Space Math @ NASA Problem Books

This page contains a complete collection of books and other Space Math products in PDF format, which are available to download. Note the large file sizes! Also, these documents are full-color, and contain additional explanatory materials about the content and how the topics align with national mathematics and science standards identified by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the National Science Teachers Association.

These books include most of the weekly math problems assembled by year or by special topic area, in a format that may be more convenient for the teacher than the individual weekly problem downloads. All books contain problems for a mixture of grade levels from 4th through 8th and beyond.

Please consider taking the following surveys so that we can collect data for presentations to NASA, and continue to be funded to maintain this resource. The five questions will ask you specifically about the use of these books so that we can gauge whether this format is useful to you and your students.

For Teachers visit: Teacher Survey

For Students visit: Student Survey

The links below take you to the PDF files.

All documents are provided with no answer keys for the math problems.

Annual Math Problem Collections

  • Exploring Space Math (2003) 15 Problems - These books include most of the weekly math problems assembled by year or by special topic area, in a format that may be more convenient for the teacher than the individual weekly problem downloads. [PDF: 5.7 Mby, No Answer Keys]
  • Space Math I (2004) 20 Problems - These books include most of the weekly math problems assembled by year or by special topic area, in a format that may be more convenient for the teacher than the individual weekly problem downloads. [PDF: 4.3 Mby, No Answer Keys]
  • Space Math II (2005) 24 Problems - These books include most of the weekly math problems assembled by year or by special topic area, in a format that may be more convenient for the teacher than the individual weekly problem downloads. [PDF: 13.5 Mby, No Answer Keys]
  • Space Math III (2006) 36 Problems - These books include most of the weekly math problems assembled by year or by special topic area, in a format that may be more convenient for the teacher than the individual weekly problem downloads. [PDF: 12.9 Mby, No Answer Keys]

  • Space Math IV (2007) 31 Problems - These books include most of the weekly math problems assembled by year or by special topic area, in a format that may be more convenient for the teacher than the individual weekly problem downloads. [PDF: 11.6 Mby, No Answer Keys]

  • Space Math V (2008) 87 Problems - These books include most of the weekly math problems assembled by year or by special topic area, in a format that may be more convenient for the teacher than the individual weekly problem downloads. [PDF: 11.4 Mby, No Answer Keys]

  • Space Math VI (2009) 87 Problems - These books include most of the weekly math problems assembled by year or by special topic area, in a format that may be more convenient for the teacher than the individual weekly problem downloads. [PDF: 14.1 Mby, No Answer Keys]

  • Space Math VII (Draft:2010) 86 Problems - These books include most of the weekly math problems assembled by year or by special topic area, in a format that may be more convenient for the teacher than the individual weekly problem downloads. [PDF: 11.2 Mby, No Answer Keys]

    • Special Topic Guides

  • Black Holes (2008) 11 Problems An introduction to the basic properties of black holes using elementary algebra and geometry. Students calculate black hole sizes from their mass, time and space distortion, and explore the impact that black holes have upon their surroundings. [PDF: 3.8 Mby, No Answer Keys ]

  • Image Scaling (2008) 11 Problems Students work with a number of NASA photographs of planets, stars and galaxies to determine the scales of the images, and to examine the sizes of various features within the photographs using simple ratios and proportions. [PDF: 7.3 Mby, No Answer Keys ]

  • Solar Math (2008) 15 Problems Exploring solar storms and solar structure using simple math activities. Calculating speeds of solar flares from photographs, and investigating solar magnetism. [PDF: 3.6 Mby, No Answer Keys ]

  • Lunar Math (2008) 17 Problems An exploration of the moon using NASA photographs and scaling activities. Mathematical modeling of the lunar interior, and problems involving estimating its total mass and the mass of its atmosphere. [PDF: 3.8 Mby, No Answer Keys ]

  • Magnetic Math (2009) 37 Problems Six hands-on exercises, plus 37 math problems, allow students to explore magnetism and magnetic fields, both through drawing and geometric construction, and by using simple algebra to quantitatively examine magnetic forces, energy, and magnetic field lines and their mathematical structure. [PDF: 9.5 Mby, No Answer Keys ]

