The Ancient Formula: A Mystery with Fractions (Manga Math Mysteries) - Softcover

Thielbar, Melinda

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0761381341 ISBN 13: 9780761381341

Publisher: Graphic Universe ™, 2011

Synopsis

A puzzle left behind by Sifu Faiza's grandfather has everyone stumped. A circle divided into wedges shows part of the formula for an ancient medicine. But some of the wedges are blank, and no one knows how or why the original formula disappeared! Joy, Adam, Amy, and Sam will have to use clues―and fractions―to discover the truth about . . . The Ancient Formula.

About this title

About the Author:

Melinda Thielbar is a writer, teacher, statistician, and student of the martial arts. Manga Math Mysteries, including The Kung Fu Puzzle and The Secret Ghost is her first children’s series.

In 2005, Melinda left SAS to finish a PhD in statistics. She was awarded a VIGRE fellowship at North Carolina State University. This fellowship is awarded to students likely to make a strong contribution to education in the mathematics and statistics field. Again, Melinda earned a fantastic reputation in the classroom. Her statistics lectures and examples were known for their ability to hold her students' interest―no easy task in a statistics for non-majors class that's held at 8:00am.

Melinda lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband, writer Richard Dansky, and their three cats. She is currently working on the research portion of her PhD.

Having grown up in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tintin Pantoja graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2005 with a BFA in Illustration and Cartooning. She has worked on a self-published webcomic/graphic novel called Sevenplains, Hamlet: The Manga Edition, three Manga Math books so far, and what would have been a graphic novel adaptation of Pride and Prejudice for Tokyopop. Right now Tintin splits her time between Manila, Philippines, and Jakarta, Indonesia, with occasional visits to Canada and the USA. Besides working for Lerner (which she enjoys), Tintin has several fantasy graphic novels that she's trying to get off the ground.

Review:

"This title demonstrates the use of mathematics in scientific discovery. For the middle school student embarking on the exploration of multiplication and division, the book is a nice read. The presentation of the topics does not separate the mathematics from the story. The illustrations are great and provide good visual aids to understanding how sets are used in calculations. The story illustrates both the importance of using the scientific method to find solutions to problems and the dangers of hasty generalizations. Overall, this title presents accurate information with an appeal to middle school/junior high students. The book is probably best used for general awareness of mathematical principles. The information presented does not have the technical treatment needed to classify the book as a reference work; however, it is a fun read, and readers who are just learning about multiplication and division or who have recently learned these topics could begin to understand the usefulness of mathematics in problem solving." --Science Books & Films

(Journal)

"This fifth volume in the Manga Math Mysteries series features a puzzle dealing with a formula for jow, a Chinese medicine for kung fu students; this particular formula was created long ago by Sifu Leung, and Sifu Faiza's grandfather wrote it in code in his journal, which has been entrusted to Joy. The students try to figure out the formula using fractions, but they realize some parts are missing. This series helps show how people use math every day along with presenting some fun mysteries and character lessons with lively, colorful illustrations." --Booklist

(Journal)

About this edition

• Publisher: Graphic Universe ™
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0761381341
• ISBN 13: 9780761381341
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 48
• Illustrator: Pantoja Maria Kristina Sb.