homeschooling environment. ... Read more