Discover the exciting intersection of mathematics and programming with Math Hacks for Scratch®. This book is perfect for kids, educators, and programming enthusiasts eager to learn or teach math through fun, hands-on projects using Scratch, the popular visual programming language.
You’ll see how a little bit of planning, combined with the right mathematical or coding tricks, can make complex calculations doable. These are the “hacks” mentioned in the title. You’ll write programs to speed up factoring big numbers, sort out a pizza party with Pascal’s triangle, explore Fibonacci’s famous sequence for counting rabbits, use cryptography to create unbreakable secret codes, and so much more.
Inside, you’ll find:
Step-by-Step Projects: Learn how to create interactive games, animations, and simulations that bring math concepts to life. Convert between binary and decimal to see how computers keep track of numbers. Make sense of patterns in lists, sequences, and arrays. Encode cryptograms, unscramble secret messages, and crack the Caesar cipher.
Real-World Applications: See how math is used every day to calculate probabilities in games and create dynamic graphics.
Expert Guidance: Benefit from the insights of author Michael Mays, a seasoned math educator with a PhD in mathematics and a 40-year teaching career.
Accessible Learning: Ideal for both beginners and experienced programmers, this book offers clear explanations and practical examples that make learning fun and easy.
Whether you’re a beginning coder wanting to enhance your Scratch skills, a teacher looking to inspire students, or a parent supporting your child’s education, Math Hacks for Scratch provides the tools to turn coding projects into math adventures.
Author Bio
Michael Mays has a PhD in mathematics from Penn State University. His teaching career at West Virginia University spanned 40 years, including roles as director of the Institute for Math Learning and chair of the Department of Statistics. His innovative approach to math education has earned him recognition as an Eberly Teaching Professor.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: What computers think about numbers
Chapter 2: Exploring divisibility and primes
Chapter 3: Splitting numbers with prime factorization
"Inspired by the author’s grandchildren, this book offers up a playful approach to mathematics learning using the block-based coding language pioneered by Scratch. Dr. Michael Mays has done a compelling job of using a creative coding platform to enliven and enrich young people’s engagement with math, by using coding to engage with numbers, puzzles, and patterns." - Margaret Honey, President & CEO, Scratch Foundation
"Michael Mays' Math Hacks for Scratch is a combination of code and calculation that I wish I had as a student. It takes the challenges you find in math books and adds a Scratch programming twist. These 33 projects are more fun than doing math on a boring whiteboard." - Al Sweigart, software developer and bestselling author of Automate the Boring Stuff with Python
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