25 Real Life Math Investigations That Will Astound Teachers and Students

This is one book that I can honestly say lives up to its title. These math investigations are fascinating, real-life, and even downright scary. Chapter 1 is entitled: "The Nightmare of Payday Loans." You can see where this is going! So many adults fall into the payday loan trap; this investigation shows students why and how you quickly dig a hole you can't climb out of just by doing the math. The next chapter is: "Corn-Based Ethanol is the Answer to Our Dependence on Foreign Oil---Or Is It?" This one hits close to home for us Midwesterners. The next three chapters are about Media Math Mistakes (Parts 1, 2, and 3). "Lawmakers Make Math Mistakes," "Be Careful When You 'Rent to Own,'" and "How People Lie with Statistics" are among the other very interesting investigations. Not only is the material sure to grab their attention (and ours), but the presentation is engaging, too. Two characters, an Einstein-looking man and a professorial-looking rat, guide students through each chapter. They dialogue in word balloons, conversing about the unfolding investigation. After completion of the investigation, there are four activities (Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Einstein) that apply and expand on the knowledge and skills obtained during that investigation. The book wraps up with, "Prices Were Really Cheap When My Parents Were Young! Or Were They?" It sure seems like it to me, but I'll have to do the math to find out for sure! Complete answers with solutions are provided in the back.