» Fractals, Googols, and Other Mathematical Tales

Fractals, Googols, and Other Mathematical Tales Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Let's clear this up
Comment: C=pi*d. That means the diameter has to be **multiplied** by "three and a little bit" in order to be equivalent to, or wrap around, the circumference of the circle. It takes "three and a little bit" diameters to get around the circle one time, not one diameter to get around the circle three and a little bit times. The engineer was right! Other than that, it was still a pretty good book, though. If you're a teacher with an older class, you can see if they can spot the error.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Could I help clarify?
Comment: I believe the quote about the circumference and diameter is worded incorrectly. We all know that the size of the diameter and circumference are proportional (hence pi), but the diameter would never wrap around a circumference 3 and a little times! This is obviously false because the circumference is larger than the diameter. The circumference would wrap around the diameter 3 and a little times. Please check your books to determine if the quote is correct in R. Krapf's review - if so, then the book is WRONG!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Revieing the reviewer
Comment: I am not sure what R. Krapf "Engineer" (below) was thinking when he/she wrote his/her review...

The circumference of a circle (C) is calculated as 2 * pi * r (or pi * 2 * r)

Since r is the radius and 1/2 the diameter (d), that means C = pi * d

Since pi is about 3.14, that means the book is correct. The diameter of a circle would wrap around (the circumference of) the circle "3 and a little bit"

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The Story of Pi
Comment: I was disappointed. While skimming through the book prior to giving it to my 7 year old son, I stumbled on the Chapter on "PI". It was obviously wrong stating that the diameter of a circle would wrap around the circle "3 and a little bit". Now, how can I trust this book knowing that the editors missed such a glaring error? Could be very confusing to a young aspiring mathmetician.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Attention Math Teachers
Comment: This book explores a wide range of mathematical concepts, including many of the traditional "fun" topics like Fibonacci numbers. For each topic (covered on two large pages typically) there is a simple story written to be accessible to even young children, followed by a franker and more mature mathematical discussion. This two part approach makes the text accessible to a wide audience while having a solid mathematical foundation. The articles serve as a solid foundation to spark student interest in further exploration, or stand alone as interesting mathematical shorts. Some of the topics will have direct curricular applications, including articles on the real number system and the transcendental number pi. This is a wonderful text and is suitable for elementary through high school students.

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