Aha! Gotcha: Paradoxes to Puzzle and Delight [Paperback]

Martin Gardner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1982 | ISBN-10: 0716713616 | ISBN-13: 978-0716713616

A pocket book of riddles, full of fun and illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 164 pages
• Publisher: W H Freeman & Co (Sd) (April 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0716713616
• ISBN-13: 978-0716713616
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #211,741 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Math Games

More About the Author

For 25 of his 95 years, Martin Gardner wrote 'Mathematical Games and Recreations', a monthly column for Scientific American magazine. These columns have inspired hundreds of thousands of readers to delve more deeply into the large world of mathematics. He has also made significant contributions to magic, philosophy, debunking pseudoscience, and children's literature. He has produced more than 60 books, including many best sellers, most of which are still in print. His Annotated Alice has sold more than a million copies. He continues to write a regular column for the Skeptical Inquirer magazine.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gardner at his best, explaining the unexplainable December 8, 2005

By Charles Ashbacher HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

This is an ageless book for the people who love to think and do it well. A paradox is a situation where a supposedly valid chain of reasoning is performed and yet you end up with a conclusion that cannot be true. In many cases, the paradox is due to imprecise definitions of words or statements that are so broad in scope that they refer to themselves. For example, when a Cretan says, "All Cretans are liars." The scope of the sentence is so broad that it includes the sentence itself. Therefore, if the statement is true, the person saying it must be lying and if the statement is false, then the Cretan is telling the truth, which means that according to the statement he must be lying.

Many of the paradoxes are resolved by applying a simple analysis. Some of them are easily understood if presented in the appropriate context and no one does this better than Martin Gardner. He is truly unique in his ability to take a difficult mathematical concept and make it understandable. During his decades as the author of a regular mathematical column in Scientific American, he has done more to advance the progress of mathematics and science than anyone else in history. By turning so many young people on to mathematics, he is one of the intellectual grandfathers of hundreds of thousands of people.

This book is a delight and contains many problems that can be used in courses in mathematics, reasoning and philosophy. I strongly recommend it.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb December 15, 1999

By Rajiv Eranki

Format:Paperback

Those who have read any of Martin Gardner's famous books know that he is the master at explaining difficult concepts in witty and precise language. This book is no exception! It's a great book to buy for children AND adults alike.

I encourage readers of this to purchase "Aha, Insight!" by the same author, and his "The (first,second,etc...) scientific american book of mathematical puzzles and diversions"

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Contradiction or not? June 10, 2001

By Pumpkin King

Format:Paperback

Aha! Gotcha is filled with very different types of puzzles than aha! Insight, which has many problems to solve. This book just presents many fun paradoxes that make you use your head, and while some of them are problems you have to take some time to solve, most are short paradoxical situations that you can think about for a short while and then go on the next page. It is easy to read, and Gardner again shows his skill in explaining interesting phenomena in a clear and interesting way. All the problems are good exercises on logical thinking and introduces various concepts of mathematics and statistics without seeming like you're studying. It is insightful enough for adults, but I think children would be able to understand these concepts too if they are interested.