Out of the Labyrinth: Setting Mathematics Free

by Robert Kaplan, Ellen Kaplan

Overview

“In this sparkling narrative, mathematics is indeed set free.” -Michael Shermer, author of The Believing Brain

In classrooms around the world, Robert and Ellen Kaplan's pioneering Math Circle program, begun at Harvard, has introduced students ages six to sixty to the pleasures of mathematics, exploring topics that range from Roman numerals to quantum mechanics.

In Out of the Labyrinth, the Kaplans reveal the secrets of their highly successful approach, which embraces the exhilarating joy of math's “accessible mysteries.” Stocked with puzzles, colorful anecdotes, and insights from the authors' own teaching experience, Out of the Labyrinth is both an engaging and practical guide for parents and educators, and a treasure chest of mathematical discoveries. For any reader who has felt the excitement of mathematical discovery-or tried to convey it to someone else-this volume will be a delightful and valued companion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608198894
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	02/04/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Robert and Ellen Kaplan have taught subjects ranging from Sanskrit through mathematics to philosophy and history, and founded the Math Circle in 1994. Robert Kaplan is the author of the bestselling The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero. Ellen is coauthor, with their son Michael, of Chances Are . . . and Bozo Sapiens. Together, Robert and Ellen are the authors of The Art of the Infinite. Their website is www.themathcircle.org.
Robert Kaplan has taught mathematics to people from six to sixty, at leading independent schools and most recently at Harvard University. He is the author of the best-selling The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero, which has been translated into 10 languages, and, with his wife, Ellen, the co-author of The Art of the Infinite.
Ellen Kaplan has taught mathematics to people from six to sixty, at leading independent schools and most recently at Harvard University. With her husband, Robert, she wrote The Art of the Infinite. Ellen is also co-author of Chances Are: Adventures in Probability and Bozo Sapiens: Why to Err is Human, co-written with her son, Michael Kaplan.

Editorial Reviews

"This book offers an engaging and practical guide for parents and educators, and a delight for anyone interested in sharing the pleasures of mathematics."—Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin

"Out of the Labyrinth will delight readers with its engaging exploration of mathematics. It will allow students, parents, teachers, and others to wrestle with the accessible mysteries of math- and discover their inner math genius."—Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin

"Out of the Labyrinth rejoices in the serious play of mathematics and explains how to think about math as a truly common pursuit... This beautiful book - full of fun and full of the wisdom of a lifetime of teaching - is so deftly done that by the time the Kaplans tell us that "math is our other native language," we believe them utterly." — Barry Mazur, Gerhard Gade University Professor, Harvard University

"I found the book to be a provocative guide to the beauty and glory of mathematics with many excellent suggestions on how to communicate this to others, written by two masters of the art. I enjoyed the sections the most where I agreed with them the least. It challenged every prejudice I had developed about the subject." — Benedict Gross, Leverett Professor of Mathematics and Dean of Harvard College

From the Publisher