Math Charmers: Tantalizing Tidbits for the Mind

by Alfred S. Posamentier, Herbert A. Hauptman (Foreword)

Professional mathematicians often speak of the beauty of mathematics and the elegance of its solutions. Yet the esthetic appeal of math is rarely conveyed to students at the elementary, secondary, or even college level. Instead, most of us develop phobias in school about math's elusive logic and then pass these negative impressions on to our children. We should all be having fun with math and helping our kids to do better in life by encouraging them to appreciate not only its usefulness but especially its charm. That's just what veteran math educator Alfred Posamentier sets out to do in this delightful exploration of math's many intriguing, interesting, and fun qualities. Beginning with the beauty of the number system, thr author doesn't just talk mathematics; he entices readers to do math and discover for themselves just how stimulating the process can be! Brief and entertaining introductions to each chapter invite readers to try their hands at arithmetic marvels, surprising solutions, algebraic entertainments, geometric wonders, and fun mathematical paradoxes, among other topics. Presented in a reader-friendly, conversational tone, the text is very accessible and the examples are geared to a beginner's level, so that even the most math-phobic individual will discover the hidden joy and inherent appeal of doing math. This is the ideal book for adults looking for a way to turn their kids on to an important subject or discover for themselves what they might have missed in their own math education.

Genres: Mathematics, Nonfiction

301 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2003

About the author

Alfred S. Posamentier (born October 18, 1942) is among the most prominent American educators in the country and is a lead commentator on American math and science education, regularly contributing to The New York Times and other news publications. He has created original math and science curricula, emphasized the need for increased math and science funding, promulgated criteria by which to select math and science educators, advocated the importance of involving parents in K-12 math and science education, and provided myriad curricular solutions for teaching critical thinking in math.

Dr. Posamentier was a member of the New York State Education Commissioner’s Blue Ribbon Panel on the Math-A Regents Exams. He served on the Commissioner’s Mathematics Standards Committee, which redefined the Standards for New York State. And he currently serves on the New York City schools’ Chancellor’s Math Advisory Panel.

Posamentier earned a Ph.D. in mathematics education from Fordham University (1973), a Master’s degree in mathematics education from the City College of the City University of New York (1966) and an A.B. degree in mathematics from Hunter College of the City University of New York.

Posamentier was born in Manhattan in New York City, the son of Austrian immigrants. He has one daughter (Lisa, born in 1970), and one son (David, born in 1978). He resides in River Vale, New Jersey and is the current Dean of the School of Education and professor of mathematics education at Mercy College, New York. He was formerly professor of mathematics education and dean of the School of Education at The City College of the City University of New York, where he spent the previous 40 years.

Reviews

[Nguyễn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a light introduction to some concepts of mathematics, and it is most appropriate for 10 to 14 years old pupils. It contains both the very fundamental(like numbers, number patterns...) and also advanced concepts (topology, probability...).The author's aim is to present mathematical beauty of various topics in maths. He is quite succesful in the chapter of geometry where the concept of invariant appears, however the style of listing theorem without proofs and sometimes with too easy applications makes the book less interesting.
Overall, this book is a useful book for the secondary pupils.

[Duygu Pınar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gerçekten matematiğin büyüsü :) Sayılar ile ilgili oyunlar , ilginç sayılar daha bir çok şey. Harika bir derlem olmuş çok beğendim. En baştaki önsöz ise kesinlikle eğitim sistemimize dair getirilecek en iyi saptama.Kitap güzel falan gerçekten matematiğin büyüsü çok güzel örneklerle verilmiş ama yazar anlatımını basit tutacağım demişti başta bazen çok basit tuttu ama öyle yerler var ki uzun ispatlara girmiş ve bu dayanılmıyor bazen.