Johnny Ball

This is an amazing read for students that have a little spare time. This book teaches thousands of interesting facts about measuring, mapping, timing, and creating. The amazing part is that it all has to do with math! In the book you can learn why your geometry teacher makes you do all those weird half circles and makes you measure angles because the Romans and even Galileo used the same methods we use. Thanks to them our world is so much more exciting and precise and this book explores all show more those wonders. One page shows all the history and hard work it took to map the world. People like Ptolemy, Archimedes, and Mercator were the ones that made it possible, and from everything that I read about that I can tell you it wasn’t easy! If a student has any scientific or mathematic questions there is a huge chance that this book can properly inform them. show less

Go figure! is a book that teaches kids more than they could ever imagine about numbers. It begins by telling about the origins of numbers and how they have been used over time in different parts of the world. It expains how math is like magic and the importance of numbers. Children get to see how numbers work in games and puzzles. It is one fo the most in-depth number books you will find.
I found this book extremely interesting. If you told a child you were going to have them read a book show more about numbers they would think they were being tortured. But this book addresses numbers in a fun, interesting way.
I would definitely use this book in my classroom. It is not a book that you could stand up and read from cover to cover to the class. I do think, however, that you could read excerpts at different times and the students would enjoy it. I also think it is a book that they would enjoy reading at their desks. I would use it as a group project. Each team would be given a part of the book that they had to give a presentation over. show less

This book is a fabulous find for any math teacher or a student with a penchant for math topics! It is very colorful, eye-popping, and engaging; it definitely defies the image of math as a boring subject. Some pages can be overwhelming in all of their color and information, but overall the book is well organized. There are many insets with additional information, diagrams, and example problems, each in distinct areas. The overall content of the book is organized by different concepts or show more strands in math, making it easy for a reader to find a passage on a topic of their interest. show less

Go Figure! is a math book that teaches more than just numbers. It actually has some interesting facts about the history of math as well as a lot of great visuals to make understanding the concepts easier for those who aren't really that crazy about math (like myself). I would highly recommend it to anyone struggling in math who needs a reference guide. It would also be a great tool for teachers to keep in the classroom for anyone who wants to look something up or privately review something.