The Number Devil
by Hans Magnus Enzenberger · first published 1998
82% recommend18% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A fun, story-driven introduction to math ideas for kids aged 9 to 13 and adults alike. It works as a bedtime read-aloud and sparks curiosity about mathematical concepts.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Mentions per year
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This looks like a wonderful resuorce! I checked the database for The Number Devil [1], one of my favorite math books for middle school age (and anyone who is delighted by imaginative presentations of math!). Sure enough, it's there, highly rated, and the comments from teachers and…
on “Math in Fiction – over 1000 short stories involving math or mathematicians” ↗…However, they are not watered down. They are very meaty approaches to the subject that also make the subjects approachable. They cover things like physics, genetics and other serious subjects. Also: The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure Reading this with my sons is the first time I had heard of Fibonacci numbers and I had a lot of math in high school. Also also: A Tour of the Calculus.
on “What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?” ↗One book that works well for techy parents who have kids is The Number Devil. It's fantastic read-with-your-kid-at-bedtime material.
on “Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?” ↗If you're looking for books for older children, e.g. 9-13, The Boy Who Reversed Himself, The Man Who Counted and The Number Devil, which are listed here, are fantastic. For the younger audience, e.g. 6-9, I suggest the Math Adventures books, e.g. Sir Cumference and the Isle of Immeter, which are illustrated and introduce mathematical…
on “MathFiction: Alex Recommends” ↗This really depends on a lot of factors. You might get a lot out if illustrated works, such the Cartoon Guides ... series. You might benefit from kid-friendly, fun books, like The Number Devil or Alice in Quantum Land. Or you might benefit enormously from looking for "chapter books" on the subjects -- books filled with paragraphs of actual English instead of endless formulas. This might include…
on “Ask HN: Best resources to gain math intuition?” ↗As a child, I re-read The Number Devil constantly. It introduced me to some really cool mathematical ideas, couched in a cute story. The very last chapter includes a picture of the Principia Mathematica's proof of 1 + 1 = 2 -- mostly for shock…
on “Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?” ↗…going to be more pedagogically valuable and more fun than Trachtenberg. Here's an Internet Archive scan https://archive.org/details/creativeproblems0000lenc Your kid would also probably really enjoy The Number Devil, a breezy novel about a kid who gets trapped in his dreams with a devil who won't stop telling him about elementary number theory, using various dream-world props. If you want more problems after that,…
on “A seventh-grader student found a beautiful proof to Thales' Theorem (2002)” ↗…to get past this, if you want. I had my sons play math based games, read math books full of paragraphs and not problems, and so on. You might try engaging in math as recreation. Read books like "The Number Devil" and "Alice in Flatland" and "The cartoon guide to statistics" (or any cartoon guide book ever on any subject, because they are all basically awesome) and "How to lie with statistics." Try to figure…
on “How has your learning experience in school shaped your attitude towards math?” ↗…"cartoon guides... " They occasionally have off color humor, so some people think they aren't appropriate for age 7. But I had no problem with it. There are also nifty math books out there, like The Number Devil, Alice in Flatland and ...memory fails me. But I imagine all of these are listed on Hoagies.
on “Ask HN: What are some great books for children?” ↗I would recommend "The Number Devil" [1] for children (from 11 on) and adults alike. It's a zany story, but in that respect it provides a refreshing intro into some math concepts. In that vein, I also recommend "mathematical mindsets"…
on “Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?” ↗Books: The Number Devil Alice in Quantumland If you can tolerate a little off color humor, any of the "Cartoon guides..." By Larry Gonick are excellent for a variety of subjects. (If you can find old Star Wars themed software…
on “Ask HN: Any math-focused gift recommendations for kids?” ↗…beginning with basic arithmetic. You probably should ignore book recomendations like Spivak for now. The books that I use right now are "Arithmetic for the practical man" by "J. E. Thompson" and "The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure" by "Hans Magnus Enzensberger" which is a childbook.
on “Ask HN: I suck at math, where to start?” ↗…announcing "I finally understand why you can't divide by zero! I knew it was a rule, but I never understood why!" Third, look for fun ways to explore math. There are entertaining math books like "The Number Devil" that are a fun read and will likely introduce you to new concepts if you do not have a strong math background. I also bought games for my sons to play instead of doing arithmetic drill. Last, don't…
on “More parents, students saying 'no' to homework” ↗Maths for Mums and Dads: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maths-Mums-Dads-Mike-Askew/dp/022408... http://www.amazon.com/Maths-Mums-Dads-Mike-Askew/dp/02240863... The Number Devil is often recommended: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Number-Devil-Mathematical-Adventure/... http://www.amazon.com/Number-Devil-Mathematical-Adventure/dp... How young are the children? What you can do for…
on “Ask HN: What book did you use to teach your children math?” ↗Out of curiosity, what were the problems with The Number Devil? I remember reading it when I was younger and felt I had a good grasp on how things were presented.
on “Mostly Lost: A children's book that teaches programming without a computer” ↗