Murderous Maths
Encyclopedia
Murderous Maths is a series
of British
educational book
s by author Kjartan Poskitt
. Most of the books in the series are illustrated by illustrator and author Philip Reeve
, with the exception of "The 5ecret L1fe of Code5", which is illustrated by Ian Baker, and "The Murderous Maths of Everything", which was illustrated by Rob Davis. The Murderous Maths books have been published in over 25 countries. The books, which are aimed at children aged 8 and above, teach maths, spanning from basic arithmetic to relatively complex concepts such as the quadratic formula. The books are written in an informal similar style to the Horrible Histories
, Horrible Science
and Horrible Geography
series, involving evil geniuses, gangsters, love stories and smelly burgers. The author also maintains a website for the series, which has been running for the past 10 yearshttp://www.murderousmaths.co.uk/.
Poskitt's goal, according to the Murderous Maths website, is to write books that are "something funny to read", have "good amusing illustrations", include "tricks", and "explaining the maths involved as clearly as possible". He adds that although he doesn't "work to any government imposed curriculum or any key stage achievement levels", he has "been delighted to receive many messages of support and thanks from parents and teachers in the UK, the USA and elsewhere".
Related puzzle books have been published also:
One title that encompasses almost all areas of mathematics has also been released:
Kjartan has also written a book entitled Everyday Maths for Grown-Ups (2011)
, due for publication in January 2011 http://www.murderousmaths.co.uk/books/books.htm includes a quote from a Stanford engineer named Stacy F. Bennet, who described the series as "very humorous and engaging introductions to such topics as algebra, geometry and probability". On 22nd November 1997, that same publication said of the series, "Have a look at Murderous Maths by Kjartan Poskitt. It is a truly addictive reading book, and was leapt on and devoured by my children. The book is full of awful jokes, fascinating facts, real murders and yes, the maths is good too. This is a brilliant book."
Some reader reviews have included appraisals of the series such as, "I just wanted you to know what a big difference you made to one [dyslexic] child's life. So thank you so much", "We are now trying to encourage our maths teachers at school to break out of the tedium and have some fun with maths!" and "We both found your books interesting, exhilarant, rich in tips and very appropriate to link pupils to the usually very boring and tiring activitities connected with maths." http://www.murderousmaths.co.uk/homeed.htm
The Primary Times
released a review of Professor Fiendish's Book of Diabolical Brain-benders on November 25th 2002, describing the title as "intriguing, fun to do, and not at all dry", and adding "i warn you, once you start, you'll be 'hooked'!". Times Educational Supplement
also published a review on the book on December 6th 2002, describing the title as being "action-packed" and reasoning that "behind the non-stop fun, serious mathematical principles are being investigated". http://www.murderousmaths.co.uk/books/BKMMDB.htm#dbrev
Kjartan did a presentaion for 350 kids and 10 teachers at Wolfreton School, Hull in June 2004. The event was documented in TES 12/11/04. The reporter Linda Blackbourne described it as a "stand-up maths routine [that] has children - and teachers - in fits of laughter". http://www.murderousmaths.co.uk/tesrev.htm
CAROUSEL issue 16 (the guide to children's books) commented on the event, "...he possesses a prodigious gift of the (Yorkshire) gab, appears to be incapable of not enjoying himself, and plays his audience with the finesse of a maestro. Maths will never seem the same again.""
