Review of "Mathematics Enrichment Book E," by Francis Mueller and Alice Hach

Review of

Mathematics Enrichment Book E, by Francis Mueller and Alice Hach

Four out of five stars

 This book is useful almost exclusively as a historical record of what math used to be considered essential for the person studying for a career in the sciences. The first chapter covers the basics of how to use a slide rule, something that was removed from all math curricula in the mid-seventies.

 The second chapter explains how to create and use a clinometer, which is a skill that remains useful. It is a tool based on a protractor with a hanging string at the central point. The user sights along the edge of the protractor and reads the angle of elevation from the position of the string.

 The last two chapters contain material that remains standard content of math curricula. Chapter three covers basic probability ratios and four the fundamentals of set theory. All of this is elementary and could be used in middle or high school.

 Published in 1963, this is a book that was good for its time, yet now much of it is obsolete for modern education. I did find it of historical interest however.