Publisher Description

A collection of short detective stories for young adults who are interested in applying high school level mathematics and physics to solving mysteries. The main character is Ravi, a 14-year-old math genius who helps the local police solve cases. Each chapter is a detective story with a mathematical puzzle at its core that Ravi is able to solve. The author invites the reader to solve the case on his or her own and then explains the mathematics used to find the solution to the puzzle.
Illustrated by Karl H. Hofmann

Author Biography

Leith Hathout, an accomplished young mathematician and a mystery enthusiast, is a high school student in California. He began participating in national mathematics competitions at the age of 9, eventually winning several awards at the national level and achieving a perfect score on the California Math League exam. Outside of his studies, he excels at playing SET and is a nationally ranked foil fencer.

Table of Contents

Preface, Acknowledgments, A Mystery on Sycamore Lane, The Watermelon Swindle, An Adventure at the Grand Canyon, Basketball Intrigue, The Moon Rock, A Theft at Dubov Industries, Murder at The Gambit, A Day at the Racetrack, Bowling Average, Caught on Film, A Mishap at Shankar Chemicals, Almost Expelled, The Urban Jungle, A Snowy Morning on Oak Street, Conclusion, About the Problems

Review

" Uncover the secret of whodunnit in this delightful educational and learning tool. Ideal for high school libraries, classroom use, and for adults who want to keep their math skills sharp! -Midwest Book Review Bookwatch, August 2007
is a truly delightful book that should inspire many a high school student, bored with classroom 'word problems,' to take a second look at the subject with fresh eyes. The more so if they realize that the author is, like them, a high school student! In Leith Hathout's talented writing I detect the next Martin Gardner. -Keith Devlin, Stanford University, NPR's "Math Guy," and author of The Math Gene and, Devlin, June 2007
this quite charming book, Leith Hathout has taken the idea of a 'word problem' to a whole new level-the 'short story problem.' People who enjoy watching the brilliant math professor Charlie Eppes solve crimes on Numb3rs should also get a kick out of the way Hathout's even younger hero, fourteen-year-old Ravi, reduces complicated crimes to math problems-and then solves them. What fun! -Gary Lorden, Professor of Mathematics, Caltech, and math consultant for Numb3rs, Lorden, June 2007
Hathout, drawing on a great love of mathematics, has with incredible ingenuity embedded fourteen lovely problems within fourteen mystery yarns. You'll enjoy matching your wits with Ravi, a teenage genius who manages to solve each mystery and to provide clear and elegant proofs. Only high school mathematics is involved, except for one mystery in which a bit of calculus creeps in. -Martin Gardner, author of Mathematical Games, Gardner, June 2007
Precocious math students will love this collection: what could be more fun than seeing one of their own as the hero of the day, and learning some new mathematics at the same time? Mathematically-inclined adults may enjoy it also. -Sarah Boslaugh, MAA, August 2007
Intrigued? So you should be...This is an excellent book...The crux of the problems will be familiar to any mathematician but the treatment of them is unique...I would recommend this book to any youngster enjoying studying mathematics at Advanced level or above, as well as all those involved in maths education. -LMS, September 2007
""Delightful... the storylines are fresh, well-written, and to the point....This book is sure to intrigue AND entertain math enthusiasts, young and old alike. I enjoyed it a lot."" -Homeschool, October 2007
""[Hathout's] first book is an engaging collection of short mathematical mystery stories ... although this book is clearly aimed at an audience of talented high school students, it may also interest lower-level undergraduate students."" -CHOICE Magazine, November 2007
""It's time for Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Inspector Maigret, Adam Dalgliesh, and even Charlie Eppes to step aside; there is a new kid on the block..."" -The Mathematical Intelligencer , May 2008
""In a way, this book is about mathematics. But the mathematical tasks come in an unforseen guise. They come all of a sudden. I have to admit that I took delight in reading [this book]."" -J. Lang, Internationale Mathematische Nachrichten, December 2007
""Amazingly, the author is a high school student himself. He has managed to hide intriguing math problems within cleverly written criminal mysteries including murder and fraud. Readers are invited to challenge their own wits and try to solve the mysteries themselves"" -European Mathematical Society Newsletter , June 2008"

Review Quote

" Uncover the secret of whodunnit in this delightful educational and learning tool. Ideal for high school libraries, classroom use, and for adults who want to keep their math skills sharp! - Midwest Book Review Bookwatch, August 2007is a truly delightful book that should inspire many a high school student, bored with classroom "word problems, " to take a second look at the subject with fresh eyes. The more so if they realize that the author is, like them, a high school student! In Leith Hathout "s talented writing I detect the next Martin Gardner. -Keith Devlin, Stanford University, NPR "s SMath Guy, and author of The Math Gene and, Devlin, June 2007this quite charming book, Leith Hathout has taken the idea of a "word problem " to a whole new level-the "short story problem. " People who enjoy watching the brilliant math professor Charlie Eppes solve crimes on Numb3rs should also get a kick out of the way Hathout "s even younger hero, fourteen-year-old Ravi, reduces complicated crimes to math problems-and then solves them. What fun! -Gary Lorden, Professor of Mathematics, Caltech, and math consultant for Numb3rs , Lorden, June 2007Hathout, drawing on a great love of mathematics, has with incredible ingenuity embedded fourteen lovely problems within fourteen mystery yarns. You "ll enjoy matching your wits with Ravi, a teenage genius who manages to solve each mystery and to provide clear and elegant proofs. Only high school mathematics is involved, except for one mystery in which a bit of calculus creeps in. -Martin Gardner, author of Mathematical Games , Gardner, June 2007Precocious math students will love this collection: what could be more fun than seeing one of their own as the hero of the day, and learning some new mathematics at the same time? Mathematically-inclined adults may enjoy it also. -Sarah Boslaugh, MAA, August 2007Intrigued? So you should be...This is an excellent book...The crux of the problems will be familiar to any mathematician but the treatment of them is unique...I would recommend this book to any youngster enjoying studying mathematics at Advanced level or above, as well as all those involved in maths education. -LMS, September 2007""Delightful... the storylines are fresh, well-written, and to the point....This book is sure to intrigue AND entertain math enthusiasts, young and old alike. I enjoyed it a lot."" -Homeschool, October 2007""[Hathout's] first book is an engaging collection of short mathematical mystery stories ... although this book is clearly aimed at an audience of talented high school students, it may also interest lower-level undergraduate students."" - CHOICE Magazine , November 2007""It's time for Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Inspector Maigret, Adam Dalgliesh, and even Charlie Eppes to step aside; there is a new kid on the block..."" - The Mathematical Intelligencer , May 2008""In a way, this book is about mathematics. But the mathematical tasks come in an unforseen guise. They come all of a sudden. I have to admit that I took delight in reading [this book]."" -J. Lang, Internationale Mathematische Nachrichten, December 2007""Amazingly, the author is a high school student himself. He has managed to hide intriguing math problems within cleverly written criminal mysteries including murder and fraud. Readers are invited to challenge their own wits and try to solve the mysteries themselves"" - European Mathematical Society Newsletter , June 2008"

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