"A stand-up maths routine has children and teachers in fits of laughter... maths has never been so much fun." (TIMES EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT 12/11/04), "It is not often that you see a grown maths teacher cry with laughter..." (The Western Gazette Oct 06), "The kids went wild, they absolutely loved it..." (The Worthing
Gazette May 05) "Headteacher Barry Winter said it was a stroke of genius inviting the quick-witted author to open the resource centre" (The Stockton Evening Gazette 28/9/01) "Those who have experienced Poskitt "live" will recognise his
commitment to getting readers involved with the learning process" (GCSE book in the Guardian Nov 6th 2001), "...charismatic..." (The Press (York)
5/3/03) http://www.kjartan.co.uk/gigs/
Poskitt has also received positive feedback from school faculty to which his books or presentations have made a positive impression. "How can I thank you for such a wonderful day...if any schools would like verification of their value for money, just point them our way.... this was one day that we will talk about for a long time to come" (Jane Scott, librarian, Hilbre High School, The Wirral), "Thank you sincerely for yesterday - you were terrific and genuinely "took the place by storm" in the nicest possible way. I have had many comments from staff, students and parents all enthusing about the way the Awards Afternoon left them feeling upbeat and optimistic... and your books are selling like hot cakes!" Jeff Bower, Headmaster, Pocklington. http://www.kjartan.co.uk/gigs/
A review by Brian Clegg for Popular Science
http://www.popularscience.co.uk/kreviews/rev86.htm described his views on Murderous Maths: Desperate Measures, "It's the usual clever mix of light historical context -mostly ancient from Israelites and Archimedes to the Romans - and real insights into fascinating aspects of something that sits nicely between maths and practical science. There's plenty to keep the reader and interested, and even adults perusing it will have one or two surprises along the way. Because it is very much applied maths, there is also a lot more opportunity to have fun with practical things to try out than has been the case with some of the Murderous Maths series. All in all this is a great addition to the fold." He gave the book a score of 4/5 stars.
The title Murderous Maths: The Essential Arithmetricks was given a score of 4.1 out of 5 on the website JacketFlap http://www.jacketflap.com/bookdetail.asp?bookid=0439011574.
A review of the series by monlim on On Kids And Education http://hedgehogcomms.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-verdict-on-murderous-maths.html said that "the books are great for reviving interest and aiding understanding in maths, but I don’t think they are suitable for every child. Many of the mathematical concepts are pretty complicated, so even though they’re explained in a fun and simpler way, some kids will still struggle to understand them."
markwtest at WordPress.com commented on the Muderous Maths website: "This site is full of oddities and tricks. A great resource to help keep us going for the last couple of weeks, especially for the older (Year 5 onwards) children." http://markwtest.wordpress.com/2006/06/21/murderous-maths/
Ruth in NC at InfoServe commented on the series: "Now we are reading through the math series together everyday. We often need paper and pencil to follow along but we have learned some handy math tricks. Doing sums may be derided in the text but the beauty and fun of mathematics is celebrated."
The Word Pool http://www.wordpool.co.uk/nz/books/nzmurderousmaths.htm describes the series as being "excellent explanations of a wide range of maths topics which fit well with Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3. This is maths as you've never seen it before - maths that children of 8 and over may choose to read for fun."
http://www.livingmath.net/Reviews/ReviewsbyTeens/tabid/413/language/en-US/Default.aspx
in the MM books. These include:
Book series
A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publisher....
of British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
educational book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s by author Kjartan Poskitt
Kjartan Poskitt
Kjartan Poskitt is an author and TV presenter who is best known for writing the Murderous Maths children's series of books.- Background :Poskitt was educated at Collingwood College, Durham.- Writing :...
. Most of the books in the series are illustrated by illustrator and author Philip Reeve
Philip Reeve
Philip Reeve is a British author and illustrator. He presently lives on Dartmoor with his wife Sarah and their son Samuel.-Biography:...
, with the exception of "The 5ecret L1fe of Code5", which is illustrated by Ian Baker, and "The Murderous Maths of Everything", which was illustrated by Rob Davis. The Murderous Maths books have been published in over 25 countries. The books, which are aimed at children aged 8 and above, teach maths, spanning from basic arithmetic to relatively complex concepts such as the quadratic formula. The books are written in an informal similar style to the Horrible Histories
Horrible Histories
Horrible Histories is a series of illustrated history books published in the United Kingdom by Scholastic. They are designed to engage children in history by concentrating on the unusual, gory, or unpleasant. The series has proved exceptionally successful in commercial terms...
, Horrible Science
Horrible Science
Horrible Science is a spin-off series of books of Horrible Histories written by Nick Arnold , illustrated by Tony de Saulles and published in the UK and India by Scholastic. They are designed to get children interested in science by concentrating on the trivial, unusual, gory, or unpleasant...
and Horrible Geography
Horrible Geography
Horrible Geography is a series of books which is a spin-off of the Horrible Histories series written by Anita Ganeri, illustrated by Mike Phillips, and published in the UK by Scholastic. They are designed to get children interested in Geography by concentrating on the trivial, unusual, gory, or...
series, involving evil geniuses, gangsters, love stories and smelly burgers. The author also maintains a website for the series, which has been running for the past 10 yearshttp://www.murderousmaths.co.uk/.
