Math II

MATH AND COOKING

	In Amy Axelrod’s Pigs in the Pantry (Aladdin, 1999), Mrs. Pig is sick in bed, so Mr. Pig and kids decide to make her a tempting pot of Firehouse Chili. Unfortunately measuring mistakes lead to disasters, among these the arrival of real firefighters. Included is a recipe so you can see where Mr. Pig went so wrong. For ages 4-8.
	Deborah Hopkinson’s picture book Fannie in the Kitchen (Aladdin, 2004) – subtitled “The Whole Story from Soup to Nuts of How Fannie Farmer Invented Recipes with Precise Measurements” – is told from the point of view of young Marcia Shaw, who is not exactly pleased when Fannie Farmer comes to cook for her family’s Victorian household. Soon, though, she’s hooked on Fannie’s delicious meals and even has a hand in writing the famous Boston Cooking-School Cook Book. For ages 5-9.
	In Ann McCallum’s Eat Your Math Homework (Charlesbridge, 2011), kids learn math concepts while whipping up Fibonacci Snack Sticks, Fraction Chips, Tangram Cookies, Tessellation Brownies, Variable Pizza Pi, and Probability Trail Mix. For ages 7-10.
	Joan D’Amico and Karen Eich Drummond’s The Math Chef (John Wiley & Sons, 1997) teaches math through applesauce, waffles, homemade animal crackers, and banana muffins. The book is divided into four main parts, each devoted to a different math concept: Measuring, Arithmetic, Fractions and Percents, and Geometry. For example, kids learn how to figure out how many grams are in a pound of potatoes, how to triple a sandwich recipe, and how to calculate the area of a brownie, the diameter of a cupcake, and the circumference of a pie. For ages 9-12.
	From PBS, Math and Science Gumbo, hosted by the Kitchen Mathematician, uses food and cooking to teach math and science. Math concepts include unit pricing, fractions, estimation, units of measure, and so on. Episodes (among them “Grocery Shop,” “Bake Shop,” and “Pizza Shop”) are available online.

MATH IN THE MOVIES and on TV

	Donald in Mathmagic Land (1959) is a clever 27-minute animated film on math in real life – in music, in nature, in games like chess and baseball, and in architecture and art. Nominated for an Oscar.
	Watch Donald in Mathmagic Land on YouTube.
	Simon Singh’s The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets (Bloomsbury USA, 2013) shows how the popular (and hilarious) animated series “The Simpsons” is simply loaded with math. Singh uses the episodes as jumping-off points to discuss everything from calculus to baseball statistics. A fun mathematical read for teenagers and adults.
	Simpson’s Math covers the math in the Simpson’s episodes, with episode-by-episode descriptions and associated problems and worksheets.
	The TV series, Numb3rs – which ran for six seasons, 2005-2010 – features a pair of crime-fighting brothers in Los Angeles, one an FBI agent, the other a mathematical genius. An exciting pitch for math.
	Keith Devlin’s The Numbers Behind NUMB3RS (Plume, 2007) discusses the real math involved in criminal investigation, covering such topics as geographic profiling, data mining, codes, and networks. A catchy reader-friendly read for teenagers and adults.
	From Cornell University, Numb3rs Math Activities has background info, materials, and projects based on each episode of the series. For advanced math students.
	From Wolfram Research, The Math Behind Numb3rs has episode-by-episode descriptions with links to descriptions and explanations of specific math features in each.
	Dimensions is a gorgeous film in nine 13-minute “chapters,” beginning with Hipparchus, stereographic projections, and maps of the world and proceeding through M.C. Escher, four-dimensional polytopes, complex numbers, “fibration,” and mathematical proofs. Free download. For teenagers and adults.
	Check out the 10 Best Math Movies for Middle-Grade Students.
	From MathBits, Math in the Movies has a long list of movies that in some way feature math, with summaries and printable worksheets to accompany each. Categorized by grade level (for the math, not the movie). Most worksheets are targeted at middle- and high-school-level students. Among the movies: Alice in Wonderland, Contact, October Sky, and Proof.
	The Math in the Movies Page is an opinionated guide to movies (and plays) “with scenes of real mathematics,” with brief reviews and ratings both for math presentation and overall performance. A Beautiful Mind (2001), for example, starring Russell Crowe as brilliant mathematician John Nash, gets 3 stars for Math and five stars for Film; Good Will Hunting (1997), the story of a young math genius from South Boston (Matt Damon) and a helpful psychologist (Robin Williams), scores one star for Math and three for Film.
	The Mathematical Movie Database is a long (long) alphabetized list of math-containing movies. Included is a separate much shorter list of “must-see” math movies.
	Mathematics in the Movies has video clips of essential scenes from a long and interesting list of movies featuring math.