3 Reasons to Read the Adventures of Ruby Pi Series by Tom Durwood

Mathematics isn’t a favorable subject among middle and high-grade school students across the world. Before they could take interest in it, they lose it despite knowing that science and technology can’t survive without mathematics and its allied branches. But why this subject is loathed by the majority of folks. Simple — it isn’t engrossing. It’s taught in a banal and boring way. Can we do something about it? Authors like Tom Durwood, who is a history teacher, attempts to make maths and geometry concepts not only interesting but also inspiring.

Through two of his books — the Adventures of Ruby Pi Series (Math Girls and Geometry Girls) — he brings mathematical and geometry concepts on the table to solve major challenges and issues at some point of time in history through teenage girls. The series of two books is more than history and mathematics and geometry, it blends many valuable aspects of academic literature in it. Read on to know why you should try reading this different series before you doubt your liking for mathematics.

1.

Served with Historical Fiction:

The author Tom has great sense of history in his stories. In both books, the first story begins with an Indian detective girl named Rupa aka Ruby Pi. Rupa is living in that era when India is a colony of the British. And her family is living in London with better perspectives of life there. Yet, the author didn’t shy mentioning the battle of Tiraha where the British Army killed scores of Indian natives by using a modern weapon that has got roots in Bayes Theorem while investigating the death of a renowned mathematician living in Cambridge.

In instances of the stories, Tom picked up 1992’s financial crises of England with the story of Pen, and he also mentioned the launch of Sputnik in Russia –this story is about two opposite sisters. In Geometry book, there is a tale from China’s Great Leap.

Many mathematician and geometrical concepts are discussed and used in the books to solve colossal problems. However, history never leaves the collection in lurch. Whatever you flit by, history is there to mesmerize you.

2.

Takes on a Cultural Tour:

Tom’s description of backdrops is not dry. He indeed takes you through the streets of villages and cities where his protagonists dwell. Be it London, ancient India, Russia, Nigeria, or the discriminating war zone of South Africa — he is everywhere like an omnipresent to introduce you to at times cuisines, local names of residents, tribal patterns, and much more. Some of the stories are set in the charming rural backdrop of Indian subcontinent — an amazing way to acknowledge cultural heritage from the history of that era.

3.

New Concepts to Learn through Discoveries:

One of the strongest dimensions of the book is that it solves crime cases, puzzles, secrets, and takes a dig into analysis for economics and social welfare. Indeed mathematics and geometry is not just about numbers and shapes. Theorems and concepts from algebra, circle, stats, etc. can be used in solving the real-life situations.

For instance in first story of Maths Girls, Rupa justifies the death of a renowned mathematician as a natural cause using Bayes Theorem. In that story of Nigeria, the young girl Isoke saves her queen by identifying something wrong in the colour pattern of flags. The story of Jayanti is about utensil architecture. All the stories have or something to resonate with mathematical concepts that students must stumble upon in their mid to high grade school days. If assisted with teachers, both books will surely attract intact attention of readers.

Overall, the Adventures of Ruby Pi Series by Tom Durwood offers fresh fictional perspective that combines history and mathematics.