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USA VISITORS!The MM books are now available fromFUN BOOKS orHORRIBLE BOOKS 5z4l6c

A Guide to the Maths in the Murderous Maths Books

This page is primarily intended for home educators, homeschoolers and anyone else who is coaching maths on an individual basis. 604vv

The Maths Topics Covered In Each Book 41366s

A message from the author: 2j496p

When I was first asked to write "Murderous Maths", I only accepted the commission on condition that I was NOT required to produce any sort of textbook. I always saw "Murderous Maths" as an excuse to create books that people would choose to read for fun. My priorities have always been: Something funny to read. Each book has a few short stories involving the characters so there should be a few bits to enjoy even for people who hate maths. Good amusing illustrations - and I've been very lucky with the artists. In recent years I've been working very closely with the genius Philip Reeve whose cartoon strips are hilarious, and yet they can clearly explain some quite complex topics. Tricks! The joy of maths is that it lends itself to thousands of tricks - including card tricks, number predictions, or even just quickly checking your change in a shop. Explaining the maths involved as clearly as possible. Regarding the explanation of maths: I've never been a teacher, and I don't work to any government imposed curriculum or any KEY STAGE achievement levels. All I try to do is set out simple instructions as clearly and accurately as possible. However I've been delighted to receive many messages of and thanks from parents and teachers in the UK, the USA and elsewhere, and that's why this web page was created.Outlined below is the maths content of each book, so if you're looking for a new angle to teach or encourage maths, I hope this will be of help to you!Many thanks for your interest...KJARTAN POSKITT 6a54x

Extracts from a message we received: 66722z

My 12 year old son is "gifted" yet also dyspraxic. He spent his primary school years being ostracised because he liked reading books, hated football and was a mine of useless and useful information. All this said, he was absolutely shockingly bad at maths. I was pretty fed up with his school who had written him off as willful and not worth pushing for the scholarship exams coming up - they had decided that because his maths was chronic, he wouldn't any of them.

I started tutoring him in maths at home, but it was like a scene from the exorcist most of the time (i.e. my head spinning, not his) - and then I stumbled on the Murderous Maths Books. Through them he taught himself maths and thanks to you, became quite an expert. His defining moment was when he showed his teacher how to multiply mixed fractions. This was the sort of school that had favourites - and only recommended one child for the grammar school. However we put our son in and he ed, and the other kid didn't.

I just wanted you to know what a big difference you made to one child's life. So thank you so much.

Ro Saul, Kent, England.

...my 9 year old boy, who groans when I say it is time to do math, is glued to your book this afternoon... Marilyn Just, New Jersey, USA 192d18

Further endorsements can be found at the bottom of this page. h2w48

THE MATHS CONTENT OF THE INDIVIDUAL BOOKS r1nf

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The first two books each contain a variety of little unconnected maths topics to create general interest.
Many of the topics in these first two books are dealt with in much more detail in the further books.

Murderous Maths: Bend Your Brain 1q1c3d

A rough guide to the signs: + - x / % and powers Tessellation: covering surfaces with shapes. Roman Numerals, the development of the "10" and the place system. Shortcomings of calculators A brief explanation of prime numbers Time - how the year and day got divided, digital/analogue clocks A brief introduction to angles Introducing some real Mathematicians Magic squares - how to make your own Short cuts, rough mental arithmetic A card trick with algebra explanation Rounding off long numbers Symmetry - reflection and rotation 3z442h

Murderous Maths: Mash Your Mind 1f452i

Domino and Pentomino patterns and puzzles The difference between length, area and volume, also the difference between worlds of 1, 2 and 3 dimensions Measuring areas and volumes and basic rectangle/triangle formulas Speed, calculating and coverting m.p.h. to metres per sec etc. Mobius strips Pythagoras, right angled triangles, irrational numbers, pi Area and perimeter Bisecting angles in geometry Triangle numbers Simple topology networks "Mystery" number squares and how to make them. 3q513i

The first two books have now been edited together to produce a book suited to younger readers: The Brain-Bending Basics.

Following the success of the first two books, a full series was planned covering the subject more comprehensively.

