Book Review: The Joy of Set

Princeton University Press contacted me dorsum inwards Oct to meet if I would live on interested inwards receiving a review re-create of an upcoming unloose inwards telephone commutation for a review on my blog. When I saw that it was a math-y read, I accepted. They sent me a re-create of The Joy of SET (affiliate link). It arrived at the outset of November, as well as I meant to read it but the cease of the semester is ever pure craziness. It doesn't assistance that I'm teaching 4 unlike preps this twelvemonth when I'm accustomed to ever having 3. One extra marker to prep for does brand a big difference! I promised myself I would brand fourth dimension to read it as well as review it over Christmas break, but I ended upwardly battling strep pharynx as well as a tyke mutual depression temperature over break. January has treated me amongst some other mutual depression temperature (this fourth dimension much to a greater extent than severe!), but I'm in conclusion on the mend as well as feeling better. I'm currently inwards the midst of a four-day weekend cheers to H2O ice as well as Martin Luther King, Jr Day, so I'm in conclusion making fourth dimension to read this amazing book.

First off, I LOVE the game of SET. At my house, you lot volition honour the blogged most the experience here!

You volition also honour the mini circular version of SET (affiliate link). The master copy SET game has 81 cards that come upwardly inwards solid, striped, as well as empty shapes. The mini circular version has exclusively 27 cards which are all solid.

I also ain SET Dice (affiliate link).

If you lot are non familiar amongst SET, it is a bill of fare game that tin live on played lonely or amongst a grouping that relies on designing recognition. Here's the basic rules courtesy of the SET company.

Read the residuum of the rules here: http://www.setgame.com/sites/default/files/instructions/SET%20INSTRUCTIONS%20-%20ENGLISH.pdf

Though I forthwith honey the game of SET, this has non ever been so. I yell back reading weblog posts mentioning SET for years. The SET website has a daily SET game on their website that I attempted ane day. I could non figure it out for the life of me which made me experience similar perchance I wasn't really cutting out to live on a math teacher!

Link to Daily Set Puzzle: http://www.setgame.com/set/puzzle

Thankfully, when I went to the SET session at Math Teachers' Circle, I was seated amongst a few ladies who already knew how to play the game. They were SUPER patient amongst me as well as allow me brand mistakes as well as acquire from them. Once I figured out the rules for the game, I realized it was really FUN!

I was eager to portion the game amongst my students ane time I knew how it worked! In my ain classroom, I receive got flora this animated, interactive tutorial super effective for introducing students to the game.

Link to Interactive Tutorial: http://www.setgame.com/sites/default/files/tutorials/tutorial/SetTutorial.swf

After going through this tutorial amongst my students, I prefer to allow them piece of work through the daily laid puzzle from The New York Times. This is DIFFERENT from the daily laid puzzle on the SET company's website. What I LOVE most the New York Times version is that it comes inwards unlike levels which is corking for students who are however a chip confused most how the game works.

Here's an instance of Basic Level 1. As you lot tin see, all of the cards are already the same color.

And, here's an instance of Advanced Level 1.

I receive got had some students acquire super obsessed amongst the SET game! One year, I had a pupil beg to bring a deck abode over the weekend so she could play amongst her mom.

What I honey most The Joy of SET book (affiliate link) is that it is written inwards such a agency that it tin live on read as well as enjoyed past times both SET enthusiasts as well as someone that has never played SET before. The outset chapters of the mass learn you lot how to play the game inwards a step-by-step manner. I absolute honey the writing vogue of this book. When I foremost flipped through the book, I saw lots of math that was reminiscent of my undergraduate math textbooks. My husband (also a math teacher) flipped through the mass every bit well, as well as he was surprised to advert of topics he hadn't thought most since uni. However, when I started reading from the BEGINNING, I realized it doesn't read similar a textbook at all.

Example of Colored Illustrations

The mass is chock total of colored illustrations, fun conversations betwixt fictional characters (whose names conveniently commence amongst S, E, as well as T!), as well as the most amusing footnotes I've ever came across inwards a book! As I was reading the book, I kept making my hubby interruption his youtube video he was watching to read him footnote later footnotes. Luckily, they were funny plenty to brand him chuckle, so he didn't acquire likewise aggravated at me for interrupting his videos.

