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Winnie Wrote a Math Book

Posted by Zonk on from the why-isn't-that-a-textbook dept.

SoyChemist writes "Hollywood is not known for providing a wealth of positive female role models. Danica McKellar, the actress that played Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years and Elsie Snuffin on The West Wing, has written a math book for teenage girls. 'Math Doesn't Suck' is done in the style of a teen magazine. It even includes a horoscope, cute doodles of shoes and jewelry, and testimonials from attractive young career women that use math at work. It focuses on fractions and pre-algebra and uses mnemonics like calling a reciprocal a 'refliprocal', because you just take the fraction and flip it upside down. Wired interviewed McKellar about the new book and her crusade to eliminate the achievement gap between boys and girls in math courses. McKellar graduated Summa Cum Laude from UCLA. While studying there, she co-authored a proof and presented it at a conference. After she and Mayim Bialik — star of Blossom and a PhD in neuroscience — appeared in a 20/20 episode about intellectual actresses, several literary agents came knocking on her door."

17 of 638 comments (clear)

  1. Barbie disagrees by NJVil · · Score: 5, Funny

    Back in 1994, Barbie thought differently.

    Math is hard!

    1. Re:Barbie disagrees by hal2814 · · Score: 3, Funny

      You should've seen what he thought back in 1944.

    2. Re:Barbie disagrees by gatzke · · Score: 4, Funny

      But is it NP-hard?

    3. Re:Barbie disagrees by Penguinisto · · Score: 3, Funny

      Back in 1994, Barbie thought differently.

      Math is hard!

      ...only for sufficient values of "hard".

      /P

      --
      Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
    4. Re:Barbie disagrees by mackyrae · · Score: 3, Funny

      Hey, I'm a teenage girl and there is a chunk of the teenage-girl-population that I swear speaks a different language. If someone figured out how to translate math into their language, good for them.

      --
      look! it's a bird, it's a plane, it's....a girl? yes, a girl browsing Slashdot on Linux
  2. Yeah, I'll knock on her door, too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    But the judge says I'm not allowed within 100 feet of her.

  3. Random bits from the book... by grub · · Score: 5, Funny


    "If the man of the house gets home from work at 5:30 and dinner takes 1.25 hours to prepare, at what time should you start making it?"

    "If your makeup costs $40 and you put it on once a day, how much does it cost per application if the makeup runs out after 70 days?"

    "If the cake recipe calls for the oven to be at 400 degree fahrenheit but the oven only has celsius....

    --
    Trolling is a art,
    1. Re:Random bits from the book... by Otter · · Score: 4, Funny
      I'm not sure of the physics behind it, but my oven needs to be turned down about 25 degrees from whatever the recipe says.

      I'd guess that your thermostat is miscalibrated, Dr. Maxwell.

      --
      What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
    2. Re:Random bits from the book... by anonicon · · Score: 4, Funny

      Answers:

      A. 4:15.
      B. $0.5714285714 per application, or $0.57.
      C. 204 celsius = 400 fahrenheit.

      I am all woman.

      Chuck

  4. Oh Boy... by teknopurge · · Score: 4, Funny

    It even includes a horoscope, cute doodles of shoes and jewelry, and testimonials from attractive young career women that use math at work. It focuses on fractions and pre-algebra and uses mnemonics like calling a reciprocal a 'refliprocal' Time to put the plastic back on the Slashdot couches...
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  5. TTIWWP by El_Smack · · Score: 3, Funny

    This tread is worthless without pics... of hot, math using girls. /whaddaya mean, wrong website?

    --


    There are 01 kinds of cars in the world. The General Lee, and everything else.
  6. Re:Nice try, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Great point. Instead of writing a book, Winnie should have changed social norms in every high school in America.

  7. I'd let her extend MY superfactorial! by cthellis · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'd also generalize HER polylogarithm!

  8. Re:Nice try, but... by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 5, Funny

    What we really need is to have high schools that don't go out of their way to reinforce the perception that going to state for ****ball is the pinnacle of achievement.

    OK, I'm dying to know: what sport at your high school is so unspeakably vulgar that you have to censor the name?

    And are any videos online?

    --
    Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
  9. More apropos to modern women: by monomania · · Score: 4, Funny

    "If your ex-husband, who was earning $45k per year, looses his job but now collects 30% of that in unemployment, and your alimony was calculated at 67% of his net salary while employed, what differential (minus child-support) must now be applied in order that he may loose his other testical?"

  10. Re:Women scare what percentage of /.ers shitless? by Mercano · · Score: 3, Funny

    Zero, but thats the answer any night.

    --
    #include <signature.h>
  11. Re:And what do horoscopes have to do with science? by kryten_nl · · Score: 3, Funny

    If you don't, then stop talking about things you know nothing about.
    The stars say: "you must be new here".
    --
    For the perfect anti-Unix, write an OS that thinks it knows what you're doing better than you do and let it be wrong.