Math Charmers: Tantalizing Tidbits for the Mind by Alfred S. Posamentier (PDF)

Description

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.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “This stimulating, motivating and entertaining book tantalizes and charms the reader, teacher, and student alike with the beauty, the fun, the wonder, and the marvel of mathematics. ..This collection of fascinating tidbits…is an excellent collage. …I strongly recommend this book to all math teachers, math students, and many, many others.”-Science Books and Films “For a book that intends to convey the nature of pure mathematics, Posamentier’s is far superior to many, which often involve long, difficult presentations on a single topic…Highly recommended.”-Choice Current Reviews for Academic Libraries“This inspiring book…is intended for the enjoyment of adults or older students, but segments can be adapted by teachers for students as young as fifth grade…There is information here for everyone, from the experienced mathematics teacher to someone who is willing to be intrigued…I strongly recommend this book to administrators and to all teachers of mathematics regardless of the grade level.” -Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School About the Author Alfred S. Posamentier is dean of the School of Education and professor of mathematics education at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, New York. Previously, he had the same positions at the City College of the City University of New York for forty years. He has published over fifty-five books in the area of mathematics and mathematics education, including The Fabulous Fibonacci Numbers (with Ingmar Lehmann).

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I really like this book. It contains a high concentration of nice math demonstrations. It is appropriate for students as young as 11 or 12, although such young students might not understand all of the concepts, and it is great for high school aged students who are looking for interesting little tidbits that are different from their usual course work. It is also a good book for adults who like math.However, it virtually identical to the author’s other book “Math Wonders”. It makes absolutely no sense to buy them both – they are the same nearly word for word. Amazon should not be pairing the two together in a package deal.

⭐Great book!

⭐Math has never been my strongest subject, but this book makes it absolutely fascinating! Posamentier is engaging and delightfully charms his readers with wonderful math puzzles. This book taught me more about math than I ever expected to learn. Quite the introduction to beauty and excitement of math!

⭐Credit where it’s due: Posamentier is entirely right in noting the creativity gap that prevails in standard math teaching, and in insisting that math can (and should) be fun/instructive/fascinating/etc. I agree entirely, and I respect Posamentier for taking the time to assemble the so-called “math charmers” in this volume. Since few of these charmers are explored in any depth, however, I cannot help but feel that the resulting collection is far too light on substance and heavy on “tidbits”. As a source book for math teachers (at the elementary or middle school level), MCTTM perhaps has its uses. For readers seriously interested in the ‘Queen of the Sciences’, MCTTM is pretty shallow stuff. Greatly annoying, moreover, is Posamentier’s constant reminder that whatever he’s just described/is in the process of describing/will shortly describe is fascinating/informative/wonderful/etc. These refrains add nothing to the exposition, and become very tiresome very fast. In sum, though I have great respect for Posamentier the educator and would-be education-reformer (power to him!), I was completely uninspired by MCTTM. Similar content has been given far more incisive treatment by other authors in other publications.

⭐

Keywords

Free Download Math Charmers: Tantalizing Tidbits for the Mind in PDF format
Math Charmers: Tantalizing Tidbits for the Mind PDF Free Download
Download Math Charmers: Tantalizing Tidbits for the Mind 2003 PDF Free
Math Charmers: Tantalizing Tidbits for the Mind 2003 PDF Free Download
Download Math Charmers: Tantalizing Tidbits for the Mind PDF
Free Download Ebook Math Charmers: Tantalizing Tidbits for the Mind