The Arithmetiquities

The Arithmetiquities is my original mathematical fantasy adventure story featuring a quirky band of heroes who undertake a quest to recover a collection of powerful mathemagical artifacts. The story is told through a sequence of 36 mathematical puzzles.

This project was the focus of an article in the Spring 2022 issue of Math Circular, a publication of the Math Circle Network (a project of the American Institute of Mathematics): Rethinking Story Problems to Engage Students’ Mathematical Curiosity.

Design Notes

I researched and curated a collection of appropriate puzzles, then rewrote each puzzle to recontextualize it within the plot and overall narrative of the adventure story.

I typeset all of the chapters using LaTeX, and coordinated with an illustrator to create character portraits for the website and spot illustrations for each chapter.

In alignment with my personal philosophy that teachers and students should have access to engaging instructional materials at no cost, I released the collection online for free at arithmetiquities.org, 

Testimonials

I'm always looking forward to the next chapter. Even though it's challenging, it makes me think outside the box.
​-- 6th Grader

They have a fun little twist to them and more detail. It’s not like, “Sally had 3 apples,” but instead there are chapters that all come together and are actually fun for kids.
​-- 7th Grader

​I've been very impressed with the rich discussion that's taken place (particularly when they disagree with one another).
​-- Middle Grades Teacher