The next two books explain all the basic maths you need to understand any other book in the series.

The Awesome Arithmetricks n4j14

Introduction to numbers, explanation of odd, even and negative numbers Signs - just about every sign in maths is explained fully. Place value (including decimal places) and rounding off Manipulating equations ADDITION: adding several big numbers at once, carrying over. SUBTRACTION: subtraction big numbers, working out change in shops. Time tables, also how to deal with e.g. 700 x 60. MULTIPLICATION: e.g. 12834 x 217 without a calculator. LONG DIVISION: leading to remainders, simple decimals and fractions Estimating answers to big sums 10446k

The Mean and Vulgar Bits 213o4d

Introducing different fractions, converting improper and mixed fractions. Multiplying and dividing by vulgar fractions Explanation of primes, splitting numbers into prime factors Reducing fractions Highest Common Factors and Lowest Common Denominators Adding and subtracting different fractions Egyptian Fractions Comparing fractions Converting fractions to decimals, decimal place system Percentages: increase and decrease Averages: calculating means, also modes and medians explained 5hma

The Awesome Arithmetricks and The Mean and Vulgar Bits have now been edited together to produce a book suited to younger readers: The Secrets of Sums.

Having established the "basics" the rest of the books each follow a separate theme.

Desperate Measures 2a294q

Measuring lines - units and accuracy Old measuring systems and the development of metric The SI system and powers of ten. Shadow sticks and trundle wheels Names of different shapes Measuring areas and area formulas What weight really is Angles and how to measure them Measuring volume, Archimedes Principle Density Measuring time and how the modern calendar developed. Units to measure other things 10193l

Do You Feel Lucky? 2n6d5n

This book deals with probability starting with the very basics, but following the subject well past the confines of the usual school curriculum. Calculating chances on anything including tossing coins, throwing dice, dealing card hands and sharing birthdays Tree diagrams Mutually Exclusive and Independent chances Pascal's Triangle Permutations and Combinations Sampling 2n6a1o

Savage Shapes 1y2c18

This is the pure geometry book which has no sums! Signs in geometric diagrams Loci explained Constructions: perpendicular bisectors, dropping perpendiculars, bisecting angles Triangles: different types, similar, congruent, equal areas Polygons: regular, irregular, angle sizes and construction. Tessellations and Penrose Tiles Simple origami Circles: chord, tangent and angle theorems. Regular solids, Euler's formula Ellipses, how to construct, eccentricity Geometric proof of Pythagoras' Theorem 4d672i

The Key to the Universe 6v4n4i

This book is more of a "feature" book rather than an instruction book. It's packed with facts on numbers that have strange properites. Fibonacci Series and the Golden Ratio Properties of Square, Triangle, Cube, Centred Hexagon and Tetrahedral numbers The "difference of two squares" explained Superstitions arising from numbers Prime numbers - history including Mersenne primes Tests to see if a number will divide by anything between 2 and 13, also 19. Finger multiplication Binary and base 8 number systems Perfect numbers Irrational, transcendental and imaginary numbers explained The strange properties of infinity 4k2w14

The Phantom X 4x4t4m

This book has just about everything you ever need to know about algebra. How letters are used for "unknowns" Creating and solving simple linear equations Brackets, factorising and expanding (or multiplying out) Simplifying expressions Solving quadratics and the quadratic formula "Think of a number" tricks Difference of two squares Coefficients of (a-b)n Linear graphs, including co-ordinates, gradients, y intercept, solving simple simultaneous equations Other non-linear function graphs including parabolas Solving simultaneous equations by substitution or elimination The perils of dividing by zero! 3u3m60

The Fiendish Angletron 3z4xw

Here is everything needed to understand Trigonometry including ratios and geometry How scales and ratios work on maps and diagrams (plus other ratio examples) How to do accurate constructions using a protractor and comes Explanations of the SIN, COS and TAN ratios in right angled triangles How to use a calculator to get trig values (both normal and inverse) The sin and cosine formulas for non-right-angled triangles Measuring far away distances with triangulation Measurements in space (including explanations of parallax angles and parsecs) Sin/cos/tan relationships Drawing a sin wave, and what they sound like Bearings - finding positions at sea and plotting a course 5m6b1l

