The Number Devil
A Mathematical Adventure
By Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Michael Henry Heim (Translator)
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Book Description
The international best-seller that makes mathematics a thrilling exploration.
In twelve dreams, Robert, a boy who hates math, meets a Number Devil, who leads him to discover the amazing world of numbers: infinite numbers, prime numbers, Fibonacci numbers, numbers that magically appear in triaContinue
Book Details
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Rating:
(25)
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- English Books
- Paperback 264 Pages
- Edition: Reprint
- ISBN-10: 0805062998
- ISBN-13: 9780805062991
- Publisher: Owl Books
- Pub date: May 01, 2000
- Dimensions: 1548 mm x 1032 mm x 129 mm Just how big is that?
- Also available as: Hardcover and School & Library Binding
- In other languages: other languages
Prices Change currency & sellers
| ISBN | Edition | List | Sale | Seller |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9780805062991 | Paperback | $19.99 | $13.65 | bn.com |
| $19.99 | $13.49 | The Book Depository | ||
| Other editions → | ||||
| + 2 copies tradable: → | ||||
Lauraleigh 4790 
Book Reflection MSIT 4325
1. What did you like about the book?
I liked how the main character in the book was a boy who had no interest in math whatsoever and had trouble in math class. Through hard work and lots of studying (with help from the number devil in his dreams) he eventually became good at math. I also liked how a ... (continue)
1. What did you like about the book?
I liked how the main character in the book was a boy who had no interest in math whatsoever and had trouble in math class. Through hard work and lots of studying (with help from the number devil in his dreams) he eventually became good at math. I also liked how at the end of each chapter, there was a problem for the reader to solve. Also, I liked how they related number concepts to other things. For example, the Bonacci numbers were related to finding the number of rabbits.
2. What did you dislike about the book?
At certain points in the book, the main character had a bad attitude about math and the "number devil" agreed with him. This could potentially make the reader who has a bad attitude toward math keep that opinion instead of trying to change it. I also did not like some of the language in the book. There was one curse word and a couple of phrases that I would not have used.
3. What 3 connections did you make to the book?
I remember when I had a teacher like Mr. Bockel who gave the class an extremely hard problem to solve and just let us try to figure it out on our own. It was frustrating and I felt like I didn't even want to try which is exactly how Robert felt about the pretzel problem.
I also connected to the book simply because I have really strange dreams and I can connect with Robert because he is dreaming about far away lands and a number devil trying to teach him all about numbers. It made me want to keep reading the book to see what Robert would dream next.
The book reminded me of an episode of a television show I watch. In an episode of One Tree Hill, the main character is having a problem with someone and while trying to find a solution, he falls asleep. In his dream he finds a solution and once he wakes up, uses it to resolve the conflict. This happens in a lot of tv shows where people find answers in their subconscious.
4.How will you integrate this book into your classroom?
I would most likely not have the students read the entire book but certain chapters were very helpful. They would take a hard concept for students to understand and change it up so it would be more manageable. For example, when teaching students about raising a number to a power, I could have them read the chapter that discusses the "hopping" of a certain number. It could potentially be easier for them to think of exponents as "hopping".
Is this helpful?