Customer Reviews

The Hinged Square & Other Puzzles (Mastermind Collection)

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A great new book by one of the masters of Recreational Mathematics and Puzzles.This book will give hours of fun to puzzlers of all abilities and intrests.
Just to get warmed up,Ivan shows us how to construct triangles,squares,pentagons,pentagrams,hexagons,heptagons,hexagrams,octagons,heptagons,octagrams and nonagons ,all with only a compass and a straight edge.
Then he reminds us of something we've known since childhood;that no two snowflakes are alike.He shows 5 designs and tells us about Bentley (1865-1931),who was the first to photograph one in 1885,and went on to photograph over 5000 in his lifetime,finding no two alike.When you try to imagine all the snowflakes that ever were or ever will be,all hexagonal but different;and you start to see what infinity means.And you thought that the number of flakes last winter was a large number.It's impossible to imagine all those designs and then denying a Supreme Creator.
He also covers the Fibonacci series:
1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,...where each new number is the sum of the previous two in the series.By dividing a number by the one that preceeds it,you'll get 1.61538 and that the Golden Ratio phi of 0.618 and how closely related they are.
He also rounds out this selection of puzzles with several other games involving circles,blocks,paths,hidden images,matchsticks,depth perception,mazes etc.
The Hinged Square of Henry Dudeney,Miquel's Theorem and the Six Circles Theorem show the fun and fascination with Recreational Mathematics.
A great book for the amateur or seasoned puzzler.
Also a book that should not be overlooked by one who likes to construct puzzles or games.
I don't often comment on other reviews,but the Geek,his words not mine,that scoffed at the book was way off base.The next time his mother buys him something ,maybe a bottle of vinegar would be more suitable to such a sourpuss.This guy gives Geeks a bad image.
I've got a few more puzzle books by Moscovich that I can't wait to dig into.The big gem he put out called 1000 Play Thinks,in my humble opinion ,is unmatched.See my review dated March 9,2002 and November 15,2003.

Did you know that every snowflake has six reflectional and six rotational symmetries? So says Ivan Moscovich, the designer of these puzzles and games which provide a learning experience that he calls "recreational mathematics." This collection of puzzles and games contains examples of many forms of symmetry. You will also encounter shape transformation puzzles such as the classic hinged square puzzle of the title, along with problems based on mosaics, directions and dimensions, and matchsticks.

Interspersed among the puzzles in this collection are fascinating facts about such things as phi (the golden ratio), patterns, and how to draw polygons using only a compass and a straightedge. The answer pages provide not only solutions, but also explanations for the answers that incorporate simple principles of mathematics. These puzzles are not just challenging and educational, but they are also a visual treat, since each puzzle has one or more colorful and eye-pleasing illustrations. Some of these puzzles will require a lot of thought, but that makes discovering the solution all the more rewarding. Give your brain a good workout!

Eileen Rieback

The best puzzles are a bid misleading, occasionally contain elements of subterfuge and in the end rather obvious when the solution is derived or seen. Ivan Moscovich is a master puzzler and that is clear from the puzzles in this collection. Using very colorful diagrams, the author has put together a set of mind-bending exercises that will keep you occupied for some time.
The title puzzle is a simple one, a square is partitioned into four pieces and three of the edge connections are designated as hinges. The goal is to determine what the resultant shape will be when three of the pieces are folded. Like many of the puzzles, this one is not original with Moscovich but was originally developed by the master Henry Ernest Dudeney. Solutions to all of the puzzles are included at the end, which are both a temptation and a relief. A temptation in the sense that when frustration sets in you have an immediate exit strategy and a relief that there is a solution, although there may be many occasions when the heel of your hand makes sharp contact with your forehead when you see it.

I've bought several books from this new series of puzzle books from Ivan. They are very well presented with colorfull graphics and good background info on the origin of many problems.

However there just isn't enough original puzzles in these books for me to recommend them whole-heartedly. So I'd say these books are meant for the puzzle novice or for high school students.

This is the first product I have felt compelled to review at Amazon, because this book was so unsatisfying. First of all, the color scheme is garish, and not in a good way. Then there's the matter of content. Despite the title, there are very few puzzles in this book. I'm not even sure how to categorize what is in the book - compass and straightedge construction problems? Optical illusions? Map coloring and Hamiltonian circuit problems? I am a pretty big geek, but none of this stuff even remotely interested me. Graph paper racing games? Some sort of simulated soccer game? Other "games" that are too boring or complicated to even imagine playing? It was almost painful just to read the book, never mind trying to solve the inane problems.

My advice: get anything - ANYTHING - written by Martin Gardner before you even think of touching this book. My copy (which I got as a gift) is going straight into the trash. I wouldn't inflict this book on anyone else. (Sorry Mom - but I appreciate the thought, and that's what counts.)