Professor Hoffmann's Best Math and Logic Puzzles (Dover Recreational Math) [Paperback]

Louis Hoffmann (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dover Recreational Math | Publication Date: June 26, 2007

Well known and much treasured among puzzle aficionados, Professor Hoffmann's 1893 collection of puzzles features both classic and new brainteasers. Including both arithmetic problems and challenges involving words and letters, these pleasantly perplexing highlights from the original edition abound in Victorian charm. Complete solutions for all 158 puzzles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; Dover Ed edition (June 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486454746
• ISBN-13: 978-0486454740
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,637,318 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science > Mathematics > Recreation & Games

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Math Problem Solving with logic problems and puzzles, August 4, 2010

By 

Barbara A. Bach (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Professor Hoffmann's Best Math and Logic Puzzles (Dover Recreational Math) (Paperback)

I am using this book for a grad school course about Problem Solving. This course is also being used with the books "How to Solve It" by G. Polya and "An Open-Ended Approach" by NCTM.
This book are logic problems and puzzles. There are Arithmetic CXII Puzzles (112 problems), "Quibble" or "Catch" Puzzles, Word and Letter Puzzles, and they all have solutions. There is also Keys/Clues to Arithmetical Puzzles and their proofs.
Example of problems:
Problem: Subtract 45 from 45 in such a manner that there shall be 45 left.
Problem: A man, being asked how many pennies he had in his pocket, replied, "If I divide them by 2, by 3, by 4, by 5, or by 6, I shall always have one over."
Problem: By use of addition and multiplication of the numbers 1 to 9, make 100. Each number can only be used once.
Problem: A boatman has to ferry across a stream a wolf, a goat, and a basket of cabbages. His boat is so small that only one of the three besides himself, can be contained in it. How is he to manage, so that the wolf shall have no opportunity of killing the goat, or the goat of eating up the cabbages?
Problem: William gives Thomas as many dollars as Thomas has. Thomas then gives William as many dollars as William has left. This done, William has 36 dollars and Thomas has 42 dollars.
How much did each have at first?
The problems also get much more difficult.
The solutions/answers to all the above problems using algebra and/or illustrations/charts/graphs are available in this interesting book. If you are an upper level math teacher that wants to give students extra credit regarding these math problems, this would be a good book for you to have in your teacher library.