Home > Categories > Books > Activities / Crafts > More Mathematical Curiosities review
All the colourful models, when cut out and glued together, have curious and interesting properties. Some rotate, some fold and unfold, some twist and others fit together in unexpected ways.
All illustrate mathematical ideas in an amusing and interesting fashion. Also included is a minibook which gives background information and further ideas.
Product reviews...
With this book arriving hot on the heels of the previous volume in this set I was dead keen to get out the scissors and glue and start building the models.
Having encountered Borin van Loon's book about DNA I was familiar with the double-helix model and it's construction, so assembling this slightly smaller one held no challenge. However, the double-sided Magic Square proved more than ample challenge for me. I've always been lousy at those sorts of puzzles, so the 'tricks of the trade' in the minibook was wonderful, allowing me to make any magic square I could dream of.
The Nesting Pyramids was also a fun model, which clearly illustrated some very interesting facts about pentahedra. But if I had to pick one favourite, it would have to be the Popup Pyramids. This is one dinky card, and I plan to make a LOT of use of the design when Christmas time comes around. :)
Overall, yup... another winner for sure. If you have kids aged from about 7 and up who are interested in maths or geometry, or just making interesting models, then this is a vital book to get. Heck, get 2! That way you have one to make, and one to trace the designs from whenever you want to make more.
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