Go Figure!: A Totally Cool Book About Numbers (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards)) [Hardcover]

Johnny Ball (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards)

Experience the mysterious and magical world of numbers as never before. This unique book investigates mathematical marvels such as why daisies always have 34, 55, or 89 petals, why the world's phone numbers appear in pi, and other patterns and paradoxes that will make readers look at numbers in a whole new way.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8–A dynamic book filled with puzzles and problems to solve. Blocks of color, diagrams, and photo collages contribute to the exciting layout. Four sections (Where do numbers come from? Magic numbers, Shaping up, and The world of math) cover the history of counting, zero, number theory, Pi, chance, logic, fractals, and much more. The contributions of mathematical greats, from Ahmose to Albert Einstein, are described in brief. Many of the examples and questions are popular culture items; answers are provided in the back of the book. There is an error; the book attributes selecting animals to take on the ark to Moses rather than Noah. Not all sources are attributed (such as the chance of dying from various causes), although all images are. This title is well indexed and has a detailed table of contents. A fun romp for number and puzzle lovers.–Erlene Bishop Killeen, Fox Prairie Elementary School, Stoughton, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. Ball aims straight at kids' natural enthusiasm for puzzles and nifty phenomena in this wide-angle view of math. Readers will find the usual number history, finger-counting tricks, and magic squares here, but Ball extends his purview well beyond typical classroom subjects to touch upon topology, chaos theory, and fractals. Some discussions and exercises will challenge even grown-up brainiacs ("It's possible to make a hole in a postcard-sized piece of paper that a person can step through. Can you work out the pattern?"), but many others (making an icosahedron; performing probability-based card tricks) are spot-on for inquisitive kids who like to fiddle and ponder. Perhaps the only real drawback is the book's design. Fragments of text appear beside distractingly scattered photos, and the jacket's cheerful primary colors seem to target a younger audience than will be capable of absorbing the concepts. Try this on kids who ask for books on Sudoku number squares, and give it to teachers at many levels, who will want to borrow from Ball's pedagogical toolbox. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN (August 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756613744
• ISBN-13: 978-0756613747
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Mystery & Wonders

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unlock the Keys to the Universe, October 12, 2005

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Go Figure!: A Totally Cool Book About Numbers (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards)) (Hardcover)

Without math, the pyramids would never have been built. ~ Johnny Ball

Go Figure! gives children the opportunity to unlock the magic of numbers through brainteasers, mind-reading games and magic tricks. This book also contains some of the puzzles that have stumped the world's smartest mathematicians.

The author, Johnny Ball introduces concepts to make math more fun and very easy to understand. Part of what makes this book quite enjoyable is the full-color pages filled with diagrams, pictures and explanations. The concepts are divided into four main chapters:

Where do Numbers come from?
Magic Numbers
Shaping Up
The World of Math

Children will learn about Roman numerals, infinity, secret codes, World News, how counting began, shapes, chaos and logic. Johnny Ball also answers the following questions:

Did Cavemen Count?
How many molecules are in one glass of water?
What do the symbols on a Babylonian clay token mean?
How did the Mayans count?
How do insects use prime timing to survive?

How did numbers evolve? See Indian numbers go from 10 symbols to what they are today. One was originally a horizontal line. Three, three horizontal lines. Which really helps to explain why three looks the way it does today. Really fascinating stuff even for adults to read about.

As someone who enjoyed writing words upside down on my calculator in school, I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining book about how math evolved through time. There is even a page comparing 1-100 in Babylonian, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Chinese script, Hindu, Hebrew, Greek, Roman, Mayan and Modern Arabic.

The Math quiz is fun and one example:

"Find two numbers that multiply together to give 1,000,000 but neither of which contains any zeros."

You may need to buy some food for the lessons on page 72. "How can you cut a doughnut into 12 pieces with only 3 straight cuts? How is it possible to push a large doughnut through a cup handle?

The book concludes with a list of "Who's Who in the math world and then there are pages of answers to all the questions.

One of the most entertaining books on math I've ever read. Definitely will be of interest to children who have any interest in solving problems or want to make learning about math way more fun.

~The Rebecca Review

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It really IS cool!, January 1, 2007

By 

Lorel Shea (New England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Go Figure!: A Totally Cool Book About Numbers (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards)) (Hardcover)

As a homeschooling parent, I have read a lot of math books written for children. Go Figure! is one of the freshest and most fun! The pages are saturated with information, and my one complaint is that it feels a bit visually overwhelming. Don't let the colorful pages fool you, this book is very meaty and will take some time to digest. My son really enjoyed the section on ancient number systems. The chart on pages 24-25 compares Babylonian, Hebrew, Roman, Mayan, Hindu, and others. Readers can also learn about the golden ratio and phi, prime numbers, Pascal's triangle, buckyballs, and much, much more. There are nearly 100 pages of information here, geared toward middle school and up.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book specifically designed to show young readers that the science of math and numbers can be cool, October 4, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Go Figure!: A Totally Cool Book About Numbers (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards)) (Hardcover)

Go Figure! A Totally Cool Book About Numbers is a book specifically designed to show young readers that the science of math and numbers can be cool, fun, and crucial to understanding the universe's secrets. Each two-page spread teaches the reader about fascinating numerological concepts in plain and simple terms, from brain-twisting logic puzzles (a TV game show host has you pick from three garage doors, each with a car behind it. After you pick one, he knowingly reveals that one of the doors you didn't pick is empty. Should you switch your choice?) to the amazing shapes of fractals to the fascinating properties of the "golden ratio" phi and much more. Illustrated throughout with full-color diagrams and photographs, Go Figure! takes an adventurous approach to stimulating young minds and exploring mathematical mysteries. Very highly recommended for both elementary school and homeschooling science studies reading lists.