Audrey throws a curve ball to show that the laws of motion can be fun.

When the summer fair is canceled to make way for a physics conference, Jeremy agrees to help his uncle protest. But their mission is foiled by Audrey, a young science whiz who sets out to prove that physics is in everything we do -- and that it's also really cool.

Audrey shows how physics can help a baseball pitcher throw a great breaking ball or a hockey player skate faster. She explains how gravity and the laws of motion make rides at the fair so exhilarating and how forensic physicists could help the art gallery determine if a valuable painting is a fake.

From sports to art to music to nature, Audrey shows how the laws of physics play a starring role.

Steve Rolston's inviting artwork and clear diagrams ensure a dynamic, high-voltage ride.

A school's plan to end arithmetic plus a math-crazy kid equals an entertaining exposé on the wonder of numbers.

When the schools in Jeremy's town ban math, there are loud cheers from the kids. Even his teachers happily toss their textbooks. But Jeremy's best friend Sam, a self-proclaimed mathnik, sets out to prove that math is not only important, but fun.

In the chapters that follow, Sam reveals math's presence in everyday places, including sports (types of triangles determine how a bike functions); art (artist M.C. Escher combined math patterns with imagination); and nature (ants instinctively calculate dead reckoning -- a navigation tool also used by astronauts). Meanwhile, surprising sidebars offer Jeremy's thoughts on weird concepts that range from chaos theory to cash prizes for new prime numbers. In the end, Jeremy, his teachers and even the Director of Education have to admit that school minus math equals all sorts of trouble.

Complete with dozens of amusing real-life math examples, brief bios of seven famous mathematicians, and fun illustrations and diagrams, this innovative introduction to all things arithmetic will win over even the most math-phobic readers.

Audrey throws a curve ball to show that the laws of motion can be fun.

When the summer fair is canceled to make way for a physics conference, Jeremy agrees to help his uncle protest. But their mission is foiled by Audrey, a young science whiz who sets out to prove that physics is in everything we do -- and that it's also really cool.

Audrey shows how physics can help a baseball pitcher throw a great breaking ball or a hockey player skate faster. She explains how gravity and the laws of motion make rides at the fair so exhilarating and how forensic physicists could help the art gallery determine if a valuable painting is a fake.

From sports to art to music to nature, Audrey shows how the laws of physics play a starring role.

Steve Rolston's inviting artwork and clear diagrams ensure a dynamic, high-voltage ride.