Urns, Dice and Polyominoes

Rating:
Summary: McCutcheon makes math fun!
Review: Full disclosure: I haven't read the book yet, but Mr. McCutcheon was my math teacher in 6th and 8th grade and all through high school, and he is singlehandedly responsible for making me comfortable and confident with math. He made math class both fun and challenging, and taught in a way that forced us to use our brains creatively rather than simply memorizing formulas and spitting them back. If this book is anything like his classes (as the title suggests it is), it would be a wonderful resource for teachers, students, and anyone interested in increasing their knowledge and enjoyment of mathematics.

Rating:
Summary: FUN MATH GAMES AND PUZZLES
Review: This is a wealth of material for math teachers. Written by a math wizard with a lifetime experience in keeping kids excited about math with the help of one of his ex-students who became a math teacher himself, it's a must have for teachers looking to inspire, entertain and fire up their math students.

Rating:
Summary: An anthology of brain-teasing mathematical puzzles
Review: Urns, Dice, and Polyominoes: Topics in the Theory of Groups, Residues, Primes, & Probability is an anthology of brain-teasing mathematical puzzles and solutions, written by expert mathematician and instructor Barr McCutcheon. The puzzles are presented in a print-handwritten style script with diagrams, one that readily lends itself to immediate absorption more quickly than a standard typeface. Extensive formal education is not required to better understand the probability-related problems and their solutions, which walk the reader through basic principles in a lighthearted, easy-to-assimilate manner. Highly recommended for leisure fun or for the dedicated mathematics and probability student student seeking to round out his or her problem-solving skills and put them to the experimental test.