Explain this
Mathematics: A Dictionary of How to Do it
How the publisher describes it:
“A long awaited, and often requested, addition to our mathematics’ range. An invaluable ‘dictionary’ detailing virtually all areas of mathematics. This is an informative reference for just about any question you might have, as well as providing accessible examples and methods to aid understanding mathematical concepts. ‘Interesting Interludes’ provide light-hearted stories about people, places and theories, whilst the author interacts with the reader throughout with brainteasers and questions – answers of course at the back!”
Review by Steve Bishop
In brief:
Its coverage reflects its date of publication. There is no entry for time-series averages, proof, stem and leaf diagrams and box and whisker diagrams; whereas, trapezium rule (under area under graphs), standard deviation, normal distribution are included. The range of material covered is broadly GCSE from foundation to higher and in this sense it tries to do too much.
“The best give brief biographies of female mathematicians”
This 92 page booklet purports to be a dictionary of mathematics but is somewhat more than that. It provides simple definitions of key terms from ‘accuracy’ to ‘y = mx + c’; for example under the entry ‘degree’, we have:
"Degree in mathematics is the unit that we use to measure in angles. The symbol for degrees is °. There are 360° in a circle, 180° in a semi-circle and 90° in a right angle. (See also angles and bearings)."
Cross-references are shown in italics. Most of the entries are illustrated with line diagrams and also contain examples how to do the maths; providing clear and concise examples of the topic. As such, it could provide a useful resource for GCSE students.
It also contains a number of interesting (and some not so interesting) interludes. The best give brief biographies of female mathematicians.
My reservations with the booklet are that it has an uninspiring layout and its lack of coverage of the present GCSE syllabus. Regarding layout, the headings are in bold but of the same typeface as the rest of the text, the diagrams have different sized typefaces and sometimes some are so small so as to be unreadable, also it is in black and white throughout. There are a number of production errors: some of the diagrams obscure the text, occasionally the typeface changes without reason. On page 65 the graph axes are not labelled!
Its coverage reflects its date of publication. There is no entry for time-series averages, proof, stem and leaf diagrams and box and whisker diagrams; whereas, trapezium rule (under area under graphs), standard deviation, normal distribution are included. The range of material covered is broadly GCSE from foundation to higher and in this sense it tries to do too much.
However, reservations above notwithstanding, it would make a useful resource for a school or college library.
Steve Bishop • Mathematics lecturer, City of Bristol College
Paperback: 92 pages
Publisher: Claire Publications (April 2002)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1871098815
ISBN-13: 978-1871098815
Product Dimensions: 29.2 x 20.1 x 0.8 cm
