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Books Related to Measurement and Geometry

For all readers:

The Borrowers
by Mary Norton, illustrated by Beth Krush and Joe Krush
Odyssey Classics Reissue edition [September 1989]
ISBN: 0152099905

Mathematics Subject[s]: Measurement & Geometry, Number Sense

Scale, proportion, and comparison are all part of this tale about a tiny family called the Clocks. Living in a wall of a full-sized family home, the Clocks live up to their reputation as Borrowers, taking items from the household around them for their own purposes. This intricate symbiosis continues swimmingly for some time – until one of the Clocks reveals herself to a new boy who has moved into the house. Other titles about the Borrowers from the same author include The Borrowers Afield, The Borrowers Afloat, and The Borrowers Avenged.

Counting on Frank
By Rod Clement, illustrated by Rod Clement
Gareth Stevens [1991]
ISBN: 0836803582

Mathematics Subject[s]: Measurement & Geometry, Number Sense

A truly curious boy and his dog Frank are the main characters of this story – filling their days by exploring questions such as, “If I ran the bathtub until the room filled up with water, how long would it take?” The boy even uses Frank as a standard for measuring things they both encounter. Frank and the boy make the “what if”s happen with panache. Laugh along with them as you explore measurement, the metric system, and other things mathematical.

Sir Cumference and the First Round Table: A Math Adventure
by Cindy Neuschwander, illustrated by Wayne Geehan
Charlesbridge Publishing [January 2002]
ISBN: 1570911525

Mathematical Subject[s]: Measurement & Geometry

Is there trouble in Camelot? You bet there is. When King Arthur and his knights get together at their noble table, they have to shout at each other to be heard. It’s just too long. But, fear not. Sir Cumference is ready to find a solution. Along with Lady Di of Ameter and their son Radius, he explores different geometric solutions until the exactly correct answer is found. Other books in this whimsical series include Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone: A Math Adventure and Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi: A Math Adventure.

Spaghetti and Meatballs for All! A Mathematical Story
by Marilyn Burns, illustrated by Debbie Tilley
Scholastic [September 1997]
ISBN: 0590944592

Mathematical Subject[s]: Algebra, Measurement & Geometry, Number Sense

The Comfort family is having a dinner—with 32 guests! Just where will they sit? With Mr. Comfort in the kitchen, Mrs. Comfort carefully plans and determines that they’ll need eight square tables with four guests at each. But what happens when the guests arrive and want to put the tables together? Or what to do when only 31 chairs are delivered? By the time you finish reading, not only will you know the answers to those problems, but you’ll also be able to spell out the difference between perimeter and area as well.

For more experienced readers:

The Annotated Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
by Edwin Abbott Abbott, introduction by Ian Stewart
Perseus Publishing [December 4, 2001]
ISBN: 0738205419

Mathematics Subjects: Measurement & Geometry

E. A. Abbot’s Flatland has entertained and educated readers for many years, recounting the adventures of A² or A. Square, a two-dimensional being who is suddenly transported to The Land of Three Dimensions. Ian Stewart adds other dimensions to this classic, offering tidbits about Abbot and those in his circle while tracing the development of geometric forms and dimensions.

Conned Again, Watson! Cautionary Tales of Logic, Math, and Probability
by Colin Bruce
Perseus Publishing; 1st edition [January 15, 2002]
ISBN: 0738205893

Mathematics Subject[s]: Mathematical Reasoning, Measurement & Geometry, Statistics, Data Analysis, & Probability

Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson rise again, this time to tackle twelve mathematical mysteries with cunning and aplomb. This time, evil is afoot in the form of the unfortunate businessman, the gambling nobleman, and the perfect accountant, among others. And all it takes is superb logic—and a vast knowledge of probability, statistics, decision and gaming theories—to put their dastardly plans to rest. Luckily, Holmes is up to the task. Each case serves to demonstrate that there has never been a more a more interesting way to learn how to spot a scam artist or take a calculated (but mathematically assured) risk.

The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics
By Norton Juster
Seastar Publishing Company [2001]
ISBN: 1587170663

Mathematics Subject[s]: Measurement & Geometry

It’s a love triangle, pure and simple, between a straight line, a red dot, and a lazy squiggle. Readers can’t help but uncover some geometric truths as they follow the story, watching as the line learns to change into different shapes in order to attract the dot’s attention away from the squiggle.

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
by Edwin A. Abbott, Edwin A. Abbott, Edwin Abbott Abbott
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing 5th edition [June 1, 1964]
ISBN: 0451518411

Mathematics Subjects: Measurement & Geometry

In this fantasy, A. Square (A²), a mathematician and resident of two-dimensional Flatland, journeys to Spaceland (three dimensions), Lineland (one dimension), and Pointland (no dimensions). Only when he conjectures a world of four dimensions is he able to return to Flatland and its convoluted customs, which mirror the social structure in the author’s native Victorian England. A complex story that stretches the mind mathematically, Flatland remains a classic of mathematical fiction. Read an online copy of the text.

Flatterland: Like Flatland, Only More So
by Ian Stewart
Perseus Publishing [April 10, 2001]
ASIN: 0738204420

Mathematical Subject[s]: Algebra, Mathematical Analysis, Measurement & Geometry

Victoria Line (Vikki to her friends) is a perfectly ordinary teenager (even if she is only two-dimensional). Her great-great-grandfather was A. Square (of Flatland fame). When she uncovers his diary in the attic, she inadvertently steps into a far different world called Mathiverse—with its eleven dimensions—accompanied by a creature named Space Hopper. Traveling through this strange world and meeting such odd characters as Schrodinger’s Cat and Moobius the one-sided cow, Vikki explores the mysteries of modern mathematics and science, including time travel, quantum physics, and black holes. Part Alice in Wonderland and part modern mathematics textbook, Flatterland does great justice to its literary antecedent Flatland.

Imaginary Numbers: An Anthology of Marvelous Mathematical Stories, Diversions, Poems, and Musings
by William Frucht
John Wiley & Sons [September 1999]
ISBN: 0471332445
Mathematics Subject[s]: Algebra, Mathematical Reasoning, Measurement & Geometry, Number Sense, Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability

Imaginary Numbers: An Anthology of Marvelous Mathematical Stories, Diversions, Poems, and Musings is an intriguing title for a collection of equally intriguing works by a variety of noted authors, both past and present. Touching on a variety of basic and modern mathematics, these works by the likes of Edwin Abbott, Lewis Carroll, Italo Calvino and others offer something for every reader and skill level. As editor William Frucht offers, “Using mathematics to tell stories and using stories to explain mathematics are two sides of the same coin.”

A Mathematical Mystery Tour: Discovering the Truth and Beauty of the Cosmos
by A. K. Dewdney
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [1999]
ISBN: 0471407348

Mathematics Subject[s]: Algebra, Calculus, Mathematical Analysis, Measurement & Geometry

Did we create mathematics, or did the laws of mathematics create everything in the universe, including us? That’s the primary question that drives this exploration, a theoretical world tour with visits to characters such as the fictional Dr. Petros Pygonopolis in Miletus, Pythagorus’ home and Professor Jusuf al-Flayli, an expert on ancient Islamic astronomy, who talks about the mathematical secrets of the night sky as the narrator and he travel through the desert by camel. Within the four stops on this tour, Dewdney, a computer science professor, finds that the quest of the answers is probably as important as the answers themselves.

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