math&calcs book 4 kids, any suggestions?

[Luigi Vampa]

I would be very grateful, if any forum member could suggest a book to introduce math by means of a regular scientific calculator. It is meant for an 11 years-old kid, who is the son of a friend of mine. This kid is very good at math, and I would like to give him a Casio FX82 + this book, so that he can play with both of them next summer holidays.
Needless to say, English language isn't an issue at all.
Thanks in advance for your help.

[klesl]

Maybe the good start point are books from official Casio's website
e.g. Learning Mathematics with ES PLUS Series Scientific Calculator
http://edu.casio.com/education/activity/

[Luigi Vampa]

Dík! / Thanks.
[EDIT] Following your link to Casio, I found "The Enjoyable Path to Math", but I find it a bit too high for an 11 years-old kid :O)

[klesl]

You wrote it the czech word "dík" correctly:-)
Another one
https://lor.usq.edu.au/usq/file/4839d6b1...fx82AU.pdf

[Luigi Vampa]

Velmi si vážím těchto informac :O)
Perfektní !!!

[KeithB]

While not in print, and nothing to do with calculators, I found this:
https://www.amazon.com/Professor-McSquar...lus+primer

Professor EM Mcsquared's calculus primer to be easily understood.

[Luigi Vampa]

I couldn't resist the urge to buy one from Amazon. Fun books about math for kids seem really hard to find. Thanks for the suggestion!!

[lrdheat]

Hi Luigi,

Although this book was written years before calculators came about, a most delightful book (if it can still be found) is Lady Luck The Theory of Probability. It is by Warren Weaver, a professor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin prior to 1932. My copy of his book was a Dover edition from 1982.

In his forward, he says that "I have written it for a double audience: first, for bright high school youngsters, in the hope of attracting them to the field and to more serious further study; and second, for people. By people I mean any and all sorts of adults, in the hope that they will be amused, that they will be intellectually stimulated, and that they will be sufficiently interested to use their influence- with Parent-Teacher groups, school boards, etc. - to see to it that this rich and practical and lovely subject gets some reasonable amount of attention in the mathematical courses in high schools. Indeed, I am convinced that this way of thinking ought to start in elementary schools."

I whole heartedly agree. The last sentence in the above paragraph also is a good one as I think a bright 11 year old would find much of the material accessible and fascinating! What might be difficult could be skipped, and quite possibly would drive a curiosity in mastering the math that was difficult!

He ends with "As you read along, don't expect to find a philosophical treatise. Don't expect meticulous accuracy about the very latest development in pure mathematics. Just bump along with me, admittedly on side roads now and then, and see if it isn't really fun."

Richard

This book is a treasure!

[Luigi Vampa]

Although I am not sure an 11 years-old kid could follow every chapter, it really seems a very interesting reading. Thank you very much for sharing the information about that book!

[rprosperi]

(05-09-2017 02:24 AM)lrdheat Wrote:  ...a most delightful book (if it can still be found) is Lady Luck The Theory of Probability. It is by Warren Weaver, a professor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin prior to 1932.

This book is available from ABEBOOKS.COM for $3.50 with shipping included (within USA). At that price, I'll add a copy to the library.

Thanks for recommending this.

[Luigi Vampa]

Bob, thanks for that link to AbeBooks. It was just €5, S&H to Spain included, so I felt obliged to order one :O)

[lrdheat]

Perhaps the most beautiful book (no math, but would spark a curiosity of the world of science) is Morrison and Eames (spelling)? Powers of Ten from the Scientific American Library. The essay and images and accompanying descriptions are a treasure. After an amazing introduction essay, the book has images of a picnic scene in Chicago, first from 1 meter above a couple having a picnic, and each page travels a power of 10 out from the scene, each descriptive text discussing the features of the world that occurs at that scale. It goes out to, I believe, 10^25 meters. Then, the book returns to the picnic scene, and dives in a power of 10 at a time, down to, I believe, 10^-14 meters. This is a book that I've been coming back to, to savor for several decades!

[lrdheat]

The last of my trifecta of books for young people is George Gamow's One,Two,Three...Infinity from the early 60's. Gamow was an outstanding physicist from the Manhattan Project days (did not work on the project).

The entire book will connect with a bright young person. His discussion of large numbers and infinities is one of the best that I have seen for a young person. He presents the idea of a printing press with all of the alphabet and punctuation characters, and the thought of having it print all of the possible combinations of characters. Why might and editor simply wait and cull out the great works from the output of the press. Every speech made in front of the congress, every love note, every page thrown in the trash by Shakespeare would be there! Why would this be impossible? Gamow also discusses the various flavors of infinity, and even introduces the young reader to complex numbers.

I hope your son finds the fun and fascination of these topics. I think he is lucky to have you as his dad!

Richard

[KeithB]

(05-09-2017 02:24 AM)lrdheat Wrote:  Hi Luigi,

Although this book was written years before calculators came about, a most delightful book (if it can still be found) is Lady Luck The Theory of Probability. It is by Warren Weaver, a professor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin prior to 1932. My copy of his book was a Dover edition from 1982.


This book is a treasure!

I'll bet the casinos are trying to suppress it, which is why it is out of print. 8^)

[Luigi Vampa]

(05-09-2017 05:21 PM)lrdheat Wrote:  The last of my trifecta of books for young people is George Gamow's One,Two,Three...Infinity from the early 60's. Gamow was an outstanding physicist from the Manhattan Project days (did not work on the project).
[...]
I hope your son finds the fun and fascination of these topics. I think he is lucky to have you as his dad!
Richard

Richard, thanks for this reference, I will try to get this one too.
Regarding the boy in question, he is my friend's son, not mine. My wife and I have three children:
- my little caveman #1 is 11 years old. Good at maths and a brilliant mind, but he suffers a sort of condition quite common these days... some kind of allergy to any intelectual efforts :.! Work in progress ;0)
- my little caveman #2 is 9, and his soul is one of a kind. He always has wanted to be a priest someday 0:') God only knows.
- my little princess is 7. She masters the RPN stack in my Free42/Kindle (she tries from time to time to show me new ways to get complex numbers in the stack ;) But she has just fallen in love with her piano.

That is why the 'freaky pack' (FX82 + book) goes to that son of my friend, who is 11, as my little caveman #1, but with an oposite attitude to effort than my son. The former is really a hard worker. He came with his family from Honduras to Spain 2 years ago, and unfortunately he got the lowest scores in his class in Madrid. But now, one year later, he is the number one in all tests, specially in maths :0) He isn't my boy, but I am sure you agree that determined spirit deserves a little gift.

[lrdheat]

You are most generous!

My dad (23 patents!) always wanted us (3 sons) to persue science. He was, for years, disappointed at the non-science direction that 2 of the sons followed. I was the science son, became a meteorologist. It was special to see how, over the years, he found himself proud of the achievements of his non-science sons.

It sounds as if your sons and daughters will feel your pride all along the way!

Richard

[Bob Patton]

I was given Mathematics and the Imagination (1940) by Edward Kasner and James Newman at age 10 in 1945. While a little advanced in places it was absolutely fascinating. The discussion of the various degrees of infinity really opened my eyes to such advanced topics. I would think it would still be available as used.

[Luigi Vampa]

Thanks Bob, another book I have bought, though I think I will keep this one for me. I am definitely breaking the piggy bank ;O)

[John Smitherman]

Theoni Pappas book "The Joy of Mathematics" is enjoyable: Link

Regards,

John

[Luigi Vampa]

John, thanks for sharing this information.
Now I need to wait for Amazon to deliver a paperback copy.