String, Straightedge and Shadow

In this beautifully illustrated classic reader, Julia E. Diggins masterfully recreates the story of geometry. Using three simple tools — the string, the straightedge, and the shadow — early mathematicians discovered the basic principles and constructions of elementary geometry.

This book reveals how these discoveries related to the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece. Diggins weaves this story from archeological and historical records, and the legends of the major mathematicians of the time. By reconstructing events as they might have happened, Diggins enables the attentive reader to follow the pattern of reasoning that led to an ingenious proof of the Pythagorean theorem, an appreciation of the significance of the Golden Mean in art and architecture, and the construction of the five regular solids. You will learn how the knowledge and wisdom of so many cultures shaped our civilization today.

String, Straightedge, and Shadow is a must-read for middle school students or for parents helping their children through their first geometry course. It is popular with teachers and parents who use Jamie York's Making Math Meaningful™ curriculum books.