The Perfect Sausage An indexed reference book containing about 180 formulas covering just about every topic in maths with explanations. Although presented in the usual Murderous Maths style, it will give additional for anyone taking exams up to the age 16 level (including GCSE). Formulas include: All common areas and volumes, and many unusual ones including ellipsoids and toruses. Number formulas (e.g. triangle, hexagonal) Speed, acceleration, stopping times and distance Force, gravity, range of projectiles Money - percentages, simple and compound interest Day of the Week Algorithm Permutations and Combinations Many miscellaneous formulas See the full index 286r67

Easy Questions Evil Answers A wide range of strange and bizarre bits of maths to satisfy the most curious minds! Presented in a question and answer format, lots of key maths topics are demonstrated in use including: Formulas Working out square roots by hand π Pythagoras Paradoxes Problem solving Metric prefixes A guide to massive numbers An introduction to vectors To get a better idea of the complete contents please see the list of questions. 185a9

Professor Fiendish's Brainbenders 351rf

Over 100 different challenges, many of which are maths based. Puzzle types include mazes logic coin problems number crosswords shape cutting/rearranging number squares 5c1g1b

The Secret Life of CODES 182h1

Everything from basic substitution codes up to the RSA code used for sending credit card details over the internet! patterns logic and deduction prime numbers high powers MOD function 1nb3y

The Murderous Maths of Everything 5d5v6m

The first large format full-colour MM book covers a huge range of topics with the focus on FUN! Prime numbers Sieve of Eratosthenes Pythagoras' Theorem Triangle numbers Square numbers The International Date Line Geometry (The three problems of antiquity) Geometric constructions Topology Complex Mobius strips Curves (including the conic sections and the cycloid) 3o564s

Golomb Rulers 4 dimensional 0's and X's (or "Tic Tac Toe") The Golden Ratio Fibonacci series Equiangular Spirals Musical ratios Theorems (including Ham Sandwich Theorem and Fixed Point Theorem) Probability (cards, dice and other games) Pascal's Triangle Sierpinski Triangle Chess board curiosities Light years The size and distances of the moon and the planets How planets orbit The sizes of stars and the shape of the galaxy 76xa

Teaching math to young homeschool students can be fun when applied to the activities of daily home life. Renovations and upgrades to a residence offer multiple opportunities to teach practical money and measuring skills. Students will be able to tackle questions like what is the cost of a home elevator? Or how much weight can a home elevator hold?

USEFUL LINKS:

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY Read the Times Educational Supplement and Primary Times reviews of "Diabolical Brainbenders" 396v23

Murderous Maths Main Index Page

Extracts from letters we've received 6l39v

My boys dropped everything and are ravenously devouring the words written on the pages - my 9 year old boy, who groans when I say it is time to do math, is glued to your book this afternoon. If I could get them to put the books down I know they would say, "Thanks for making learning so much fun!" Or, more likely, "Dude, your books are funny." Either way it means the same thing!Marilyn Just, New Jersey, USA 132dd

I am a homeschooling mother of 5 in Wahoo,Nebraska. I heard about Murderous Maths from my Math-U-See group. This is the math curriculum I use. I am always looking for good, fun math to supplement my children's learning. Thanks, Robin Schneider 64y59

We're ex-pat brits in California (San Jose) and we heard about MM from our relatives in the UK. We bought a couple of the books and found that they were read several times by our children. They enjoy the jokes and even pick up a bit on the maths. We haven't found anything similar in the US - a combination of humour and real maths. Perhaps its because a lot of maths in the US is merely rote learning, and performing hundreds of boring calculations at speed. Anyway, whatever it is, MM seems to fill a need with our family. Thanks for the great books.Toby Ferguson 2s6248

We're a British family living in USA with 2 children - and we find the maths teaching and the maths text books here REALLY boring - so we have enjoyed Murderous Maths books which we found on a trip back to UK recently. We are now trying to encourage our maths teachers at school to break out of the tedium and have some fun with maths!The Smith family, Alabama 1p6xc