Humorous footnotes similar this are peppered throughout the entire book!

I could tell past times how this mass was written that the authors receive got a passion for math as well as teaching.

Here's an instance of this passion from the preface:

"Another of import destination nosotros receive got is for people to realize that mathematics is everywhere, as well as if you lot await for it, you'll honour that mathematics tin assistance you lot empathize the world. Mathematics, fundamentally, is most patterns, as well as patterns are all around us. Nearly everyone tin create math, merely every bit nearly everyone tin read as well as write. We hope that, inwards actively reading this book, you lot volition confidently consider yourself a "math person," regardless of your mathematical background."

The mass is written inwards 2 parts. The foremost one-half of the mass is intended to live on accessible to ANYONE amongst an involvement inwards the game. You don't demand a math bird to empathize whatsoever of the concepts. In fact, I flora myself making notes most how the authors explained some basic math concepts so I tin travel the same explanations amongst my high schoolhouse students. The 2nd one-half of the mass is written inwards a agency that it should however live on accessible to anyone, but those amongst an advanced math background volition for sure acquire to a greater extent than from the reading. This 2nd one-half of the mass is total of the messy math problems that caught my oculus when I foremost flipped through the book.

Another affair I loved most reading this mass is that it encourages exploration. The authors desire you lot to read a few pages so pose downward the mass as well as play a game of SET to experience what you've been reading about. The mass asks questions as well as encourages you lot to inquire your ain questions.

Even though I've played SET quite a chip as well as attended 2 presentations on SET, I however flora myself learning so much land reading this book. For example, here's a fact I was super-shocked by. At the outset of the game of SET, shuffle the deck. Pull out ane bill of fare at random as well as pose it away without looking at it. Play the residuum of the game every bit normal. When you lot receive got flora every bit many sets every bit possible, await at the remaining cards. You volition live on able to tell precisely which bill of fare you lot pulled out at the beginning. How crazy is that?!?!? I however haven't wrapped my heed around that ane yet. I intentionally haven't read the solution inwards the mass because I desire to figure it out myself. When I showed this puzzle to my husband, he was able to figure out how to create it inwards less than a minute. This is merely crazy to me!

I also learned most the history of the game of SET past times reading this book. Did you lot know that SET was invented inwards 1074 past times Marsha Falco? Marsha was a population geneticist who was studying epilepsy inwards German linguistic communication shepherd dogs. She made a bill of fare amongst symbols for each Canis familiaris to stand upwardly for its diverse genes. Looking at these cards inspired her to brand a bill of fare game that involved the same designing recognition. Isn't that awesome?

It was super-fun to revisit the thought of points, lines, as well as planes inwards the game of SET which I hadn't though most since 2014's Math Teachers' Circle Summer Immersion Workshop.

As you lot read through the book, you lot are encouraged to think through solutions on your ain earlier the authors render their ain solutions. When I was reading a department on modular arithmetic, the authors warned me to "avert [my] eyes" until I figured out the employment on my own. If it wasn't for this warning, I probable would receive got kept reading. Because of the warning, I flora a solution on my own, as well as I was shocked at how unlike my solution was from the ane inwards the text. I got the exact same answer, but I got at that topographic point inwards a completely unlike way. I wouldn't receive got been able to receive got that experience if I had merely kept reading.

I await forwards to trying out the exercises as well as projects provided at the cease of each chapter. Really as well as truly, at that topographic point is plenty math inwards this mass to travel on you lot busy for a lifetime!

The championship of this mass is "The Joy of SET," as well as I receive got to tell that this mass is really a "joy" to read as well as piece of work through. I've learned so much already, as well as I await forwards to learning to a greater extent than every bit I tackle the challenges this mass provides.

Here are a few categories of people who I would recommend this mass to:
* Lovers of the SET Game
* Math teachers who immature adult woman the rigors of college-level math who would similar to revisit concepts they may non receive got though most inwards quite a while
* Math teachers who would honey to growth their employment solving skills as well as math knowledge past times working through interesting math problems

I definitely recommend this book. If you lot would similar to preview the mass earlier you lot buy it, Amazon has quite a big chunk of the mass available to flip through on their website!

H5N1 exceptional give cheers you lot to Princeton University Press for sending me a gratuitous re-create of this mass to review! All of the opinions inwards this shipping service are my own.