All Math Words Dictionary is designed for students of pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, intermediate algebra, pre-calculus and calculus in middle school and high school. It is designed using the four 'C's of math writing:
- Concise: Definitions are compact, yet understandable.
- Complete: All words and phrases of interest to targeted students are included, plus a few just beyond the scope of the target classes.
- Correct: The definitions have been thoroughly reviewed for mathematical and literary correctness.
- Comprehensible: The definitions are written to be understood by targeted students. Abundant illustrations aid in understanding.
One of the difficulties many students experience in learning math skills has to do with the fact that an entire language, both spoken and written, has grown up around math. Students that acquire that language are successful in math studies. Students that do not acquire that language have serious problems with mathematics. This dictionary is designed to aid in the acquisition of the language of math.
This dictionary has:
- over 3600 entries,
- more than 200 notations defined,
- in excess of 1300 illustrations,
- IPA pronunciation guide,
- greater than 1400 formulas, equations, examples, identities and expressions.
While teaching high school math, the author, David E. McAdams, noted that some students did not understand even simple math statements, such as "This equation is determinate." Those students who had not acquired a basic math vocabulary were left behind, becoming frustrated and mentally dropping out of class. This dictionary was carefully crafted. The result of this extensive effort is All Math Words Dictionary, an important tool for math teachers and students. This book is available in four different editions:
- Color Classroom edition - typeset in 14-point Times New Roman font and with larger color illustrations. Best for any use, as the use of color guides the student through the illustrations. Available in paperback and hardback.
- Home edition - typeset in 10-point Times New Roman for home use. Available in color and black and white, both paperback.
- Large Print edition - typeset in 16 point Tiresias LP font for visually challenged students. Includes larger black and white illustrations. Available in paperback and hardback.
- Dyslexic edition - typeset in Open Dyslexic and Eulexia fonts with black and white illustrations. Available in paperback and hardback.
If budget allows, Mr. McAdams highly recommends either the Color Classroom edition, or the Color Home edition. These editions show the part of the diagram being defined in red, allowing the student to more quickly understand the words being defined.
After 30 years of software development, David McAdams was looking for something new to do. He turned his attention to how math is taught. Through his coursework at Utah Valley University, he learned how critical vocabulary acquisition is to all learning, and especially to math. Math has long been regarded as its having its own language, with its own syntax and symbols. The acquisition of this language has been found to be a barrier to many students.
After the completion of his internship, Mr. McAdams finished compiling math vocabulary words into a comprehensive dictionary, written for middle school and high school students. "All Math Words Dictionary" is the culmination of ten years work collecting, classifying and describing all of the words a student might encounter in their studies of algebra, geometry, and calculus. This book has over 3000 entries; more than 140 notations defined; in excess of 790 illustrations; an IPA pronunciation guide; and greater than 1400 formulas and equations.
While working on the dictionary, between playing with his grandchildren, Mr. McAdams started developing other ideas for math literacy. The results are "Numbers", "What is Bigger than Anything (Infinity)", "Swing Sets (Set Theory)", and "Learning with Play Money".
Branching out, Mr. McAdams took a departure from tools for teaching math, moving into the arena of pure mathematical delight. This results in two volumes of "My Favorite Fractals".
While reading a book on color names to his grandson Sawyer, he got to thinking how boring books on color names are for adults. "What in the natural," he mused, "has enough of the primary and secondary colors to teach color names to children?" His first answer was either frogs or parrots. He created "Parrot Colors", "Flower Colors", and "Space Colors".
Returning to math, Mr. McAdams created a book to help children learn shapes, called "Shapes". He remembered how, in his youth, he found a few printouts of geometric nets and was fascinated how they folded together into complex, 3-dimensional objects. He prepared "Geometric Nets Project Book", then "Geometric Nets Mega Project Book" with many geometric nets read to cut out and assemble.
What can one get for the math aficionado who has everything? Mr McAdams created the books "The First Million Digits of Pi", "The First Million Digits of e", "The Square Root of Two to One Million Digits", "The First Hundred Thousand Prime Numbers".
Many young math learners become fascinated with how math works. Mr. McAdams wrote "One Penny, Two" to illustrate through a stories how fast powers of two increase with each iteration. Sig is given a magic box. If you put a penny in it, the pennies double each day as long as none are taken out. Sig decides he wants a dark green convertible sports car. Follow Sig trial as he sets his sights on his goal.
