"Delightful . . . easily digestible chapters include plenty of helpful examples and illustrations. You'll never forget the Pythagorean theorem again!"—Scientific American
Many people take math in high school and promptly forget much of it. But math plays a part in all of our lives all of the time, whether we know it or not. In The Joy of x, Steven Strogatz expands on his hit New York Times series to explain the big ideas...

Robert Sneden explores the great mathematical breakthroughs in history. Over time, our knowledge of mathematics has progressed in response to our desire to make life easier. Initially, the first breakthroughs were motivated by very practical problems, but as our understanding of theory advanced, a desire to solve more abstract problems has led to some incredible discoveries. Each chapter opens with a helpful overview and timeline of events, putting...

Wouldn't it be great if all school teachers (from kindergarten through high school) would share the joy of mathematics with their students, rather than focus only on the prescribed curriculum that will subsequently be tested' This book reveals some of the wonders of mathematics that are often missing from classrooms. Here's your chance to catch up with the math gems you may have missed. Using jargon-free language and many illustrations, the authors-all...

Author Rebecca Wingard-Nelson makes fraction and decimal word problems a snap with this great book. Readers will learn all the strategies they need to solve tricky fraction and decimal word problems. Color photographs and modern topics help readers stay interested and conquer word problems once and for all. Free downloadable worksheets are available on www.enslow.com.

Provides interactvie testing and practice exams. Provides helpful resources, such as charts, terms, formulas and lists. Discusses integers, decimals, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, dividends, fractions, numerators, denominators, prime numbers, factors, mixed numbers, ratios, percents, etc.

"What is the best way to photograph a speeding bullet? How can lost hikers find their way out of a forest? Why does light move through glass in the least amount of time possible? 'When Least is Best' combines the mathematical history of extrema with contemporary examples to answer these intriguing questions and more. Paul Nahin shows how life often works at the extremes -- with values becoming as small (or as large) as possible -- and he considers...

Historically, many of the most important mathematical concepts arose from problems that were recreational in origin. This book takes advantage of that fact, using recreational mathematics - problems, puzzles and games - to teach students how to think critically. Encouraging active participation rather than just observation, the book focuses less on mathematical results than on how these results can be applied to thinking about problems and solving...

Overview: The math we learn in school can seem like a dull set of rules, laid down by the ancients and not to be questioned. In How Not to Be Wrong, Jordan Ellenberg shows us how terribly limiting this view is: Math isn't confined to abstract incidents that never occur in real life, but rather touches everything we do-the whole world is shot through with it. Math allows us to see the hidden structures underneath the messy and chaotic surface of our...

Bestselling author and physicist Stephen Hawking explores the "masterpieces" of mathematics, 25 landmarks spanning 2,500 years and representing the work of 15 mathematicians, including Augustin Cauchy, Bernard Riemann, and Alan Turing. This extensive anthology allows readers to peer into the mind of genius by providing them with excerpts from the original mathematical proofs and results. It also helps them understand the progression of mathematical...

Learn about patterns that appear in nature.