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Count Us In: How to Make Maths Real for All of Us
Mathematics, like language, is a universal experience. But just as there is a rich variety of languages, so too is there a diversity of methods for counting and recording numbers—methods that have developed over centuries to meet the needs of various groups of people. Count Us In explores these cultural links and differences, drawing examples from the author’s personal experiences. Gareth Ffowc Roberts shows that mathematics—“maths” in the United Kingdom—is something to enjoy, rather than to fear, and his good-natured, accessible stories will encourage readers to let go of their math anxieties and explore alongside him.
As a popular book on mathematics and on the personalities behind its creation, there are no prerequisites beyond the reader’s rudimentary and possibly hazy recollection of primary-school mathematics and a curiosity to know more. Far from being the exclusive domain of specialists and number-crunchers, Roberts makes it clear that math belongs to us all.
As a popular book on mathematics and on the personalities behind its creation, there are no prerequisites beyond the reader’s rudimentary and possibly hazy recollection of primary-school mathematics and a curiosity to know more. Far from being the exclusive domain of specialists and number-crunchers, Roberts makes it clear that math belongs to us all.
144 pages, Paperback
First published February 15, 2016
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March 23, 2024
I hated maths at school and have always found numbers difficult, but I really enjoyed this book. Roberts mixes up maths puzzles with snippets of historical information, personal anecdotes of his time teaching maths and comparisons of the way in which different countries approach counting. He also looks at the way education, age and gender assumptions can impact our view of maths.
Fun fact learned from this book: The equals sign was invented in the 1500s by a Welshman, Robert Recorde of Tenby, who chose two parallel lines to represent it because "noe 2 thynges can be moare eqalle".
I must admit that despite the claim on the back that "there are no prerequisites beyond the reader's possibly hazy recollection of primary-school mathematics..." some bits of this book went over my head. I'm pretty sure I was never taught about binary numbers in primary school, and I still don't understand them now. But I did finish this book with a greater appreciation of maths and much less anxiety about it. And I really wish Roberts had been my maths teacher!
I think this book will probably be too simplistic for anyone who is brilliant at maths, but those who can use maths without really understanding it may enjoy learning more about the 'why'. However, I think those who would most enjoy it are probably those who are least likely to read it. In the words of a quote Roberts uses in this book "Maths is like cabbage: you love it or you hate it, depending on how it was served up to you at school." If your experience of school maths was an over-boiled and soggy mess, maybe it's time to see if a new way of serving it makes it any more enjoyable.
Fun fact learned from this book: The equals sign was invented in the 1500s by a Welshman, Robert Recorde of Tenby, who chose two parallel lines to represent it because "noe 2 thynges can be moare eqalle".
I must admit that despite the claim on the back that "there are no prerequisites beyond the reader's possibly hazy recollection of primary-school mathematics..." some bits of this book went over my head. I'm pretty sure I was never taught about binary numbers in primary school, and I still don't understand them now. But I did finish this book with a greater appreciation of maths and much less anxiety about it. And I really wish Roberts had been my maths teacher!
I think this book will probably be too simplistic for anyone who is brilliant at maths, but those who can use maths without really understanding it may enjoy learning more about the 'why'. However, I think those who would most enjoy it are probably those who are least likely to read it. In the words of a quote Roberts uses in this book "Maths is like cabbage: you love it or you hate it, depending on how it was served up to you at school." If your experience of school maths was an over-boiled and soggy mess, maybe it's time to see if a new way of serving it makes it any more enjoyable.
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