The Heart of Mathematics: Manipulative Kit Alone [Misc. Supplies]

Edward B. Burger (Author), Michael Starbird (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 2004 | ISBN-10: 1931914508 | ISBN-13: 978-1931914505 | Edition: 2nd

The Manipulative Kit contains old favorites such as the Platonic Solids kit, the Pythagorean Proof Puzzle, the Topological Puzzle, the Fibonacci Square-to-Rectangle Puzzle and four game dice.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews of the second edition:

"In this book, the reader will see that mathematics is a network of intriguing ideas a ] . It is a really nice book. a ] This attractive book contains a lot of well-known and interesting problems a ] . It is really true that the ideas presented in this book are some of the most fascinating and beautiful ones around. a ] The reader will have something to explore, to learn, to think, to enjoy, and to add new aspects to his view of everything." (Valentina DagienA, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1065, 2005) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Make mathematics fun and satisfying for everyone

Math can be a living source of powerful ideas that transcend mathematics; a window into mind-opening philosophical concepts such as infinity, fourth dimensions, chaos, and fractals; and a practical training ground for developing skills in analysis, reasoning, and thought—if you have the right approach and the right guide.

The Heart of Mathematics: An Invitation to Effective Thinking­—now in its third edition—transforms mathematics into an engaging, relevant experience even for the most math-phobic student. Infusing this book with humor and enthusiasm, Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird—both recipients of the Mathematical Association of America’s foremost national teaching award and countless state, regional, and campus-wide teaching honors—introduce students to the most important and interesting ideas in mathematics while inspiring them to actively engage in mathematical thinking.

Richer and more rewarding than ever, this new edition features:

• An emphasis on mathematical methods of investigation
• Visualization techniques that make key concepts easier to understand
• Accessible, friendly writing style that encourages critical thinking
• "Life Lessons"-effective methods of thinking that students will retain and apply beyond the classroom

End of section Mindscape activities for the development of application, problem-solving, and argumentation skills --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Misc. Supplies: 1200 pages
• Publisher: Key College; 2nd edition (August 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931914508
• ISBN-13: 978-1931914505
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,491,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

105 of 107 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Unusual Book of Wide Interest, July 21, 2002

By 

-_Tim_- (The Western Hemisphere) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Heart of Mathematics: An Invitation to Effective Thinking (Hardcover)

The Heart of Mathematics is an unconventional math survey aimed primarily at social science and humanities students. While students in "soft" majors are the primary intended audience, math majors and others who have already progressed beyond the introductory level are likely to find this book of great interest as well.

The book gives readers a good feel for the variety of problems that mathematicians tackle. In fact, one of the book's great strengths is the range of topics it covers, from number theory and games, to topology, to chaos and fractals. It does this with little use of conventional mathematical notation or jargon, and the level of presentation is so elementary that the book can be "read" just as any non-technical book can be read. At the same time, the authors go to great lengths to encourage reader participation. Many hands-on demonstrations and experiments are provided, and the end-of-chapter exercises ask readers to discuss the material with others and write about their experiences.

The topics presented are fascinating. I read this book on my vacation and found several passages to read to my wife and daughter almost every day. (This provided a lot of amusement for everyone when my 12-year-old daughter would solve problems in a few seconds that I had been pondering without much success.)

The book's subtitle is "An Invitation to Effective Thinking," and the authors present problem-solving strategies that can be applied to problems within and outside the field of mathematics. While readers will no doubt be familiar with many of them already, it is difficult for me to imagine anyone who would not benefit from at least some of the strategies presented.

The authors' writing is very informal with a lot of corny humor - possibly too much for a lot of people - but at the same time you do get a sense of the authors as good guys who know some important things and want to share the wealth.

In summary, this is a most unusual and stimulating book. Highly recommended.

67 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Math Appreciation, not computation or rigor, September 23, 2004

By 

Ted R. Shoemaker (Madison, Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Heart of Mathematics: An Invitation to Effective Thinking (Hardcover)

_The_Heart_Of_Mathematics_ was never intended as a traditional textbook to teach you how to calculate. If that is what you are looking for, you need a different book. Its value -- and this is the best book of its kind that I have found -- is in helping the reader gain an appreciation for mathematics. Its title could well have been _Math_Appreciation_ . It was most likely intended as a way of satisfying the "math requirement" for non-math majors who feel allergic to math.

I have read comments from several people debating the merits of this book. Perhaps it would help to inject an analogy into the conversation. Suppose you wanted to learn (or teach) music. One teacher chooses to teach her students how to play the piano; another has her students listen to CDs of great performances; another teaches his students how to read music; and another teaches the biographies of Beethoven and Mozart. Which of these teachers is right? Which kind of music do you want to learn?

The question itself is mistaken, if you think that it has exactly one correct answer. The best answer is: ALL OF THEM. The problem here is not in what any one of these approaches will teach, but in what it omits.

Now, translating back from the metaphor: I want my children to learn how to compute AND how to love math. Which is right? Both of them.

This book shows you how to have fun with math. If you or your students end up learning something, and wanting to learn more -- that's the idea.

96 of 101 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Without Any Doubt, One of the Best Math Books I've Ever Read, May 28, 2001

By 

Rawitat Pulam - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heart of Mathematics: An Invitation to Effective Thinking (Hardcover)

After browsing this book for a while in a book store somewhere near Tokyo station, I decided to buy it immediately, even it's price will about almost doubled the price I would get if I buy from internet. (I bought it for about $115).

But, it turned out to be one of the best decision I'd ever made in my life as a book-worm. (Well, I do love reading :-)

This book will change the way you look at the world, the way you look at yourself, the way you think, and so on. It is cleary one of the best books on Math I've ever read so far (I do love Math as well :)

Instead of throwing you the formulas, the authors lead you to the Mathematical Thinking. How to think this, how to solve that. What Mathematic really is and what are its applications, and why it had been used that way. All explained through simple but fun-to-think example/problems. Using non-technical language, and almost no formula(!). In fact, almost everyone with little math background can enjoy this book. It doesn't seem to require anything more than middle school math. So, you can really see the pictures, the very big pictures, clearly in your mind, which is really importand.

With the wide range of content, from Prime Numbers to Chaos, Fractals, Infinity, 4th Dimension, and more. The concept of each is well-explained, in a manner I mentioned earlier. This book will definitely help you to understand the making of "modern" science better.

One more thing is: Mathematic is not something that far from our everyday life as some might think. It's the alternative way to view our everyday life. The way with reason, pattern, logic, relation betweening things, and more. (Well, I realized this before start reading this book. But for those who haven't realize, this book will open the door for you).

Math can also be fun. (In fact, it IS .. That's why I love it :-)

And this book tell you why, and how to find and feel those "fun" and enjoy Math. Without any complicated computation, and limited only by your imagination.