Spy Car Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 (edited) I'm wondering about books (any age level) that would inspire children with a love of math by learning the history of math discoveries, or a biography of a mathematician, or even a fictionalized (or semi-fictionalized) tale that sparks the imagination. Perhaps something like, Archimedes and the Door of Science? I've seen the Sir Cumference books (but not read any yet) for young ones. Are there books you think might inspire the imaginations of any age person (adults included) , and/or help provide an understanding of how math developed in various civilizations through history? Thanks, Bill Edited March 14, 2009 by Spy Car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Hey Bill, Do you happen to be on the LivingMath Yahoo group? They have a TON of books listed..and we've had fun reading through some of them. Some are about real people and math...some more like the Neuschwander books (Sir Cumference and others she wrote...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted March 14, 2009 Author Share Posted March 14, 2009 Hey Bill, Do you happen to be on the LivingMath Yahoo group? They have a TON of books listed..and we've had fun reading through some of them. Some are about real people and math...some more like the Neuschwander books (Sir Cumference and others she wrote...) I'm not on that group. Never heard of it before. Sounds right on topic though, thank you for that. :001_smile: Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hathersage Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Yes, check out http://www.livingmath.net. It is exactly what you are looking for, by age level in fact, tons of lists :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laylamcb Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Hi, Bill-- I have littles, but so far our favorites have been Mathematicians Are People, Too (2 vols.) What's Your Angle, Pythagorus? The Librarian Who Measured the Earth The Warlord series by Pilegard All of these and more were inspired by Julie Brennan, who created Living Math (the website and Yahoo group others have posted about). She rocks. She has also created an entire curriculum of "living" math, focusing on math history, biographies, and concepts presented in nontraditional ways. You can read more about it at her website. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 I agree about LivingMath - it will have just what you are looking for. Here is some of the math literature my dd has enjoyed - Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar - she loved this book. One Grain of Rice - A Fly on the Ceiling Ben Franklin and the Magic Squares How Big is a Foot Actual Size A million fish More or Less Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest Biggest, Strongest, Fastest As far as history or biographies for the parent, I like Great Moments in Math by Howard Eves. There are two volumes the first is the easiest - it starts with the earliest recorded forms of counting from all over the world and works its way up to the 1600s. It also isn't completely euro-centric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted March 14, 2009 Author Share Posted March 14, 2009 (edited) These are fantastic suggestions! Hathersage, Leila, Diane and Karen thank you all so much!!! I don't know why I just didn't say "living math books" in the first place (clearly someone hasn't been paying attention) :lol: But these are a treasure-trove. Bill Edited March 14, 2009 by Spy Car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 I'd also add- How Did Numbers Begin? (Mindel and Harry Sitomer) Math Talk -Mathematical ideas in poems for Two Voices (Theoni Pappas) The Number Devil (Hans Magnus Enzensberger) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted March 14, 2009 Author Share Posted March 14, 2009 I'd also add- How Did Numbers Begin? (Mindel and Harry Sitomer) Math Talk -Mathematical ideas in poems for Two Voices (Theoni Pappas) The Number Devil (Hans Magnus Enzensberger) A complete side note, but those are three (or should I say four?) of the best authors names I've ever seen. I'd read them on that basis alone :D Can you see yourself at a cock-tail party saying: You know I was reading Hans Magnus Enzensberger the other day and.... :lol: Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 You might like Greg Tang's books. Scholastic has the best price...if you order the set. Our library has many of them as well. Carrie:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Testimony Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 You might like Greg Tang's books. Scholastic has the best price...if you order the set. Our library has many of them as well. Carrie:-) :iagree: I ditto livingmath.net. I also ditto Greg Tang's book. I just got done reading the Grapes of Math with my son. We had fun with this book. Blessings, Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maria/ME Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 Can I just "ditto" the "dittoes" for Living Math?! Great site...be sure to check out the curriculum there, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet in Toronto Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 For adults (or high school + aged students), I'd recommend Godel, Escher, and Bach (Hofstadter) Men of Mathematics (Bell) Five Equations that Changed the World (Guillen) The Golden Ratio (Livio) Fermat's Enigma (Singh) The Music of the Primes (du Sautoy) The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos... (Hoffman) To Infinity and Beyond (Naor) The Mathematical Experience (Davis and Hersh) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 Didn't see Penrose the Mathematical Cat mentioned yet - my kids love those, even my dd who claims she hates math! There are two books, both by Theoni Pappas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.