Thinking About Numbers

Thinking About Numbers follows the conversation of a group of classmates living in a small village in the Philippines who, with the help of their teacher, explore mathematical concepts such as accuracy, one-to-one correspondence, sets, and negative and irrational numbers. Over the course of their discussions, the group considers the application of these concepts to day-to-day life, investigating, as they do so, the meaning of justice, service, and progress. In this way the book seeks to help young people not only further their capability of making numerical statements about reality around them but also think about the social dimension of statements regarding the world. The book is envisioned as the third in the junior youth series that will discuss mathematical and scientific concepts.