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 * __Book or Film reviews__**

The Number Devil – A Mathematical Adventure
==== Written by Hans Magnus Enzensberger Translated by Michael Henry Heim Owl Books 1997 $18.00 US - $24.00 Canada I first discovered The Number Devil – A Mathematical Adventure in September 2007 at the beginning of 9th grade. I was eager to read it, as I was attracted by its title – I never run away from something that includes the word Mathematical – and by its numerous illustrations. I thought it would be a pleasurable read before going to sleep, some stimulating food my brain could snack on. I was not deceived! Through his dreams, Robert – a math hater – encounters the Number Devil. This clever creature turns Robert’s revulsion into awe as he cleverly unravels the beauty of the Fibonacci sequence, prime numbers, and factorials (just to cite a few examples!). Enzensberger makes dreams and math intertwine, leaving the reader in an absurdly logical oneiric state. Yes, math is funny, witty, and beautiful! I took immense enjoyment in revisiting certain math games and discovering new ones, such as permutations and Pascal’s triangle. I regularly re-read a chapter or two, for fun or to review a concept. One should not shy away from such reading, as it whets one’s mathematical appetite and instills a love of abstraction which will last a lifetime! ====

Thus, I highly recommend this book, which can be appreciated by students and adults alike. Be prepared to dream of math as you travel through space and time along the strokes of Enzensberger’s pen!
If you have enjoyed one of those novels, please share your thoughts with us by writing a book review. · Born on a Blue Day: A Memoir of Aspergers and an Extraordinary Mind, by Daniel Tammet

· The Man Who Loved Only Numbers, by Paul Hoffman

· The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, by Mark Haddon

· Fermat's Enigma "This is a book which truly captures the essence of Mathematics. It traces the start of the craze towards solving "Fermat's last theorem" until Andrew Wiles comes up with the remarkable proof after life's worth of dedication towards that one problem. In the process of tracing the origins of this epic problem (which originated from a little scribble in the margins of the french mathematician Pierre de Fermat), he touches on basic and complex mathematical concepts which are comprehensible. It also adds a humorous angle to this subject to capture the mind of the reader (whether interested in Math or not). The level of passion a person can have for this subject and most importantly ,why, is clearly portrayed in this book." (G12 Student)

If you have enjoyed one of those movies, please share your thoughts with us by writing a film review. · Da Vinci Code, with Tom Hanks, Owen McGregor, and Audrey Tautou

· A Beautiful Mind, with Russel Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, and Ed Harris A beautiful mind is a film based on the life of John Nash, a genius mathematician who won a Nobel Prize in Economics. The movie itself starts as Nash enters Princeton University where he develops his own version of game theory that contradicts 150 years of accepted theory in Economics. But it’s not until you are half way through that you realise that everything you saw about John is in fact not real. Obviously because this is a movie, you see the events through his perspective and more or less accept what you see as real. But what if he had schizophrenia and some other mental illnesses? Well I think I am stopping here, so ye,, It’s a really interesting film so I think you should really watch it. (G12 Student)

· Pi, with Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman, and Clint Mansell

· Good Will Hunting, with Robin Williams, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck "Growing up in a poor area in South Boston, Will Hunting (Matt Damon) never had the ambition to become anything more than a janitor. However, one day whilst cleaning the corridor at a university, he is noticed by the renowned Professor Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard) as he has an extraordinary gift in mathematics. Will’s attitude stands in the way however, and he is sent to a therapist; Sean Maguire (Robin Williams). Slowly but surely, he learns to accept his troublesome past and to embrace his talent. On the way, he is supported by his girlfriend Skylar (Minnie Driver) and his best friend Chuckie (Ben Affleck)." (G12 Student)

· Las Vegas 21, with Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth and Laurence Fishburne

· Proof, with Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins and Jake Gyllenhaal

· Rain Man, with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise

· Fermat’s Room "Four mathematicians who do not know each other are invited by a mysterious host on the pretext of resolving a great enigma. The room in which they find themselves turns out to be a shrinking room that will crush them if they do not discover in time what connects them all and why someone might wish to murder them."