News links and algebra textbooks

Algebra Textbooks

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I went looking for what our kids are learning in math classes today - and found this list of highest ranking textbooks, in use, that might help kids learn (according to the AAAS Project 2061. Well, I want to compare this to the very good 1953 specimen I bought earlier this week. I ordered both copies of the first course of Contemporary Mathematics in Context from an Abebooks.com bookseller.

More info when they arrive!

AAAS = American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Cloned Mules Compete against each other, come up nearly identical times.

Rivers found under Antarctica ice - I think they mean under the ice but between deep lakes on the land though - 'under tundra' lakes... so kind of like caves? I'm not sure. I'm still trying to picture this one in my head.

This one is actually from April - but so interesting! Polyglots have 'different' brains. My question here is - what skill is it when you don't know a langauge at all, but by reading long paragraphs of it - patterns and similarities to other languages you can read and understand begin to appear - and you can properly translate large areas of it? Of course - some languages are quite similar to others.. maybe learning some German, French and Latin gives you the 'keys to the castle' on stumbling through many others?

Blog Link: the Stevens list of the 100 greatest science books first 30 listed here from the Stevens Center for Science Writing - plus there are some great suggestions in the comments! Gotten to by EurekAlert! (again.. great site!) article