Surrounding the Perimeter Figure It Out From Nose to Thumb Introduction Reconciling Systems Figure It Out Around the World Paper and Bathtubs Figure It Out Platonic Solids So Many Measurements Figure It Out Light As a Feather Glossary Index Math Toolkit Selected Bibliography Websites Answer Key 3
W hen you think about mathematics you probably think about a class at school where you do calculations and answer word problems But have you ever thought about math being all around you It’s in every shape and pattern you see It’s in every song you hear It’s in every game you play and any puzzle you solve The first mathematicians realized this and they looked for ways to prove it to show how order and reason could explain much about life as they knew it Sometimes this was easy to do But other times people just didn’t get it Even some of the most intelligent people in history have struggled with math Albert Einstein once wrote to a child Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics I can assure you mine are still greater So how can you use whatever you know about math in everyday life When you find the length of your feet as you buy shoes determine the volume of milk left in the gallon or guess the weight of all the homework you have in your backpack you are using math Length volume and weight are the three basic measurements that are used in math There are a variety of different units for these measurements but the calculations you do with them have not changed Whose foot was the one that helped set up the system we know today 5
