About Jim Loats and Kenn Amdahl

Jim Loats, Ph.D, is a retired math professor at Metropolitan State College in Denver. Widely respected and universally beloved, Jim has an enthusiasm for math that can often overcome even the most stubborn of math-phobes (Like his friend Kenn Amdahl). He also is a fine musician. Jim plays tuba (including in the group The Crazy Rhythm Boys) and dobro. He’s been known to play his tuba on the Boulder Mall to the astonishment of tourists walking by. He also creates art in stained glass

When they were both invited to a weekend retreat in the mountains, Jim and Kenn got into a series of animated discussions about math. They did not convert each other, but enjoyed the spirited and good-natured arguments. That led to their decision to try to cooperate on a math book about algebra, which Kenn had failed in 9th grade. Jim does not love reading or writing words, but he enjoys explaining concepts. Kenn loves words but hates numbers. Once a week, they got together for breakfast and Jim tried valiantly to explain the subject, while Kenn resisted every step of the way. (“But WHY can’t I divide by zero? I don’t care if it’s a rule, there must be a REASON for the rule!”)

Both Jim and Kenn are tall fellows with strong voices. As their “conversations” became more intense, waitresses tended to back away from their table. When Kenn finally grasped some concept, he went home and wrote it as well as he could. The next week, Jim would approve or correct what he’d written. In some cases, Jim wrote a section that specifically interested him. This process went on for more than a year.

The result was Algebra Unplugged. That book generated much grateful mail from struggling students. It was recommended by Encyclopedia Brittanica Online, The Math Teacher magazine and many others. It was one of the four finalists for the State of California’s curriculum but was not chosen.

The process had been so fun, if challenging, that Jim and Kenn took on the task of writing Calculus for Cats.

Both books were aimed at people who learn best by reading, not by doing exercises. For people who want to understand why they can’t divide by zero before they invest hours in doing problems without answers to that sort of question. For guys like Kenn.

Alas, most math teachers think that explaining concepts is their job and they saw no need for books like these. They honestly did not understand the concept. A common reaction from them has been “I already knew all this stuff.”

If you already understand algebra and calculus, these books probably aren’t for you. On the other hand, one reader said, “I’ve been teaching math for 20 years and never really understood that concept until I read your book.”

About Kenn Amdahl

After a youth misspent in commercial real estate, Kenn discovered he loves to write. When no “Real Publisher” wanted to publish his goofy intro to electricity (There Are No Electrons: Electronics for Earthlings) he formed Clearwater Publishing in 1990 to publish it himself. He’s published a dozen books, both fiction and nonfiction, and written another half dozen that remain unpublished. As he says, “You’re a tough room to play if you’ll reject your own books.”

He paid for college (BA in English Lit) by playing music gigs, being a hired gun for a couple of recording studios, and giving as many as 40 guitar lessons every week. Later, for ten years he sang and played in the acoustic group “Cottonwood.”

Kenn was active in the Colorado writing and publishing communities for many years and served on the Board of Directors for a half dozen organizations. In 2016 he and his wife of over 50 years moved to Eugene, Oregon to be closer to their three grown sons. He still plays an occasional gig but hasn’t really gotten involved in the local writing or music communities. There’s just so many trees to look at and paths to explore and neighborhoods in which an old guy can get lost.

But maybe soon he’ll become more sociable again.