Customer Reviews

Mathematical Puzzle Tales (Spectrum)

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

 

 

These 36 mathematical vignettes are Martin Gardner at his best. Each originally appeared in "Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine" and so have a science fiction flavor to them. In keeping with true Gardner fashion, all of them can stump you, but have a solution well within the grasp of anyone who understands high school mathematics. There are a few that are quite tricky, for example the request to write the century in which July 4, 2000 appears. The answer of course is 21, as the twenty-first century begins on January 1, 2000. Solutions to all the puzzles are included and for many of them, Gardner asks a follow-up question, and the answer to that one is also given. For a few, this continues on to a third question with answer.

I was a subscriber to "Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine" when these puzzles were first published and was deeply disappointed when they were discontinued. I always considered the puzzle to be one of the highest points of the issue. Fortunately for everyone else, they are republished here so that others can enjoy the genius of Gardner.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission