MCKELLAR INTRODUCES GIRLS TO THE WONDERS OF MATHEMATICS.

Byline: EVAN HENERSON

>LA.COM 

As anyone who has ever been flummoxed by fractions, whacked by word problems or done in by decimals can attest, mathematics isn't always the friendliest of school subjects.

Where scary-seeming math is concerned, a "friendly face" can help, and there are few faces friendlier than Danica McKellar's. Starting at age 13, McKellar played girl next door Winnie Cooper for six seasons on TV's "The Wonder Years." As an adult, she took a turn on "The West Wing" and, more recently, the Lifetime series "Inspector Mom."

In between, the Harvard-Westlake-schooled McKellar became a math whiz. Graduating summa cum laude from UCLA with a degree in mathematics in 1998, McKellar co-authored a mathematical physics theory that carries her name and has spoken before Congress on the importance of women in math and science. She routinely answers math questions on her Web site, www.danicamckellar.com.

Her first book, "Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail" (Hudson Street Press; $23.95) looks to convince middle-school girls that math is their subject, too. Chatting over lunch in Westwood near her former university stomping grounds, McKellar talked about school, life in TV and, of course, numbers.

How about a "Math Doesn't Suck" for boys?

That could be next. "Algebra Doesn't Suck" could be next. I'm not sure. But I have to say I didn't do this book halfway. It's hard for me to do anything halfway, especially something like this that means so much to me. I have to think there's room for plunging in again.

Girls' math scores drop in middle school. Why?

There are lots of reasons. They become more aware of society's messages that are coming at them. Kids go from being little kids running around the playground having fun to looking at themselves and starting to ask questions for the very first time. "Who am I?" The girls are starting to read teen magazines and they're becoming self-conscious.

While they're becoming self-conscious, thinking, "Who am I," they're getting messages telling them, "Math is hard." "Math is for nerds." "Who am I? Well I'm not someone who does math, that's for sure."

At the same time, math is starting to get harder. It goes from being rote memorization, knowing how to do long division to here's how to work fractions and decimals and proportions.

What about your own experiences?

When I was in seventh grade, our math teacher was subbed out. That made a difference. When you have someone who is very understanding and patient at a time when math is difficult, that can put a friendly face on it. She just made math come alive.

Did you keep a diary or a journal then?

I did. I thought that was a great way to understand myself. It's almost like you have an imaginary friend you're writing to. I still have a lot of my old journals.

Did your own experiences help you write the book?

It did actually, before I signed my book deal when I was putting together the proposal. It's funny. Our inner voice is in some ways different, and in some ways it hasn't changed at all. I find that slightly alarming. I also have a lot of vivid memories, even though it was a world away, possibly because some of that time was documented on television. I mean "The Wonder Years" really dealt with a lot of the same life issues, and how tumultuous that time really is.

Did you ever consider chucking acting for math?

College was sort of like a test drive for me, to see what it would be like to be a mathematician. I loved the mental challenge, but I missed sharing. There's something about being an actor. If you really love acting, you can't not do it. It's in your blood, and sharing feelings and human emotions is something that I knew I was going to go back to.

Was an acting hiatus part of the plan?

When I first entered college, the plan was to do what I did in high school. I'd act and go to school at the same time. So I did a couple of TV movies that first year, and I discovered that the teachers in college weren't as understanding as they were in high school as far as midterm and final exams. I was getting incompletes. At the same time, I pretty much decided I needed to do something for me.

What do you mean?

There's something about getting recognized again and again for the same thing. Say you were 12 years old and you were on a soccer field, and the score was tied and you got the ball with seconds left and you make the winning goal. And everyone is so excited and they talk about it for the next week, and the next month and the next year. Then 15 to 20 years later, you've done lots of things and people are still coming up to you and saying, "You know what, that goal you scored, that was amazing." It's a really strange feeling.

If you have not figured out where your self-worth really is, where your center is outside of that, it can drive you insane. It can make you think, "Well, what if I didn't have that? What else do I have to offer?" For me, studying math in a way was really therapeutic. It gave me a chance to be good at something and redefine myself in a way that had nothing to do with the glamour of a TV show.

Has Harvard-Westlake asked you to come back?

Yes. To be a math teacher. "If you ever decide to stop acting, we'd love to have you here." It's like, "Thank you very much, but ..."

Danica McKellar will sign copies of her book at 7 p.m. Sept. 12 at Barnes & Noble, The Grove, 189 Grove Ave., Los Angeles, [phone]. See also www.mathdoesntsuck.com.

evan henerson, [phone]

[e-mail]

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Danica McKellar, who co-authored a mathematical physics theorem that bears her name, has written a new book, "Math Doesn't Suck," to help girls get over their fear of math.

JOHN McCOY>LA.COM