Condessa Posted March 6, 2019 Share Posted March 6, 2019 (edited) My dd who just turned ten is really loving math right now. She recently read about Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica, and excitedly asked me to get her a copy. Is there an edition out there that would be less likely to scare her off when she sees it? She’s a bright kid and somewhat accelerated in math, but I will be surprised if she can make heads or tails of any of it. But I do want to encourage her. She has a reading comprehension of about high-school level. Edited March 6, 2019 by Michelle Conde Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpleowl Posted March 6, 2019 Share Posted March 6, 2019 May I offer an alternative? If you can get your hands on this edition of Fibonacci's Liber Abaci, I think your DD would find it more readable than Newton. Fibonacci wrote it to convince people in Europe that it was worth switching from Roman numerals to Arabic numerals. The math in it is very accessible (it starts with how to count!), but it's interesting to read if you understand the context. I was able to find it at the library of the local community college. Newton's Principia can be found as a free or very cheap ebook on Google Play Books or Amazon. I don't know about any simplified versions, but maybe someone else will! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condessa Posted March 6, 2019 Author Share Posted March 6, 2019 Thanks Purpleowl, I will look for that, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted March 6, 2019 Share Posted March 6, 2019 (edited) I read this version on internet archive for leisure so I didn’t have the pressure to understand. It’s the first American edition. https://archive.org/details/newtonspmathema00newtrich/page/n7 ETA: Half Price Bookstore has many copies of this title, different versions, at my local ones. Edited March 6, 2019 by Arcadia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4KookieKids Posted March 8, 2019 Share Posted March 8, 2019 (edited) On 3/6/2019 at 6:10 AM, purpleowl said: May I offer an alternative? If you can get your hands on this edition of Fibonacci's Liber Abaci, I think your DD would find it more readable than Newton. Fibonacci wrote it to convince people in Europe that it was worth switching from Roman numerals to Arabic numerals. The math in it is very accessible (it starts with how to count!), but it's interesting to read if you understand the context. I was able to find it at the library of the local community college. Newton's Principia can be found as a free or very cheap ebook on Google Play Books or Amazon. I don't know about any simplified versions, but maybe someone else will! Aw! I just had my math students read this in a class I’m teaching! The problems are so fun (on two men breaking bread is really interesting and unexpected) and it’s always fun to share how the Fibonacci sequence was actually really not the main thing he contributed to the field of mathematics! 🙂 PS. There are free online ones as well, I think. Edited March 8, 2019 by 4KookieKids 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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