Customer Reviews

The Puzzling World of Polyhedral Dissections

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

 

 

This book opens up a whole world of possibilities for puzzle enthusiasts! It does a systematic break down of the ideas behind the design of burr puzzles, puzzles whose assembled interlocking pieces form ployhedra. It contains the most amazing puzzles of this sort I've ever seen. If you love puzzles, you'll love this book!!

Has all the math you may need without getting bogged down in formulas. This CD is perfect for both a beginner or a seasoned pro of puzzle theory. This the best resource I have found to date for those interested in either puzzles or geometric studies for fun.

The reviewer who said this book has zero mathematical content must have a different definition of mathematics than I do. True, the book has no formulas, no algebra, no arithmetic, and very few numbers, but it's FULL of combinatorics and geometry, especially symmetry, dissections, and polyhedra. In a sense, this book is nothing BUT math!

If you're at all interested in mathematical puzzles, or symmetry, or geometry, or woodworking, you MUST buy this beautiful book! But if you're looking for a book of numbers and formulas, buy something else.

Finally the best book ever written on how to make three dimensional wooden mechanical puzzles is again available. And the format of the CD makes it quite easy to find more than a hundred of Stewart Coffin's beautiful puzzles. The photographs, illustrations and drawings of the puzzles are a visual treat. And he even has information on the selection of wood and woodworking techniques for those that want to make the puzzles. Some of the puzzles can be made with simple hand tools and others require accurate power tools and advanced woodworking skills. But everyone will enjoy this classic book of polyhedral puzzles.

This is a good book iff you're interested in puzzles as toys, or puzzles as art, or puzzles as anything other than a playground for mathematics. Even the recreational mathematician will be disappointed if he or she is hoping for much math content, because there's none whatsoever. And don't interpret "none" as "low level" or "elementary"; we're talking about the empty set here. The only reason I give 2 or 3 stars is that I'm sure the book would be useful to those wanting to see the designs of a number of different puzzles. It does that. It's more of a history and showcase. The author seems to make no pretense about the mathematical content, expect, perhaps, through the title, but the reviews I had read here at Amazon and elsewhere sure did lead me to expect good stuff. T'was a real disappointment.