  • Earth Math (2009) 46 Problems Students explore the simple mathematics behind global climate change through analyzing graphical data, data from NASA satellites, and by performing simple calculations of carbon usage using home electric bills and national and international energy consumption. [PDF: 4.2 Mby, No Answer Keys ]

  • Electromagnetic Math (2010) 84 Problems Students explore the simple mathematics behind light and other forms of electromagnetic energy including the properties of waves, wavelength, frequency, the Doppler shift, and the various ways that astronomers image the universe across the electromagnetic spectrum to learn more about the properties of matter and its movement. [PDF: 11.3 Mby, No Answer Keys ]

  • Space Weather Math (2010) 96 Problems Students explore the way in which the sun interacts with Earth to produce space weather, and the ways in which astronomers study solar storms to predict when adverse conditions may pose a hazard for satellites and human operation in space. Six appendices and an extensive provide a rich 150-year context for why space whether is an important issue. [PDF: 26.1 Mby, No Answer Keys ]

  • Transit Math (2010) 44 Problems Students explore astronomical eclipses, transits and occultations to learn about their unique geometry, and how modern observations by NASA's Kepler Satellite will use transit math to discover planets orbiting distant stars. A series of Appendices reveal the imagery and history through news paper articles of the Transits of Venus observed during the 1700 and 1800s. [PDF: 14.6 Mby, No Answer Keys ]

  • Algebra 2 (2010) 200 Problems This book follows the topic order of a standard high school Algebra 2 textbook (McDougal-Littell 2005), but provides supplementary problems related to space science and astronomy. Topics include scientific notation, polynomial equations, matrices, trigonometric functions, exponential and power functions, probability, statistics, and complex numbers. [PDF: 17.1 Mby, No Answer Keys ]

  • Remote Sensing Math (Draft:2011) 103 Problems This book covers many topics in remote sensing, satellite imaging, image analysis and interpretation. Examples are culled from earth science and astronomy missions. Students learn about instrument resolution and sensitivity as well as how to calibrate a common digital camera, and how to design a satellite imaging system. [PDF: 16.2 Mby, No Answer Keys ]

  • Astrobiology Math (Draft:2011) 75 Problems This book introduces many topics in the emerging subject of astrobiology: The search for life beyond Earth. It covers concepts in evolution, the detection of extra-solar planets, habitability, Drake's Equation, and the properties of planets such as temperature and distance from their star. [PDF: 11.2 Mby, No Answer Keys ]

  • Radiation (2011) 51 Problems An introduction to radiation measurement, dosimetry and how your lifestyle affects how much radiation your body absorbes. Detailed discussions of radiation units, and the affects of space radiation on living and working in space. This is an updated and expanded version of the previous Radiation Math (2007) book. [PDF: 21.9Mby, No Answer Keys ]

    • Additional Math Resources Developed by Other NASA Missions.

    THEMIS mission

    1. Exploring Magnetism (Grades 6-8)This book contains hands-on problems involving the properties of magnets and magnetism. Although no mathematics is involved, it features problems that require careful observation, recording data, and drawing conclusions from data. [8.9 Mby, 7 Problems]
    2. Magnetism and Electromagnetism (Grade 6-8) This guide features hands-on activities in learning about magnetism. Although no mathematics is involved, it emphasizes careful observation and data-taking activities. [1.0 Mby, 4 Problems]
    3. Space Weather (Grade 9-12) Students learn about solar storms and space weather while performing calculations involving time, time zones, creating a chronology of events from eye-witness accounts, tallying data and working with simple bar graphs. [4.3 Mby, 6 Problems]
    4. Earth's Magnetic Personality (Grade 9-12) Students learn about vectors in 2 and 3-dimensions, vector components, representing magnetic fields as 3-D vectors, analyzing line graphs and bar graphs derived from actual data. [3 Mby, 6 Problems]

    IMAGE Mission

    1. Northern Lights and Solar Sprites (Grades 1-5; No Answer Keys) Many different areas in solar and space science are covered in highly interactive exercises. These include studying convection on the Sun, solar flares, how to design a rocket payload, and the general subject of how the Sun affects the Earth. It was specifically designed to fill a well-known gap in NASA's offerings for the lower grades, and to do so in a way that is both fun, and well-integrated with national science benchmarks and standards.