G is for Googol: A Math Alphabet Book
by David M. Schwartz, illustrated by Marissa Moss
No, not that Google. The original one. Quick, how many zeroes are in a googol? A googolplex? How do you figure the binary number that represents the decimal number 17? Where does the Fibonacci sequence come from? And just WHAT is a rhombicosidodecahedron?!
Does math scare you? While math never really scared me, and I did well at it, I have to admit it was my weakest subject. That's why I'm glad this easy-to-read book is available to refresh my memory, and explain things to children in an at-their-level manner. Not your typical ABC book, this is one for the older kids with mathematical terms for every letter of the alphabet, beginning with "abacus" and ending with "zillion".
Some concepts are covered in depth in G is for Googol while others only get a few measly paragraphs, but the basics of each item are covered. P is for Probablity, for example, ends up with a 4-page spread, while E is for Equilateral receives the grand treatment of one paragraph plus one sentence. But then, equilateral isn't that difficult to explain.
Is it easy to understand? You bet. It even explains binary in such a way that I can understand not only how to derive a binary number from a decimal number, but why it is written that way. I remember covering binary numbers in high school, but it was never explained this way, and I never understood where all those 1's and 0's come from before this book.
Accompanied by cheerful but not overwhelming illustrations that help get the points across, this book would be an excellent addition to any homeschool library for those times when you need a quick and easy explanation of one concept that's currently eluding your brain. You'll be thankful for this one day, trust me!
