My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles (Dover Recreational Math) [Paperback]

Martin Gardner (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Dover Recreational Math

The noted expert and longtime author of Scientific American's Mathematical Games column selects 70 of his favorite "short" puzzles. Enthusiasts can challenge their skills with such mind-bogglers as The Returning Explorer, The Mutilated Chessboard, Scrambled Box Tops, Bronx vs. Brooklyn, and dozens more involving logic and basic math. Complete solutions included.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (November 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486281523
• ISBN-13: 978-0486281520
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science > Mathematics > Recreation & Games
  • #1 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Logic & Brain Teasers
  • #2 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Puzzles

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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

147 of 149 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Puzzles requiring intermediate mathematical skills, March 25, 2001

By 

Vijay Madhavapeddi (Santa Clara, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles (Dover Recreational Math) (Paperback)

Marvelous book. I found it better than many books but my friends, who were not that conversant with intermediate mathematics did not like it much. Though this book doesn't require a knowledge of calculus, people who have this level might appreciate the book more. But it has more to do with mathematical 'thinking' rather than mathematics itself.

So get this one if you are good at mathematical thinking and want to challenge yourself. If you are weak in math and would rather read puzzles that require only logic, cleverness, and lateral thinking only, this may not be the one for you.

106 of 106 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of one of the best, April 26, 2004

By 

Ilkka Karanta (Espoo, Finland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles (Dover Recreational Math) (Paperback)

Martin Gardner is the grand old man of puzzles and recreational mathematics. I recommend this book for intermediary and advanced puzzle enthusiasts - beginners might find some of these too challenging.

Intermediary puzzlists will find the pleasures of often working at the upper edge of their skills. The solutions at the end of the book are complete enough so that even those who didn't get it right the first time will get aha insights.

The book is well worth its price even for puzzle enthusiasts. Even I knew many of the puzzles beforehand - classics indeed - but the notes in the solutions often add a twist, a clever solution or a human interest point of view.

The age recommendation of amazon.com - 4-8 years - is probably either an insider joke or a typo. I'd recommend this book to people between 14-80 years of age, and even over.

71 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great collection of diverse puzzles, May 22, 2000

By 

Douglas Welzel (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles (Dover Recreational Math) (Paperback)

I have accumulated quite a few puzzle books and was never fully satisfied with any of them until I heard about Martin Gardner and decided to pick up one his books. The puzzles are diverse, ranging from word problems to geometry problems.

The solutions given are very complete and actually take up the majority of the pages in the book.

On a somewhat related note, if you happen to be interviewing in the technical fields you may run across interviewers that ask brain teasers. You'll find many of those problems (or ones that are very similar) in this book. For technical interviewing this makes a good study guide.