Development
The first two books of the series were originally part of the "The Knowledge" (now "Totally") series (http://www.kjartan.co.uk/books/books.htm), itself a spin-off of Horrible Histories. However, these books were eventually redesigned and they, as well as the rest of the titles in the series, now use the Murderous Maths banner. According to Poskitt, "these books have even found their way into schools and proved to be a boost to GCSE studies". The books are also available in foreign editions, including: German, Spanish, Polish, Greek, Dutch, Norwegian, Turkish, Croatian, Italian, Lithuanian, Korean, Danish, Portuguese, Hungarian, Finnish, Thai and Portuguese (Latin America) http://www.murderousmaths.co.uk/books/books.htm. In 2009, the books were redesigned again, changing the cover art style and the titles of most of the books in the series.Poskitt's goal, according to the Murderous Maths website, is to write books that are "something funny to read", have "good amusing illustrations", include "tricks", and "explaining the maths involved as clearly as possible". He adds that although he doesn't "work to any government imposed curriculum or any key stage achievement levels", he has "been delighted to receive many messages of support and thanks from parents and teachers in the UK, the USA and elsewhere".
Titles
The following are the books that are currently available in the series.- Guaranteed to Bend Your Brain (previously Murderous Maths), ISBN 0-439-01156-6 - (+ - x / %, powers, tessellation, roman numerals, the development of the "10" and the place system, shortcomings of calculators, prime numbers, time - how the year and day got divided, digital/analogue clocks, angles, introduction to real Mathematicians, magic squares, mental arithmetic, card trick with algebra explanation, rounding and symmetry.)
- Guaranteed to Mash your Mind (previously More Murderous Maths), ISBN 0-439-01153-1 (the domino and pentomino, length area and volume, dimensions, measuring areas and volumes, basic rectangle/triangle formulas, speed, coversion of units, mobius strip, pythagoras, right angled triangles, irrational numbers, pi, area and perimeter, bisecting angles, triangular numbers, topology networks, magic squares.)
- Awesome Arithmetricks (previously The Essential Arithmetricks: How to + - × ÷), ISBN 0-439-01157-4 - (odd even and negative numbers, signs of maths, place value and rounding off, manipulating equations, + - x / %, long division, tames tables, estimation.)
- The Mean & Vulgar Bits (previously The Mean & Vulgar Bits: Fractions and Averages, ISBN 0-439-01270-8 (fractions, converting improper and mixed fractions, adding subtracting multiplying and dividing fractions, primes and prime factors, reducing fractions, highest common factor and lowest common denominatorLowest common denominatorIn mathematics, the lowest common denominator or least common denominator is the least common multiple of the denominators of a set of vulgar fractions...
s, Egyptian fractions, comparing fractions, converting fractions to decimals, decimal place system, percentages: increase and decrease, averages: mean mode and median.) - Desperate Measures (previously Desperate Measures: Length, Area and Volume, ISBN 0-439-01370-4 (measuring lines: units and accuracy, old measuring systems, the development of metric, the SI system and powers of ten, shapes, measuring areas and area formulas, weight, angles, measuring volume, Archimedes Principle, density, time and how the modern calendar developed.)
- Do You Feel Lucky? (previously Do You Feel Lucky: The Secrets of ProbabilityProbabilityProbability is ordinarily used to describe an attitude of mind towards some proposition of whose truth we arenot certain. The proposition of interest is usually of the form "Will a specific event occur?" The attitude of mind is of the form "How certain are we that the event will occur?" The...
, ISBN 0-439-99607-4 (chance, tree diagrams, mutually exclusive and independent chances, Pascal's Triangle, permutations and combinations, sampling.) - Savage Shapes (previously Vicious CircleCircleA circle is a simple shape of Euclidean geometry consisting of those points in a plane that are a given distance from a given point, the centre. The distance between any of the points and the centre is called the radius....
s and Other Savage Shapes, ISBN 0-439-99747-X (signs in geometric diagrams, LociLocus (mathematics)In geometry, a locus is a collection of points which share a property. For example a circle may be defined as the locus of points in a plane at a fixed distance from a given point....
