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Go Figure!: A Totally Cool Book about Numbers
For many kids (and adults), it's hard to see the wonder in mathematics, and it seems to be a difficult subject to address creatively in literature, since books that want to make numbers run arc often dull, manipulative affairs tainted with condescension. Here's an invigorating, imaginative exploration that makes a strength out of the topic's breadth, looking at numbers in, appropriately, numerous and creative ways.
The book's four sections examine the history of numbers, magic numbers (pi, of course, but also phi, infinity, square and triangular numbers, and other powerful mathematical agents), shapes (not just yer basic squares and cubes, but also multi-sided figures, buckyballs, topology, and symmetrical axes), and "the world of math" (probability, chaos theory, fractals, logic, and art, plus some shortcut tips and thumbnail bios of significant mathematicians). Each topic is compactly addressed in a single oversized spread that offers a brief explanation, a cornucopia of...