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Danica the Mathematician

Best known as an actress, Danica McKellar is also an internationally-recognized mathematician, advocate for math education, and New York Times bestselling author of books to inspire kids in math. A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA with a degree in Mathematics, Danica has been honored in Britain’s esteemed Journal of Physics and the New York Times for her work, most notably for her role as co-author of a groundbreaking mathematical physics theorem which bears her name, the Chayes-McKellar-Winn Theorem.

After graduating from UCLA Danica returned to acting, starring as Elsie Snuffin in the fourth season of The West Wing, and soon found a unique way to combine Hollywood with mathematics. Tackling math education and simultaneously breaking the stereotype of the “math nerd,” Danica began writing entertaining math books – with a glamorous flair – to teach and encourage middle school and high school girls in math. The immediate success of this series prompted ABC World News to name Danica their “Person of the Week.” Her message to girls? Smart is sexy!

Danica’s Math Books

Starting with Math Doesn’t Suck, Kiss My Math, Hot X, and Girls Get Curves: Geometry Takes Shape, books aimed at middle school and high school readers, she wrote her first children’s picture book, Goodnight Numbers in 2017, followed by Ten Magic Butterflies, Bathtime Mathtime and its sequel, and Do Not Open This Math Book, aimed at 6-8 year olds, introducing us to the sweet character of Mr. Mouse while helping kids parents and teachers everywhere with Common Core addition and subtraction! Since then, her book The Times Machine made Amazon’s list of Best Books of 2020, and her newest (11th!) book, Double Puppy Trouble, hits the shelves July 26th, 2022.

She is incredibly proud that since 2018, Goodnight Numbers has been included in Dolly Parton’s literacy charity, The Imagination Library, and her voice can be heard narrating its documentary, The Library Dolly Built, which debuted in Spring 2020.

All of Danica’s books can be found at McKellarMath.com

Danica explains the Chayes-McKellar-Winn theorem to attendees of a statistics conference at Rutgers University

Danica at a book signing for her first book, “Math Doesn’t Suck.”

Danica with her book, “Kiss My Math.”

Danica attends an event at MoMath in New York, honoring her book “Goodnight Numbers.”

Danica shows “Do Not Open This Math Book” to her son Draco.

Danica discusses “The Times Machine” on CBS This Morning