There are some topics or problems that have captured the interest of mathematicians for ages. Calculating pi is one of them. While students often encounter pi in the mathematics classroom when applying various formulas, rarely do they use or explore pi in other contexts. This marvelous infinite number we know as pi shows up in many fascinating and mysterious ways. It can be found everywhere, from astronomy and probability, to the physics of sound and light. It is one of the most important numbers that exists. Help your students discover the number that has intrigued mathematicians for centuries. Learn different ways pi has been calculated through the ages, use pi to figure out your hat size, perform a variety of experiments to estimate the value of pi, or relate pi to the alphabet. These interesting and exciting activities encourage higher order thinking and offer a complete overview of this important number while giving students practice in important math skills. This guide includes detailed lesson plans aligned to NCTM standards and reproducible student worksheets. Use them for Pi Day (March 14), as an enrichment or extension to your existing curriculum, or to challenge your ablest math students. Grades 6-8

A new look at maths without the Boring Bits . . . How many trillions are there in a googol? Which fractions are vulgar? What famous mathematician refused to eat beans? And which one never travelled without his pet spider in an ivory box? Mathematical theorems and equations are inextricably entangled with the great, and often eccentric thinkers who made breakthrough discoveries. Teacher and numbers expert Liz Strachan takes readers beyond the classroom, combining anecdotes, proofs and party tricks to reveal the foundations of algebra, geometry and trigonometry in a clear and entertaining style. From the Difference Engine to magic squares and from the Fibonacci rabbits to Fermat's Last Theorem, this fascinating tour of the weird world of numbers, imaginary, real or infinite, will appeal to anyone with an enquiring mind.

Join the Cat in the Hat as he explains how to measure circles and calculate pi in this perfect choice for Pi Day celebrations and nurturing a love of math and numbers! The Cat in the Hat makes calculating pi—one of the most fascinating numbers in mathematics—as easy as pie! Using a piece of string and two sticks, the Cat first shows beginning readers how to draw a perfect circle. Then, using a can and a piece of ribbon, he shows how to measure a circle's circumference and diameter, and to use those measurements to calculate pi. Also included is information about the history of measurement and famous Pi Pioneers! Written in simple rhyme, Happy Pi Day is a natural choice for celebrating Pi Day (held annually on March 14), and for nurturing a child's interest in math. Fans of the hit PBS show The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! will be delighted at this new addition to the Learning Library series.

Discover how maths applies to everything with Johnny Ball Join Johnny Ball as he shows your child that maths isn't just numbers and sums, it's a fundamental, incredible, magical way to find out how everything works. From Pi, the amazing number that's vital for so much of everyday life, to perfect proportions - did you know Leonardo da Vinci worked out a person's ear is one-third the length of their face? - discover how numbers, from ancient times to the modern day, have enabled us to explore, build and discover just about everything. With puzzles to solve, conundrums to crack and incredible tricks to show to friends, Johnny Ball will teach your child to become a mathmagician!

A new look at maths without the Boring Bits . . . How many trillions are there in a googol? Which fractions are vulgar? What famous mathematician refused to eat beans? And which one never travelled without his pet spider in an ivory box? Mathematical theorems and equations are inextricably entangled with the great, and often eccentric thinkers who made breakthrough discoveries. Teacher and numbers expert Liz Strachan takes readers beyond the classroom, combining anecdotes, proofs and party tricks to reveal the foundations of algebra, geometry and trigonometry in a clear and entertaining style. From the Difference Engine to magic squares and from the Fibonacci rabbits to Fermat's Last Theorem, this fascinating tour of the weird world of numbers, imaginary, real or infinite, will appeal to anyone with an enquiring mind.

The sixth edition of this bestselling Perl tutorial includes recent changes to the language. Years of classroom testing and experience helped shape the book's pace and scope, and this edition is packed with exercises that let readers practice the concepts while they follow the text.

Is this poetry? Math? A brainteaser? Yes! It’s all that and more. The poet J. Patrick Lewis has reimagined classic poems—such as Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” and Langston Hughes’s “April Rain Song”—and added a dash of math. Between the silly parodies and the wonderfully wacky art, kids will have so much fun figuring out the puzzles, they won’t guess they’re learning! Answers appear unobtrusively on each page, and engaging information about the original poets is included. Math games and concepts, poetry and poet biographies—it’s all so cleverly put together. This funny book is a treat for fans of words and numbers alike.

#1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER AN ADAM SAVAGE BOOK CLUB PICK The book-length answer to anyone who ever put their hand up in math class and asked, “When am I ever going to use this in the real world?” “Fun, informative, and relentlessly entertaining, Humble Pi is a charming and very readable guide to some of humanity's all-time greatest miscalculations—that also gives you permission to feel a little better about some of your own mistakes.” —Ryan North, author of How to Invent Everything Our whole world is built on math, from the code running a website to the equations enabling the design of skyscrapers and bridges. Most of the time this math works quietly behind the scenes . . . until it doesn’t. All sorts of seemingly innocuous mathematical mistakes can have significant consequences. Math is easy to ignore until a misplaced decimal point upends the stock market, a unit conversion error causes a plane to crash, or someone divides by zero and stalls a battleship in the middle of the ocean. Exploring and explaining a litany of glitches, near misses, and mathematical mishaps involving the internet, big data, elections, street signs, lotteries, the Roman Empire, and an Olympic team, Matt Parker uncovers the bizarre ways math trips us up, and what this reveals about its essential place in our world. Getting it wrong has never been more fun.

For fans of the Sir Cumference series with Pi on their mind, here is the second installment in this fun look at math and language. This time the math adventure is centered around a potion that changes Sir Cumference into a fire-breathing dragon. Can Radius change him back? Join Radius on his quest through the castle to solve a riddle that will reveal the cure. It lies in discovering the magic number that is the same for all circles. Perfect for parent and teachers who are looking to make math fun and accessible for everyone.

Traces the history of the mathematical constant pi from the stone age through the computer age, discussing the background of the times when pi progressed, and when it did not.