Customer Reviews

The Art and Craft of Problem Solving

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A primary group of people this book is aimed at is those preparing for Math contests such as the Olympiads. Many such people study the subject on their own. An important step in such preparation is solving a lot of problems. While it is important to try to solve the problems on one's own, it is equally important to be able to verify that one's solutions are correct. Unfortunately, this book does not provide solutions to the problems. Hence, it is not very helpful for those who are studying on their own. There are many other books in the market which are better from that point of view: For example, many books by Titu Andreescu, "Problem Solving Strategies" book by Arthur Engel are all good books that provide solutions as well. The "Art of Problem Solving" (Vol. 1 & Vol. 2) by Rusczyk et al. are also very good and have separate solution manuals available for purchase.

I recently got the 2nd edition and it seems to have some additional material compared to the first edition. There is a new chapter on Geometry and with expanded treatment of calculus. Seems like there are a few more problems in each chapter.

This is a must have book for those interested in competetive mathematics. The presentation is very good -- but since the material covered is rather complex, its not easy to do self-study with this book. The book doesn't have a solution manual -- I tried contacting the publisher to get access to their instructor site but was turned down saying that I needed to be an instructor using this as a textbook in class and so on to get access to the solutions manual. It kind of sucks when you are doing self-study to not have a way to get help. I wish Wiley will reconsider this and give folks like me who are engaged in self-study a chance to use this book effectively. It is some consolation that the books web site has a "students" section providing hints for some problems.

Overall, I would still give the book a 5 star rating because it is a class apart and covers a whole lot of ground. The first few chapters on strategies and tactics to solve problems are by themselves worth the price of the book. Definitely worth getting.

This book is very useful for people who already know all the essentials but need to make the connections between various topics. I use it for math Olympiad prep for students with a lot of talent. Yet, they need help. It is much more advanced than the description says.

This was a required purchase for a Graduate Level Math Problem Solving class. The text is really hard to read and understand, but covers a plethra of topics. There are no worked out solutions or an answer key which makes checking you work very difficult.

A "cut to the chase" course in strategies for solving math problems of the kind found in the USAMO and IMO tests. The level of knowledge needed is up to a math major's sophomore year. I have yet to finish it but the book seems to offer an abundance of useful information along with example problems with step by step solutions. It would be nice, however, if access to solutions to the numerous problems and exercises was provided so people could check their work!

I have to admit i am not through reading this book but this book is what was and still is missing in my education :-)

Why?

Well, in my opinion the author understands why many people fear math - lack of proper method(s) + lack of confidence. And the author goes about tackling this problem by doing exactly that!

This book provides many "problems" - i love the way the author phrased the word "problem" - plus many words of encouragement to push its readers to attempt the problems to 3 goals:

1) Have the courage to think out-of-the-box when it comes to solving problems;
2) Have the confidence to tackle them;
2.1) Building this confidence by providing the methods + the reader's willingness to get "dirty"
3) Never give up (Take a rest if you must, but never ever give up).

I bought this book for my kids. I have noticed offlate that they are quite puzzled with problems during examination and unit test. After discussing with them I realized that they are not aware of the facts the strategy and processes to be followed while encountering any problems. I have personally gone through this book at a glance and I find this is the best baseline for them to handle their current weakness of problem solving.

I really like this book. My son is interested in math and I bought it for him. But I was surprised that both he and I got a great deal of enjoyment from it. It's an entertainingly written and informative book that can be read by people with a wide range of abilities in math. If you or your child hasn't taken at least algebra yet, it's too advanced. But it could be enjoyed by someone who has just taken high school algebra or by a college math major.