What a little gem of a book!
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A perfect book! My 11 year old daughter was entranced by the 1089 problem, and would be reading the book now, except I gave our copy to a friend, (have just ordered another three for us and any other casual callers). I'm doing a maths PhD and I loved it, and have learned things from it. Each chapter leads through a new idea, entertainingly written, but also, for example, giving a clear andsimple introductory explanation of calculus. I think all maths teachers should be given a copy, and should use it in class! Also explains what maths can do, what's it FOR! Absolutely recommended for maths lovers and maths-phobes alike.
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Perfect for lecturers, teachers, students, pupils and those with just a vague interest
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Alarmed at how much of my children's maths lessons was being lost to determining who had thrown this or that piece of paper, I sought a source of inspiration to keep their love of mathematics alive. I have found it. "1089 and all that" is perfect for the job.
Do not think that this is a book aimed at children, though, it is suitable for everyone, including lecturers and will be of benefit to many. First year students obliged to take a maths course will find many stimulating thoughts, though they should read the book with caution, they might just find themselves wanting to major in maths. Such late discovery of the joys of maths could be avoided by presenting all maths and physics teachers with their personal copy to enable them to liven up their classes with interesting asides, I suspect that, if only he could be motivated to do so, Acheson could inspire the least interested slob to stop throwing trajectiles and study their motion instead.
I had imagined that the task of building up my children's flagging interest might be slightly forced, even once I'd identified a suitable book, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Just a quick look at the first few pages on-line sent my sons charging off to tell their friends to "Think of a three digit number..." And now that it has arrived, I am redundant, because David Acheson's little hardback, does a far better job than I could ever do. Clear text, amusing cartoons, diagrams, and even blackboard look alikes, every page is a feast. "1089 and all that" is a book that you could race through, but you probably won't because you will wish to savour every tasty morsel of this cordon bleu fare.
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Smashing!
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A great little book, which makes mathematics accessible to anyone who wants to know. Written in a really friendly, non-condescending manner; Acheson wants you to like his subject, but takes great care not to force it upon you. Recommended for mathematicians looking for a spot of light relief, and non-mathematicians who just want to know a little bit more.
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Interesting and concise
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I had the pleasure of attending a summer school at Oxford where the maths lectures were taken by David Acheson. On the back of that, I bought this book and I'm glad I did! It's interesting and manages to explain things without patronizing those readers with mathematical knowledge, and yet helps those with very little. Highly recommended!
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A fascinating little book!
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I am currently training to be a maths teacher, and bought this book largely out of curiosity. But what a great little book! It is written in a style that is understandable to anyone without a great deal of mathematical knowledge, but is still interesting to anyone with a maths background. The style is lively and entertaining, and there are plenty of pictures and diagrams. Chapters such as 'The Trouble with Algebra', 'On being as Small as Possible', 'Are We Nearly There?', 'What is the secret of All Life', and 'Not Quite the Indian Rope Trick' introduce topics such as algebra, geometry, caluculus, infinity and far, far more. It has lots of fascinating little snippits that appealed not only to me, but also to my husband (who is not a mathematician), and my 13 year-old son. A lovely little book!
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