The Ten Things All Future Mathematicians and Scientists Must Know: (But are Rarely Taught)

Mathematicians and scientists have been closely tied to many famous disasters. The Challenger explosion, the failure of the Mars Orbiter, and the Kansas City Hyatt Regency walkway collapse all involved thinking errors. This book presents the ten things our future mathematicians and scientists must know to prevent these kinds of tragedies from occurring. Because science and mathematics instruction is often dominated by facts and calculation, children are rarely exposed to these important concepts. Over 50 stories are included that show children the strong connections between mathematics and science and the real world.

a)Sister Elizabeth Kenny discovered an effective treatment for polio, but it was ignored by the medical establishment for 30 years.

b)Engineers tried to stop the Challenger launch because of concerns that the o-rings might fail in the cold temperatures. They were ignored.

c)Dr. Semmelweis discovered why thousands of women who gave birth at hospitals were dying and a simple way to stop the deaths. His colleagues ignored his discovery and thousands of women continued to die.

d)How a simple design mistake led to 114 deaths when a walkway collapsed at the Kansas City Regency Hotel.

Questions are included at the end of each chapter to test the reader’s understanding of each concept.