The Hinged Square & Other Puzzles (Mastermind Collection) (Paperback)

by Ivan Moscovich (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A colorful square, dissected into four parts, with hinges marked in black. If you leave the blue piece fixed and swing the others around their hinges, a new shape will emerge. Can you guess just by looking what it will be? This is just one of the tricky geometrical gems that will make a puzzler’s mind work overtime. Try drawing a set of variously shaped polygons using only a compass and a ruler (no measuring allowed!), figuring out which of two sculptures is bigger (logic alone won’t give you the answer), and lots more.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402716664
• ISBN-13: 978-1402716669
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,667,747 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Put on your thinking cap and get to work., April 25, 2005

By	J. Guild (Toronto,Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

A great new book by one of the masters of Recreational Mathematics and Puzzles.This book will give hours of fun to puzzlers of all abilities and intrests.
Just to get warmed up,Ivan shows us how to construct triangles,squares,pentagons,pentagrams,hexagons,heptagons,hexagrams,octagons,heptagons,octagrams and nonagons ,all with only a compass and a straight edge.
Then he reminds us of something we've known since childhood;that no two snowflakes are alike.He shows 5 designs and tells us about Bentley (1865-1931),who was the first to photograph one in 1885,and went on to photograph over 5000 in his lifetime,finding no two alike.When you try to imagine all the snowflakes that ever were or ever will be,all hexagonal but different;and you start to see what infinity means.And you thought that the number of flakes last winter was a large number.It's impossible to imagine all those designs and then denying a Supreme Creator.
He also covers the Fibonacci series:
1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,...where each new number is the sum of the previous two in the series.By dividing a number by the one that preceeds it,you'll get 1.61538 and that the Golden Ratio phi of 0.618 and how closely related they are.
He also rounds out this selection of puzzles with several other games involving circles,blocks,paths,hidden images,matchsticks,depth perception,mazes etc.
The Hinged Square of Henry Dudeney,Miquel's Theorem and the Six Circles Theorem show the fun and fascination with Recreational Mathematics.
A great book for the amateur or seasoned puzzler.
Also a book that should not be overlooked by one who likes to construct puzzles or games.
I don't often comment on other reviews,but the Geek,his words not mine,that scoffed at the book was way off base.The next time his mother buys him something ,maybe a bottle of vinegar would be more suitable to such a sourpuss.This guy gives Geeks a bad image.
I've got a few more puzzle books by Moscovich that I can't wait to dig into.The big gem he put out called 1000 Play Thinks,in my humble opinion ,is unmatched.See my review dated March 9,2002 and November 15,2003.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Get your puzzle solving skills in shape, December 5, 2004

By	Eileen Rieback (Coral Springs, FL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Did you know that every snowflake has six reflectional and six rotational symmetries? So says Ivan Moscovich, the designer of these puzzles and games which provide a learning experience that he calls "recreational mathematics." This collection of puzzles and games contains examples of many forms of symmetry. You will also encounter shape transformation puzzles such as the classic hinged square puzzle of the title, along with problems based on mosaics, directions and dimensions, and matchsticks.

Interspersed among the puzzles in this collection are fascinating facts about such things as phi (the golden ratio), patterns, and how to draw polygons using only a compass and a straightedge. The answer pages provide not only solutions, but also explanations for the answers that incorporate simple principles of mathematics. These puzzles are not just challenging and educational, but they are also a visual treat, since each puzzle has one or more colorful and eye-pleasing illustrations. Some of these puzzles will require a lot of thought, but that makes discovering the solution all the more rewarding. Give your brain a good workout!

Eileen Rieback

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars ok puzzles dressed up in pretty graphics, January 1, 2005

By	pete "pete" - See all my reviews

I've bought several books from this new series of puzzle books from Ivan. They are very well presented with colorfull graphics and good background info on the origin of many problems.

However there just isn't enough original puzzles in these books for me to recommend them whole-heartedly. So I'd say these books are meant for the puzzle novice or for high school students.