Friday, August 8th, 2008

Kiss My Math

Ira discusses math education with Danica McKellar--aka Winnie Cooper on the the television series "The Wonder Years." McKellar, who graduated from UCLA with a degree in math, is the author of "Math Doesn't Suck." (Credits: Produced by Flora Lichtman) See More Videos

Actress and math advocate Danica McKellar, also known as Winnie Cooper in "The Wonder Years", is working to make pre-algebra cool. Sound like an impossible task? In her new book "Kiss My Math: Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss," McKellar breaks down middle school math into easy-to-digest concepts--heard of integers...what about "mint-egers"?

"I'm sorry, but 'integer' has got to be the most boring word I've ever heard.... Well, I propose something different. We're not going to talk about these so-called "integers," or I might fall asleep while typing. Instead, we're going to talk about MINT-egers," McKellar writes in "Kiss My Math." In this segment, Ira talks with McKellar about her mission to make math glamorous to girls.