, constructions: perpendicular bisectors; dropping perpendiculars; bisecting angles, triangles: similar; congruent; equal areas, polygons: regular; irregular; angle sizes and construction, tessellations and Penrose Tiles, origami, circles: chord; tangent; angle theorems, regular solids, Euler's formula, ellipses, Geometric proof of Pythagoras' Theorem.) - The Key To The Universe (previously NumberNumberA number is a mathematical object used to count and measure. In mathematics, the definition of number has been extended over the years to include such numbers as zero, negative numbers, rational numbers, irrational numbers, and complex numbers....
s: The Key To The Universe, ISBN 0-439-98116-6 (Fibonacci Series, Golden Ratio, properties of Square, Triangle, Cube, Centred Hexagon and Tetrahedral numbers, "difference of two squares", number superstitions, prime numbers, Mersenne primes, tests to see if a number will divide by anything from 2-13 and 19, finger multiplication, binary and base 8, perfect numbers, irrational transcendental and imaginary numbers, infinity.) - 'The Phantom X (previously The Phantom X: AlgebraAlgebraAlgebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
, ISBN 0-439-97729-0 (variablesVariable (mathematics)In mathematics, a variable is a value that may change within the scope of a given problem or set of operations. In contrast, a constant is a value that remains unchanged, though often unknown or undetermined. The concepts of constants and variables are fundamental to many areas of mathematics and...
, elementary algebraElementary algebraElementary algebra is a fundamental and relatively basic form of algebra taught to students who are presumed to have little or no formal knowledge of mathematics beyond arithmetic. It is typically taught in secondary school under the term algebra. The major difference between algebra and...
, brackets, factorising, expanding, and simplifying expressions, solving quadratics and the quadratic formula, "Think of a number" tricks, difference of two squares, coefficients of (a-b)n, linear graphs: co-ordinates; gradients; y intercept, non-linear function graphs including parabolas, simultaneous equations: substitution and elimination, dividing by zero!.) - The Fiendish Angletron (previously The Fiendish Angletron: TrigonometryTrigonometryTrigonometry is a branch of mathematics that studies triangles and the relationships between their sides and the angles between these sides. Trigonometry defines the trigonometric functions, which describe those relationships and have applicability to cyclical phenomena, such as waves...
), ISBN 0-439-96859-3 (scales and ratios in maps and diagrams, protractor and compass, SIN, COS and TAN ratios in right angled triangles, trig on a calculator; normal and inverse, sin and cosine formulas for non-right-angled triangles, triangulation, parallax angles and parsecs, sin/cos/tan relationships, sin wave, bearings.) - The Perfect Sausages (previously The Perfect Sausage and other Fundamental Formulas), ISBN 0-439-95901-2 (areas and volumes, ellipsoids and toruses, number formulas (e.g. triangle, hexagonal), speed, acceleration, stopping time, distance, force, gravity, projectiles, Money: percentages; simple and compound interest, permutations and combinations.)
- The 5ecret L1fe of Code5 (previously Codes: How to Make Them and Break Them), ISBN 0-439-94328-4 (patterns, logic and deduction, prime numbers, high powers, modular arithmeticModular arithmeticIn mathematics, modular arithmetic is a system of arithmetic for integers, where numbers "wrap around" after they reach a certain value—the modulus....
.) - Easy Questions, Evil Answers, ISBN 1-407-11451-4 (formulas, working out square roots by hand, π, Pythagoras, paradoxes, problem solving, metric prefixes, large numbersLarge numbersThis article is about large numbers in the sense of numbers that are significantly larger than those ordinarily used in everyday life, for instance in simple counting or in monetary transactions...
, vectors.)
Related puzzle books have been published also:
- Professor Fiendish's Book of Diabolical Brain-benders, ISBN 0-439-98226-X (mazes, logic, coin problems, number crosswords, shape cutting/rearranging, number squares.)
- Professor Fiendish's Book of Brain-benders (a smaller version of the above) (same as above)
- SudokuSudokuis a logic-based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle. The objective is to fill a 9×9 grid with digits so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the grid contains all of the digits from 1 to 9...
