The international best-seller that makes mathematics a thrilling exploration.
In twelve dreams, Robert, a boy who hates math, meets a Number Devil, who leads him to discover the amazing world of numbers: infinite numbers, prime numbers, Fibonacci numbers, numbers that magically appear in triangles, and numbers that expand without . As we dream with him, we are taken further and further into mathematical theory, where ideas eventually take flight, until everyone-from those who fumble over fractions to those who solve complex equations in their heads-winds up marveling at what numbers can do.
Hans Magnus Enzensberger is a true polymath, the kind of superb intellectual who loves thinking and marshals all of his charm and wit to share his passions with the world. In The Number Devil, he brings together the surreal logic of Alice in Wonderland and the existential geometry of Flatland with the kind of math everyone would love, if only they had a number devil to teach it to them.
Amazon.com Review: Young Robert's dreams have taken a decided turn for the weird. Instead of falling down holes and such, he's visiting a bizarre magical land of number tricks with the number devil as his host. Starting at one and adding zero and all the rest of the numbers, Robert and the number devil use giant furry calculators, piles of coconuts, and endlessly scrolling paper to introduce basic concepts of numeracy, from interesting number sequences to exponents to matrices. Author Hans Magnus Enzensberger's dry humor and sense of wonder will keep you and your kids entranced while you learn (shhh!) mathematical principles. Who could resist the little red guy who calls prime numbers "prima donnas," irrational numbers "unreasonable," and roots "rutabagas"? Not that the number devil is without his devilish qualities. He loses his temper when Robert looks for the easy way out of a number puzzle or dismisses math as boring and useless. "What do you expect?" he asks. "I'm the number devil, not Santa Claus." (Ages 10 to adult) --Therese Littleton
Outstanding book for all ages I purchased this book at a college book store. I think it was there because it was required reading for math education majors. It also might have been a book for elementary teachers that were taking a math methods course. Regardless of why it was there, I purchased it and read it. It was a fun and interesting look at lots of different math topics.
My son has enjoyed this book since he was about 9 years old. He has probably read it cover to cover at least 5 times and recommends it to all of his friends that like math as much as he does.
You really can't beat it for the price! It's perfect for pre-teens that love math.
fibonnaci what a great way to learn about fibonaci, infinite series, and the aesthetics of mathematics. for young and old, a definite read for anyone interested in the universal.
Wonderful Discovery! I had been concerned that my ten year old son wasn't reading as much as he used to. His reading lexile has been off the chart, 1300+ I believe, since 3rd grade, so it has been hard to find books that are challenging and yet age-appropriate. He was glued to this book for the three days that it took to read it, and he actually thanked me for getting it for him. Thanks, Amazon for putting on the recommended list.
THE NUMBER DEVIL THE BOOK WAS EASY TO READ AND DID GIVE MY SON A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF NUMBERS AND HOW THEY RELATE TO EACH OTHER. THE STORY WAS INTERESTING AND THE DESCRIPTIONS WERE GREAT. I DID FIND THAT SOMETIMES HE HAD TO REREAD SOME OF IT TO COMPREHEND WHAT WAS BEING SAID. THE MATH PART WAS NOT AS DETAILED AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.
New Math Again My son refused to look at this when he saw the title had Number in it, so I began reading it to my daughter instead. Soon he was listening intently and then asking to see the pictures or diagrams. The book doesn't teach how to do math, but more the logical constants of math. Numbers become predictable friends instead of tricky foes. Because it pits the boy against the devil, it appeals to boys competitive spirit. And you can go back to chapters again and again to gain a deeper understanding without getting bored. The practical applications of what they are doing with numbers are a little harder to grasp in this book, but it is a fun read.
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