In each chapter, the number devil teaches robert a new math concept, such as prime numbers which the number devil calls prima donnas and square roots which he nicknames rutabagas. That is my opinion on the response of the number devil. The number devil my first encounter with this book was the jacket, with a cartoon devil and a quote describing the number devil as a cross between alice and wonderland and flatland. Annoyed with his math teacher who assigns word problems and wont let him use a calculator, twelveyearold robert finds help from the number devil in his dreams accessrestricteditem true. A mathematical adventure by hans magnus enzenberger this book is one of my favorites. Review the rubric to help guide the quality of your project. A number that is the same forward and backward is called a palindrome. The man who loved only numbers by hoffman about erdos is a fascinating biography with some thoughtprovoking math problems that nonmathematicians can understand. During each of these twelve nights, robert, who hates math, meets the. This book has a lot of whimsy, reminiscent of alice in wonderland.
A mathematical adventure kindle edition by enzensberger, hans magnus, berner, rotraut susanne, heim, michael henry. A mathematical adventure 262 by hans magnus enzensberger, rotraut susanne berner illustrator, michael henry heim translator hans magnus enzensberger. He is often frustrated and does not understand how a student could not grasp or delight in the concept he is trying to demonstrate. Robert asked where is the highest ranked person and the number devil replied he. This book is written for all to enjoy and i highly recommend it to anyone. One night, a number devil appears in roberts dream to solve his math problems. A beautiful and fun book that introduces math concepts through a number devil with a lot of attitude. Colorful illustrations help readers visualize the math concepts. For your summer math experience, you will be reading a book called the number devil. A suggestion is to read aloud a chapter on the monday, then explore the key ideas over the week and then reread the chapter on the friday. Please choose one of the following opportunities to demonstrate that you have read the book and have learned something interesting from the book.
On the kids list, i strongly recommend the number devil. Robert, a boy who isnt very adept at mathematics, has mr. A mathematical adventure takes 12 year old main character robert through a series of 12 dreams with a number devil, opening roberts eyes to the wonders of math and numbers. For something truely different try the number devil. On the friday have students document their new understandings gained that week. In twelve dreams, robert, a boy who hates math, meets a number devil, who leads him to discover the amazing world of. Mathical book prize the number devil mathical book prize. In addition the number devil was indignant that robert was able to figure out the answer before him even though he guessed. Bockel, a pretzelloving teacher, for a math teacher. At 1st, robert thought that zero is just useless since it is nothing, but. A mathematical adventure by hans magnus enzensberger, the drunkards walk.
The international bestseller that makes mathematics a thrilling exploration. But robert proved him wrong so now he cannot contain himself. A mathematical adventure is a fictional book by hans magnus enzensberger involving mathematics. It is the story of robert, a twelveyearold boy and his adventures in mathematics over the period of twelve nights. Michael henry heim in twelve dreams, robert, a boy who hates math, meets a number devil, who leads him to discover the amazing world of numbers. The only bit i dont care for in this book is that the devil uses unusual names for the mathematical concepts such as calling roots by the name. Nov 30, 2015 the international bestseller that makes mathematics a thrilling exploration. I had to read it for a project in math and found it more than enjoyable. A mathematical adventure by enzensberger, hans magnus, heim, michael henry isbn. After describing the characters and mapping the plot, the students and melissa decided that our novel would feature similar yet original charactersa young person struggling with math and a wise mathematical guideand a plot with a recurring event, like the dream in the number devil. A mathematical adventure by hans magnus enzensberger. During each of these twelve nights, robert, who hates math, meets the number devil.
My nine year old daughter and i recently finished reading the number devil by hans magnus enzensberger. Like an onion, the number devil is full of juicy mathematical layers that inspire people to examine and consider math in their world. A mathematical adventure paperback 1 may 2000 by hans magnus enzensberger author. A mathematical adventure by hans magnus enzenberger. It is an upper bound for a quantity in ramsey theory whose actual value is.
In hans magnus enzensbergers the number devil, translated by michael henry heim, a boy and a devil interact with each other through a series of dreams, uncovering mathematical abstractions around them. The number devil represents a general mathematician. If you like math, you will love reading about the adventures of the number devil. It was originally written in german, but an english translation exists. The number devil represents one of the many ways teachers like myself can bring literature into a mathematics classroom. We turn next to a closer look at the adventures of robert and the number devil and the mathe. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the number devil. This summer i decided to read the book the number devil. It is about a 12 year old boy, robert, who hates mathematics. The very best math fiction books by age brain power boy. The sixth night on the sixth dream with the number devil. Though some of the concepts were familiar to the sixth graders, otherslike irrational. This book is a thinly veiled novelization of a few math problems.
In the story, robert meets the number devil and the number devil teaches him about how much fun math can be. A mathematical adventure is about a boy named robert who hates numbers and math. Night 12 when robert was sleeping, the number devil brought a invitation to math heaven and math hell. Math fiction books for gifted children verywell family. Annoyed with his math teacher who assigns word problems and wont let him use a calculator, twelveyearold robert finds help from the number devil in. Some of the math concepts were a little confusing but managable. The math is then explained via conversation between the main character and the number devil, so you really have to reflect on the topics after each chapter to understand them.
In twelve dreams, robert, a boy who hates math, meets a number devil, who leads him to discover the amazing world of numbers. After the number devil went, robert was riding swing and fell into a sleep. Oct 15, 2015 in addition the number devil was indignant that robert was able to figure out the answer before him even though he guessed. What is my number a game of number clues for 3rd and 4th graders contemporarys number power 4. The number devil hans magnus enzensberger macmillan. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Having never read flatland, but being familiar with alice in wonderland, i was intrigued, and indeed there were many aspects of the novel which invoked. Its an exciting book because the number devil is in twelve of his dreams and they go on adventures together.
Enzensberger is a respected german novelist not at all a mathematician who wrote this book to show to children that serious math is great fun and not difficult. Pitting the protagonist, robert, against an evil devil representing the toils of math homeworkclasswork, the book softens the edges of your traditional math lecture. This is a book that was recommended to me by my university of washington professor megan kelleypeterson. According to the book math cannot be guessed said the number devil. The story is about a boy named robert who hates math because he finds it very boring at school. Mar 01, 2020 the international bestseller that makes mathematics a thrilling exploration. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Look up grahams number the last one in the book, which is inconceivably big. The first step was to use the number devil as a model for story mapping. Likely best for kids 10 and up who have some knowledge of math language. Robert is surprised as he does not have his usual dreams. Annoyed with his math teacher who assigns word problems and wont let him use a calculator, twelveyearold robert finds help from the number devil in his dreams. Enzensberger creatively tells a story of robert, a young boy with mediocre math skills, and.
And like most good ideas,it begins with what do you think. The title may be translated as the counting devil, or maybe the number devil, and it has a subtitle that translates to a pillowbook for everyone who is afraid of math. The first phase of the project began in math class as sarah led students through a class reading of the number devil. When the number devil multiplied 1,111 by 1,111 the answer was 1,234,321. In japan, the number devil is also a hit, perhaps because the book fills a gap in childrens education and may even manage something that some schools dont. Book synopsis the international bestseller that makes mathematics a thrilling exploration. The reader is cautioned to use standard terms when not in the fanciful world explored by the number devil and robert. As we dream with him, we are taken further and further into. Robert asked where is the highest ranked person and the number devil replied he is at the place over the clouds. Another good kids book is sidesways math from wayside school. Popular math fun books meet your next favorite book. When robert was sleeping, the number devil brought a invitation to math heaven and math hell.