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The Joy of SET: The Many Mathematical Dimensions of a Seemingly Simple Card Game Hardcover – November 22, 2016

by Liz McMahon (Author), Gary Gordon (Author), Hannah Gordon (Author),
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 18 ratings
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A mathematical exploration of the popular card game SET

Have you ever played the addictive card game SET? Have you ever wondered about the connections between games and mathematics? If the answer to either question is "yes," then The Joy of SET is the book for you! The Joy of SET takes readers on a fascinating journey into this seemingly simple card game and reveals its surprisingly deep and diverse mathematical dimensions. Absolutely no mathematical background is necessary to enjoy this book―all you need is a sense of curiosity and adventure!

Originally invented in 1974 by Marsha Falco and officially released in 1991, SET has gained a widespread, loyal following. SET's eighty-one cards consist of one, two, or three symbols of different shapes (diamond, oval, squiggle), shadings (solid, striped, open), and colors (green, purple, red). In order to win, players must identify “sets” of three cards for which each characteristic is the same―or different―on all the cards. SET’s strategic and unique design opens connections to a plethora of mathematical disciplines, including geometry, modular arithmetic, combinatorics, probability, linear algebra, and computer simulations. The Joy of SET looks at these areas as well as avenues for further mathematical exploration. As the authors show, the relationship between SET and mathematics runs in both directions―playing this game has generated new mathematics, and the math has led to new questions about the game itself.

The first book devoted to the mathematics of one of today’s most popular card games, The Joy of SET will entertain and enlighten the game enthusiast in all of us.

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  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Princeton University Press
  4. Publication date
    November 22, 2016
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0691166145
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0691166148
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] model of mathematical exposition. The quality of writing is consistently high: clear but not condescending, humorous, chatty, and a genuine pleasure to read. . . . I doubt it will be very long before I find something from [The Joy of SET] to use in one of my classes."---Mark Hunacek, MAA Reviews

"[The Joy of SET] shows how budding interest in mathematics can be fostered and developed. . . . If [middle and high school teachers] ever try to enliven their classes or just interaction with curious students, this book is one they may depend on."---Alexander Bogomolny, Cut the Knot

"[A]mazing. . . . What I love about The Joy of SET is that it is written in such a way that it can be read and enjoyed by both SET enthusiasts and someone that has never played SET before. . . . Really and truly, there is enough math in this book to keep you busy for a lifetime! . . . I definitely recommend this book."---Sarah Carter, Math Equals Love

"[The Joy of SET] is in my view just the right way to talk about math as fun and intellectually challenging."---Robert Harington, Scholarly Kitchen

"[A]s the authors convincingly demonstrate . . . the mathematics behind SET actually goes very deep. . . . [The Joy of SET] would make a fantastic resource for a middle school, high school, or undergraduate math club."---Brent Yorgey, Math Less Traveled

"This book, written by a mathematically inclined family, is the first and only work to explore the connection between the game and mathematics. . . . [The Joy of SET] will attract those who play SET and those who want to explore mathematically related subjects." ― Choice

"The game of Set certainly has connections to several aspects of mathematics, and this book explores these connections in a deep, yet still accessible way. . . . An excellent guide on how to relate abstract mathematical ideas to a more concrete setting and do it in a way that is both fun and thought provoking. Such an application is rare for so wide a collection of mathematical topics and is useful for classroom instruction."---Ryan Hoffpauir, Mathematics Teacher

Review

"The Joy of SET uses a popular and very simple card game as a springboard for a whirlwind tour through probability, combinatorics, finite geometries, and experimental mathematics. Whether or not you play SET, you'll find a lot of great math to play with in this book."―Jordan Ellenberg, author of How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking

"SET is, arguably, the most popular of all commercially sold mathematical games. This is the only book that gives a solid mathematical treatment of this game. Using a range of ideas, from counting to geometry, the authors answer most of the questions you would ever want to ask about SET. Humorous and conversational, this book is a pleasure to read."―Arthur Benjamin, author of The Magic of Math: Solving for x and Figuring Out Why

"In The Joy of SET, the material is interesting and fun to read. I loved it."―Tanya Khovanova, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton University Press (November 22, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0691166145
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0691166148
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.54 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 18 ratings

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
We don’t use a simple average to calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star. Our system gives more weight to certain factors—including how recent the review is and if the reviewer bought it on Amazon. Learn more
18 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jeffrey J
5.0 out of 5 stars Concrete Examples of Abstract Concepts
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
This is a great book for math nerds (and really hard core Set players I suppose). I just keep it with our Sets game so I can show it to our daughter when we play. One day....
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Lynette Zhang
3.0 out of 5 stars Not sure whom are the target readers
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2022
Verified Purchase
It's an interesting game. and I want to see what math problems I can bring to my son when we play this game. Then I found I really didn't have the patience to finish this book. I wish the book could have been shortened to several pages with related problems listed in it.
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Reuben J. Settergren
5.0 out of 5 stars More playful and rigorous than you'd think
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2018
How is there only one review for this wonderful book?

I just got it last night, have read chapters 1 and 2, and can't wait to dive in deeper!

The book intersperses whimsical dialogues (a la Galileo, although nobody is a dolt like Simplicio) with actual mathematical content (sprinkled with tongue-in-cheek footnotes). In chapters 1 and 2 we've only covered relatively straightforward counting questions like How many cards? How many SETs? How many SETs is each card in?, as well as introducing higher-level concepts like "planes" (groups of 9 cards that contain 12 SETs) and "hyperplanes" (the relationship between Set and affine geometry will be developed more fully in later chapters).

Anybody who is a trained mathematician will devour this like ordinary people devour beachside murder mysteries. Less advanced readers with a mathematical bent will need to take a little more time, give a little more effort, to grok the concepts, but the engaging writing will make it easier. Combinatorial infrastructure like factorials and permutations and combinations are introduced from first principles, without a lot of algebraic notation.

I think the real target audience for this book is middle school and high school math teachers, who will (a) enjoy reading the book themsevles, and (b) find a load of interesting extracurricular math topics based on the game of Set that they can use in class or in math clubs.
7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Kiri
4.0 out of 5 stars However it has not made me into a better player yet
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
Demonstrates interesting maths behind a very simple game. However it has not made me into a better player yet!
One person found this helpful
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