Customer Reviews

Magic Numbers of Dr Matrix

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

 

 

The author writes about his encounter with Mathematician/numerologist Dr. Matrix. Dr. Matrix had a unique method of predicting who would be elected the US president. Had he been alive today, we would know who would be the president in 2004 election without having to take all the polls. Kerry or Bush ? I thought this was one of Gardner's best books.

It is not all math and numerology. Gardner writes about his romance with Dr. Matrix's eurasian daughter to keep people with short atttention span engaged.

This book contains many mathematical, and numeralogical puzzles and analyses. The author details all of his meetings and interveiws with Dr. Matrix. Dr. Matrix was a numerologist from the 50's to 1980, he was also a scam-artist involving mathematical scams.

Mathematical Circus: More Games, Puzzles, Paradoxes, and Other Mathematical Entertainments from Scientific American ; With Thoughts from Readers, Af and Mathematical Magic Show: More Puzzles, Games, Diversions, Illusions and Other Mathematical Sleight-Of-Mind from Scientific American both left me expecting more of this book.
The main topic of this book is numberology and Dr. Matrix is a "fly by night" hero of the work.
Gardner sort of singlehandedly gives numerology a stink it may never live down. The human trait of trying to see "patterns" in the world around them
is carried to an obsession that is sociopathic that includes cabala and Mysticism.
I would have given it a two star, but there are still vestiges of the old Gardner in the points on a sphere polygons toward the end.
This book will make me look at all the Gardner books with a different eye.

I enjoyed very much this book. Tha author is very clever. I'm thinking about to buy other Martin Gardner books.
Uraquitan