: 100 Fun Number Puzzles, ISBN 0-439-84570-X - Kakuro and Other Fiendish Number Puzzles, ISBN 0-439-95164-X
One title that encompasses almost all areas of mathematics has also been released:
- The Murderous Maths of Everything, ISBN 1-407-10367-9 (prime numbers, Sieve of EratosthenesSieve of EratosthenesIn mathematics, the sieve of Eratosthenes , one of a number of prime number sieves, is a simple, ancient algorithm for finding all prime numbers up to a specified integer....
, Pythagoras' Theorem, triangle numbers, square numbers, the International Date LineInternational Date LineThe International Date Line is a generally north-south imaginary line on the surface of the Earth, passing through the middle of the Pacific Ocean, that designates the place where each calendar day begins...
, geometry, geometric constructions, topologyTopologyTopology is a major area of mathematics concerned with properties that are preserved under continuous deformations of objects, such as deformations that involve stretching, but no tearing or gluing...
, Mobius stripMöbius stripThe Möbius strip or Möbius band is a surface with only one side and only one boundary component. The Möbius strip has the mathematical property of being non-orientable. It can be realized as a ruled surface...
s, curves (conic sections and cycloidCycloidA cycloid is the curve traced by a point on the rim of a circular wheel as the wheel rolls along a straight line.It is an example of a roulette, a curve generated by a curve rolling on another curve....
s Golomb RulerGolomb rulerIn mathematics, a Golomb ruler is a set of marks at integer positions along an imaginary ruler such that no two pairs of marks are the same distance apart. The number of marks on the ruler is its order, and the largest distance between two of its marks is its length...
s, 4 dimensional "Tic Tac Toe", The Golden Ratio, Fibonacci sequence, Logarithmic spiralLogarithmic spiralA logarithmic spiral, equiangular spiral or growth spiral is a special kind of spiral curve which often appears in nature. The logarithmic spiral was first described by Descartes and later extensively investigated by Jacob Bernoulli, who called it Spira mirabilis, "the marvelous...
s, musical ratios, Theorems (including Ham sandwich theoremHam sandwich theoremIn measure theory, a branch of mathematics, the ham sandwich theorem, also called the Stone–Tukey theorem after Arthur H. Stone and John Tukey, states that given measurable "objects" in -dimensional space, it is possible to divide all of them in half with a single -dimensional hyperplane...
and Fixed point theorem), probability (cards, dice etc.), Pascal's TrianglePascal's triangleIn mathematics, Pascal's triangle is a triangular array of the binomial coefficients in a triangle. It is named after the French mathematician, Blaise Pascal...
, Sierpinski TriangleSierpinski triangleThe Sierpinski triangle , also called the Sierpinski gasket or the Sierpinski Sieve, is a fractal and attractive fixed set named after the Polish mathematician Wacław Sierpiński who described it in 1915. However, similar patterns appear already in the 13th-century Cosmati mosaics in the cathedral...
, chess board, light yearsLight YearsLight Years is the seventh studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 25 September 2000 by Parlophone and Mushroom Records. The album's style was indicative of her return to "mainstream pop dance tunes"....
, size and distance of moon and planets, orbit, size of stars, shape of galaxy.)
Kjartan has also written a book entitled Everyday Maths for Grown-Ups (2011)
Reviews
A recommendation of the series by Scientific AmericanScientific American
Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
, due for publication in January 2011 http://www.murderousmaths.co.uk/books/books.htm includes a quote from a Stanford engineer named Stacy F. Bennet, who described the series as "very humorous and engaging introductions to such topics as algebra, geometry and probability". On 22nd November 1997, that same publication said of the series, "Have a look at Murderous Maths by Kjartan Poskitt. It is a truly addictive reading book, and was leapt on and devoured by my children. The book is full of awful jokes, fascinating facts, real murders and yes, the maths is good too. This is a brilliant book."
