Concepts of Mathematics & Physics {Curriculum Overview}

I want to thank Master Books for providing me with a copy of the Concepts of Mathematics & Physics pack in return for my honest review.

Our boys have always been drawn to non-fiction materials presented in an engaging way. They’d much rather read that than a story (although our youngest does really love fantasy and science fiction). I’m always excited when I can find materials on the history of math and science that are presented in an engaging manner from a Christian worldview.

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That’s why I love Master Books so much. Their materials are well-done, and my boys really enjoy them. I mentioned that we’re using Dr. James Stobaugh’s Skills for Language Arts this year–we love it.

Our youngest boy is obsessed with math and science (physics in particular), so we decided to add the Concepts of Mathematics & Physics curriculum as a history piece, to help the boys (who are in 6th and 7th grade) really grasp the concepts and history of the two disciplines.

Ok, I’m kind of sanitizing that. I was looking through the Master Books catalog, I asked the boys what they’d like me to review this month, and our 11-year-old ripped the catalog from my hands, pointed to this curriculum pack, and said, “This!”. Our 12-year-old attempted to opt for a science movie or some history CDs, but he was (literally) shouted down by our youngest. I had to promise to let him pick the next review item.

Really, I have to force both of them to stop reading Exploring the World of Mathematics each week so they can actually do some other work. Here’s what they had to say about it:

11-year-old: “It’s really informative. I learned about parabolic and hyperbolic arcs. I think this series will help me with my future studies and I will understand the concepts better, which will make math and science easier.”

12-year-old: “I like it because it has a lot of cool facts. I’m learning about the history of math.”

Exploring the World of Mathematics by John Hudson Tiner

This 157-page volume has 14 chapters. Each covers a topic in a narrative manner with tons of black and white artwork, sidebars, and a one-page quiz section at the end. I appreciate how interesting the narrative is with historical applications (kids can see why tools and skills were developed), and how some of the information relates to the Bible or to the time of Jesus.

Chapters cover:

Counting the Years
Counting the Hours
Muddled Measuring
Measuring by Metric
Practical Mathematics
The Greek Way with Math
Names for Numbers
Number Patterns
Endless Numbers
Math for Scientists
Pure and Applied Math
Computing Machines
Bits and Bytes
Math on Vacation

Exploring the World of Physics by John Hudson Tiner

This 158-page volume also has 14 chapters. Like Exploring the World of Mathematics, each covers a topic in a narrative manner with tons of black and white artwork, sidebars, and a one-page quiz section at the end.

Chapters cover:

Motion
Laws of Motion
Gravity
Simple Machines
Energy
Heat
States of Matter
Wave Motion
Light
Electricity
Magnetism
Electromagnetism
Nuclear Energy
Future Physics

Parent Lesson Planner

Master Books’ PLPs do a great job of laying out a 36-week schedule. This includes special project suggestions, worksheets, quizzes, and tests.

How we’re using the curriculum pack

We are not using the tests and quizzes. My boys are reading one chapter a week in addition to the math and science they already do. I think it’s a great way for them to learn more about the concepts and history behind math and physics. Also, I would be in serious trouble had I not chosen to include these books in our coursework. I like them, and I think we’ll incorporate more of John Hudson Tiner’s work in the coming years.

You can purchase the Master Books Concepts of Mathematics & Physics Pack at

Amazon: Exploring the World of Mathematics: From Ancient Record Keeping to the Latest Advances in Computers (Exploring Series) (Exploring (New Leaf Press)) and Exploring the World of Physics: From Simple Machines to Nuclear Energy (Exploring Series) (Exploring (New Leaf Press)) and Concepts of Mathematics & Physics Parent Lesson Planner
Christian Book: Concepts of Mathematics & Physics Pack, 3 Volumes