Algebra Searching for a Childhood math textbook I remember

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The discussion centers around a person's nostalgic recollection of a unique math book from their childhood that featured algebraic word problems, which significantly enhanced their mathematical skills. The individual is seeking help to locate this book, as their searches for terms like "Adding Words" yield irrelevant results. They express a desire to find the book for their future children, not for themselves, as they are currently preparing for advanced calculus. Suggestions from others include reaching out to schools or districts for records of past textbooks, though there is skepticism about the availability of such records. One humorous suggestion is to contact the police to report the book as missing. The conversation highlights the challenges of finding specific educational resources from the past.
Don Bones
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I am not sure how other schools advanced in math from kindergarten to middle school, but i recall spending 6 years (K-5) in classes learning arithmetic and identifying shapes. And then 3 years (6-8) in classes learning extremely basic algebra and some geometry. However, when I was in 4th grade, I found a math book that was full of "algebra" problems. It would consist of words being added/subtracted/multiplied to one another making new words, like cat+dog=goat (not a real example from the book). The objective was to figure out what each letter was through reasoning and algebra, and this heavily boosted me in math. I ended up creating algebraic concepts in class solving problems in the book, while other students were just adding fractions. After completing all the problems and advancing several grades, I simply sat and was "taught" everything I had already figured out myself. Now my problem is, I can't find this book! Every time I search "Adding Words" or something of the sort I receive word problems about addition.

If anybody has an idea of the book I'm talking about, it would be HIGHLY appreciated. I am still on the search for this book.
 
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Do you need it for yourself or for your kid? :smile:
 
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For my future son/daughter. I am going to be taking Calc III in a few months so it is not for me.
 
Here is a most likely useless way to find:
Check with the school or the district and ask. If anybody could find any record of what books were used when and where, just luck. Seems logical, but you might find that nobody kept any records on that. Any existing books from that time and place would have been donated and gone by now (except stored in unknown places, second, third, or fourth hand).
 
symbolipoint said:
Here is a most likely useless way to find:
Check with the school or the district and ask. If anybody could find any record of what books were used when and where, just luck. Seems logical, but you might find that nobody kept any records on that. Any existing books from that time and place would have been donated and gone by now (except stored in unknown places, second, third, or fourth hand).
I believe it's better to contact the police and lodge a FIR for a missing book. :olduhh:
 
By looking around, it seems like Dr. Hassani's books are great for studying "mathematical methods for the physicist/engineer." One is for the beginner physicist [Mathematical Methods: For Students of Physics and Related Fields] and the other is [Mathematical Physics: A Modern Introduction to Its Foundations] for the advanced undergraduate / grad student. I'm a sophomore undergrad and I have taken up the standard calculus sequence (~3sems) and ODEs. I want to self study ahead in mathematics...

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