Some reader reviews have included appraisals of the series such as, "I just wanted you to know what a big difference you made to one [dyslexic] child's life. So thank you so much", "We are now trying to encourage our maths teachers at school to break out of the tedium and have some fun with maths!" and "We both found your books interesting, exhilarant, rich in tips and very appropriate to link pupils to the usually very boring and tiring activitities connected with maths." http://www.murderousmaths.co.uk/homeed.htm
The Primary Times
Primary Times
Primary Times is a free family magazine which is distributed to schools across the UK and Republic of Ireland. The magazine aims to inform families and children about current educational issues, forthcoming events, courses and attractions to give teachers, pupils and parents the opportunity to...
released a review of Professor Fiendish's Book of Diabolical Brain-benders on November 25th 2002, describing the title as "intriguing, fun to do, and not at all dry", and adding "i warn you, once you start, you'll be 'hooked'!". Times Educational Supplement
Times Educational Supplement
The Times Educational Supplement is a weekly UK publication aimed primarily at school teachers in the UK. It was first published in 1910 as a pull-out supplement in The Times newspaper. Such was its popularity that in 1914, the supplement became a separate publication selling for 1 penny.The TES...
also published a review on the book on December 6th 2002, describing the title as being "action-packed" and reasoning that "behind the non-stop fun, serious mathematical principles are being investigated". http://www.murderousmaths.co.uk/books/BKMMDB.htm#dbrev
Kjartan did a presentaion for 350 kids and 10 teachers at Wolfreton School, Hull in June 2004. The event was documented in TES 12/11/04. The reporter Linda Blackbourne described it as a "stand-up maths routine [that] has children - and teachers - in fits of laughter". http://www.murderousmaths.co.uk/tesrev.htm
CAROUSEL issue 16 (the guide to children's books) commented on the event, "...he possesses a prodigious gift of the (Yorkshire) gab, appears to be incapable of not enjoying himself, and plays his audience with the finesse of a maestro. Maths will never seem the same again.""
"A stand-up maths routine has children and teachers in fits of laughter... maths has never been so much fun." (TIMES EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT 12/11/04), "It is not often that you see a grown maths teacher cry with laughter..." (The Western Gazette Oct 06), "The kids went wild, they absolutely loved it..." (The Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
Gazette May 05) "Headteacher Barry Winter said it was a stroke of genius inviting the quick-witted author to open the resource centre" (The Stockton Evening Gazette 28/9/01) "Those who have experienced Poskitt "live" will recognise his
commitment to getting readers involved with the learning process" (GCSE book in the Guardian Nov 6th 2001), "...charismatic..." (The Press (York)
The Press (York)
The Press is the local daily paper for a substantial area of North and East Yorkshire, based on the city of York. It is printed by the Newsquest Ltd, a subsidiary of the Newsquest Media Group....
5/3/03) http://www.kjartan.co.uk/gigs/
Poskitt has also received positive feedback from school faculty to which his books or presentations have made a positive impression. "How can I thank you for such a wonderful day...if any schools would like verification of their value for money, just point them our way.... this was one day that we will talk about for a long time to come" (Jane Scott, librarian, Hilbre High School, The Wirral), "Thank you sincerely for yesterday - you were terrific and genuinely "took the place by storm" in the nicest possible way. I have had many comments from staff, students and parents all enthusing about the way the Awards Afternoon left them feeling upbeat and optimistic... and your books are selling like hot cakes!" Jeff Bower, Headmaster, Pocklington. http://www.kjartan.co.uk/gigs/
A review by Brian Clegg for Popular Science
Popular Science
Popular Science is an American monthly magazine founded in 1872 carrying articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. Popular Science has won over 58 awards, including the ASME awards for its journalistic excellence in both 2003 and 2004...
http://www.popularscience.co.uk/kreviews/rev86.htm described his views on Murderous Maths: Desperate Measures, "It's the usual clever mix of light historical context -mostly ancient from Israelites and Archimedes to the Romans - and real insights into fascinating aspects of something that sits nicely between maths and practical science. There's plenty to keep the reader and interested, and even adults perusing it will have one or two surprises along the way. Because it is very much applied maths, there is also a lot more opportunity to have fun with practical things to try out than has been the case with some of the Murderous Maths series. All in all this is a great addition to the fold." He gave the book a score of 4/5 stars.
The title Murderous Maths: The Essential Arithmetricks was given a score of 4.1 out of 5 on the website JacketFlap http://www.jacketflap.com/bookdetail.asp?bookid=0439011574.
