String Straightedge And Shadow

Explains how the basic principles of elementary geometry were discovered over 2,000 years ago. Indicates the major roles played by the early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece.

From the early peoples who marvelled at the geometry of nature -- the beehive and bird's nest -- to ancient civilisations who questioned beautiful geometric forms and asked 'why?', the story of geometry spans thousands of years. Using only three simple tools -- the string, the straight-edge and the shadow -- human beings revealed the basic principles and constructions of elementary geometry. Weaving history and legend, this fascinating book reconstructs the discoveries of mathematics's most famous figures. Through illustrations and diagrams, readers are able to follow the reasoning that lead to an ingenious proof of the Pythagorean theorem, an appreciation of the significance of the Golden Mean in art and architecture, or the construction of the five regular solids.This insightful and engaging book makes geometry accessible to everyone. Readers will be fascinated with how the knowledge and wisdom of so many cultures helped shape our civilisation today.String, Straight-edge and Shadow is also a useful and inspiring book for those teaching geometry in Steiner-Waldorf classrooms.

The Ancient Beginnings of Science From Pre-Science to the Age of Greece, With Modern-Day Applications By: Ronald A. Brown For more than 2,500 years, it has been assumed that science and mathematics originated solely in ancient Greece; however, this assumption is now known to be invalid. Recently available knowledge has shown that the ancient Hindus must also be included as one of the earliest precursors of modern mathematics and science, according to a set of criteria developed by Ronald A. Brown, namely the trifecta of philosophy, theory, and abstract mathematics. This trifecta implies that only the early Hindus and Greeks are true forerunners of modern science as they alone were the first to recognize that nature is rational and can, therefore, be understood by human reason. The ensuing developments, including selected modern topics, are discussed in historical detail, and demonstrate that the role of history is to clarify what is significant, what remains after having distilled out what is not essential.

Use children's literature as a springboard to successful mathematical literacy. This book contains summaries of books, each related to the NCTM Standards, that will help children gain familiarity with and an understanding of mathematical concepts. Each chapter has classroom-tested activities and a bibliography of additional books to further expand student learning.

This book examines the idea of ‘good education’ which is thought to include a scientific and technical component, a mathematical component, a writing component, and an ethical and aesthetic component. Bunn proposes a new three-way intersection in these teachings: the basic sciences and mechanics of levering on a seesaw, the basic formulations of patterning an algebraic equation, and the basic rules for writing a sentence in English. In all three forms of inquiry, balance is the mainstay through which problems in US middle school education are brought together and analyzed.

The basic handbook for starting homeschooling, featuring insight on teaching methods, homeschool family life, and practical advice on teaching.