Böcker av Jack Mccabe

"At the age of 3, I discovered I was living in an orphanage, alongside 300 other young souls." My journey began in 1935, under the northern skies of Machias, Maine, but life had a different map in mind. Before I could even comprehend the vastness of the world, my family was uprooted to the sun-soaked lands of Florida. However, destiny took an unexpected turn at the tender age of three-I lost both my folks and found solace within the shared walls of an orphanage. Staying put was never my forte. At twelve, fueled by a longing to connect, I began hitching rides to Florida to visit my sister. Despite the warmth of family, she would inevitably send me packing back to the familiar embrace of the orphanage. Undeterred, the following year saw me setting my sights on Philly, in an attempt to bridge the gap with my brother. Alas, the script remained unchanged-back to the orphanage I went. Yet, 'no' was never the final chapter for me. Finally! At fifteen, I broke free from those institutional walls. Hitching rides with truckers became my passport to exploration, traversing the open roads and immersing myself in the diverse tales of those I met. Life, as you can imagine, has been an exhilarating rollercoaster. Those formative years etched indelible lessons into my spirit-how to depend on myself, make the most of the cards dealt, and persistently forge ahead. That, my friend, encapsulates the McCabe way-finding a path, no matter the hurdles that life throws our way.

A Playful, Thought-Provoking Adventure in Mathematics! Veteran mathematics teacher Jack McCabe takes the reader on a joyful ride through perfect numbers, prime numbers, Pythagorean triples, and twin primes. McCabe provides background information about mathematics legends Pythagoras, Euclid, Fermat, Gauss, Euler, Godel, and Erdos, and in some cases shows how they reasoned their proofs. Numbers Galore gives readers a solid grounding in how mathematicians made their discoveries, as well as showing how modern electronic spreadsheets can be used to investigate long-held mathematical theories. Budding mathematicians will be excited to learn how proofs work, and they will get a glimpse into deeper philosophies of mathematics with McCabe's discussion of Fermat's method of infinite-descent, a topic rarely introduced at this level. Novices and professional mathematicians alike will be intrigued by the notion of "The Holy Grail of Mathematics," which gives concrete meaning to the theory of Pythagorean triples. Equal parts history and discovery, Numbers Galore is a delightful learning tool from a teacher whose passion for mathematics is both contagious and inspiring.