A review of the series by monlim on On Kids And Education http://hedgehogcomms.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-verdict-on-murderous-maths.html said that "the books are great for reviving interest and aiding understanding in maths, but I don’t think they are suitable for every child. Many of the mathematical concepts are pretty complicated, so even though they’re explained in a fun and simpler way, some kids will still struggle to understand them."
markwtest at WordPress.com commented on the Muderous Maths website: "This site is full of oddities and tricks. A great resource to help keep us going for the last couple of weeks, especially for the older (Year 5 onwards) children." http://markwtest.wordpress.com/2006/06/21/murderous-maths/
Ruth in NC at InfoServe commented on the series: "Now we are reading through the math series together everyday. We often need paper and pencil to follow along but we have learned some handy math tricks. Doing sums may be derided in the text but the beauty and fun of mathematics is celebrated."
The Word Pool http://www.wordpool.co.uk/nz/books/nzmurderousmaths.htm describes the series as being "excellent explanations of a wide range of maths topics which fit well with Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3. This is maths as you've never seen it before - maths that children of 8 and over may choose to read for fun."
http://www.livingmath.net/Reviews/ReviewsbyTeens/tabid/413/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Recurring characters
There are a number of recurring charactersFictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the MM books. These include:
- Phantom X
- Colonel Cancel and his Valiant Vector Warriors
- Thag the Mathemagician
- Urgum the AxemanAxemanAxeman may refer to:*The Axeman of New Orleans was a serial killer in New Orleans circa 1918-1920*One of the Acadia University Axemen*David Axelrod, Senior Advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama, is sometimes referred to as The Axeman in the media...
, Grizelda the Grisly, Hunjah and other barbarians - Professor Fiendish and his pet pigPigA pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
, Truffles - The Fogsworth family, including the Duchess, the Colonel, Auntie Crystal, Rodney Bounder, Primrose Poppet, Binky Smallbrains, Lord Binkiebott Marmalade Fogsworth and Croak the Butler
- Pongo McWhiffy, disgusting hamburgerHamburgerA hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
seller, and Veronica Gumfloss, his spiteful crush - Riverboat Lil and Brett Shuffler, two 19th century riverboat gamblers
- Sheerluck Holmes (parody of Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
) - The Boccellis (Blade, Paul 'Porky' and 'One Finger' Jimmy), the Gabriannis ('Weasel', 'Chainsaw' Charlie, 'Numbers' and 'Half-Smile') and Dolly Snowlips
- The Evil Gollarks (from the planetPlanetA planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
ZogZOGZog or ZOG may refer to:*ZOG , an early hypertext system developed at Carnegie Mellon University during the 1970s*Zog of Albania , King of Albania from 1928 to 1939...
) - The Great RhunRhûnIn the fictional world of Middle-earth created by J. R. R. Tolkien, Rhûn was a large region of eastern Middle-earth. Rhûn was the name used for all lands lying east of Rhovanion, around and beyond the inland Sea of Rhûn, whence came many attacks on Gondor and its allies during the Third Age of...
of Jepatti, and his Ghinji - Kumar in his curryCurryCurry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...
restaurant, The Ravenous Rajah - The Pure Mathematicians (Janet, Matt Kimpton and Tom Winch, plus a final, unnamed character. These are named after a real-world teacher and a pair of real-world pure mathematiciansPure mathematicsBroadly speaking, pure mathematics is mathematics which studies entirely abstract concepts. From the eighteenth century onwards, this was a recognized category of mathematical activity, sometimes characterized as speculative mathematics, and at variance with the trend towards meeting the needs of...
respectively.) - Luigi, in his restaurant (called Luigi's Diner), with Benni - the only place the gangsters go: they are the only customers for obvious reasons.
Spin-Offs
- Killer PuzzlesKiller PuzzlesKiller Puzzles is one of the many spin-offs of Horrible Histories and a new twist on the Murderous Maths puzzles books including Suduku and Kakuro. They make the readers try to maths and logic puzzles. According to , to make the challenges worthwhile, each book has its own theme and if you solve...
(Written by Kjartan Poskitt) - The Urgum The Axeman series (by Kjartan Poskitt and illustrated by Philip Reeve)