Mathnet

In 6th grade in 1997, on Fridays we would watch Mathnet. It was always fun but plenty educational! As a student math was always the easiest when it was made fun, and that is exactly what this movie did for us. Quite frankly, the Mathnet series actually inspired my class to do our homework, because we weren't allowed to watch it unless the whole class did their homework. It was always a treat when we got to watch these movies. There aren't many good math movies (as I know now because I am studying mathematics)so it is amazing that Mathnet is so interesting. When the teacher who used them retired, he took the tapes with him and now Indiana is Mathnetless which it a pity!

I know Mathnet was based from Dragnet. Since Mathnet uses math and logic to solve crimes, I wonder if the show Numb3rs got the idea from Mathnet.

Mathnet which started as a segment of "Square One TV," was a fun & funny adaptation of a familiar police procedural (specifically the 50's cop show, "Dragnet") which employed quality performances and solid writing to teach math concepts. It insulted neither the child nor adult viewer. Many actors who served as regulars and guest stars would pop up giving quality performances in primetime TV and in movies. If I could find DVD's of this series I'd buy them in a heartbeat.

I first saw this show as a young elementary school student, and I loved it then for its entertaining abilities and mystery qualities. Having taped some episodes when I was a child, I ran across them as an adult and I found them equally as delightful for their witty puns and found myself cracking up at the zany humor. These shows contain humor that is most certainly geared for adults (i.e. Nick and Nora Chuck - play on an old radio show Nick and Nora Charles) and thus succeeded in capturing the attention of both adults and children at the same time.

I came upon Square One TV when I was already out of college, and had a degree in video production. Mathnet was just the kind of show I would have loved to have worked on, with its great production values, great writing, and a fabulously talented cast who could deliver the lines deadpan.

I still remember two episodes in particular. In one, George was planning a vacation in Michigan on an island named Nomanissan, yes, that's Nomanissan Island (say it out loud if you need to). The other episode introduced me to the Fibonacci Sequence (begin with 1, then add it to the previous number (0), then continue to add the last 2 numbers together to get the next): 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13... It's amazing how many times that has come up in the last 30 years, and I only understood it because I watched Mathnet.

SUCH a good program! If they offered the whole series for download, I would buy it.