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I grew up in an inner city Detroit neighborhood. The junior high school that I attended was pretty rough so, to avoid the gangs that formed after school, I quic
by todd8 9y ago
I grew up in an inner city Detroit neighborhood. The junior high school that I attended was pretty rough so, to avoid the gangs that formed after school, I quickly ran over to the near by public library and stayed there until it was safe to walk home around dinner time.
A friend showed me a magazine at the library; it was Scientific American and it completely hooked me. This was 1963 and SA was then a great magazine. I read every current issue and then read the bound volumes of past issues. My favorite monthly columns were Martin Gardner's Mathematical Games and the Amateur Scientist. I read every one of those two columns ever published.
The schools I attended were not very good, but I learned a lot of math and science during those years at the library. I went on to score very high in math and science, got into great colleges and ended up with a very successful career.
- laderach 9y agoThank you for sharing your story! I am going to google Martin Gardner's Mathematical Games later this afternoon!
- nileshtrivedi 9y agoA book that is based on many of Martin's articles is: "Symmetry, Shape & Space".
- ColinWright 9y agoMartin Gardner was amazing. I was privileged to meet him shortly before he left us, and he was still spry, mentally alert, and interested in nearly everything. Much of his work has dated badly, some equally, much of it is timeless, and just as engaging now as it was then. Martin was a huge influence on my life, and I treasure the afternoon I spent with him in person, and the thousands of hours I spent with him via his writings.
- NuDinNou 9y agoYou might like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/0883855453/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/0883855453/