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Product Description
Riddles, paradoxes, and conundrums have been confusing and confounding people since at least the time of the Ancient Greeks. The eponymous riddle, according to legend, was devised by Albert Einstein as a child. He claimed that only about 2% of the population would be able to work out the correct answer. There are no tricks and there is only one answer. It requires the cool application of logic to solve. And a lot of patience. Einstein's Riddle features fifty of the toughest logic problems, lateral thinking puzzles, and tests of mental agility. By turns entertaining and infuriating, the puzzles challenge our preconceptions, tell us about how we reason, and provide a rigorous intellectual workout.
About the Author
Jeremy Stangroom has a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics. He is currently the New Media editor of The Philosopher's Magazine, which he founded with Julian Baggini in 1997. He is the author/editor of numerous books, including The Little Book of Big Ideas: Philosophy and The Little Book of Big Ideas: Religion. He is also series editor, with James Garvey, of Continuum Books' major new series on Contemporary Social Issues. Stangroom is an elected fellow the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I bought this as a stocking filler present but have ended up reading the entire book myself (cover to cover in one long sitting, I couldn't put it down). I don't write many book reviews but had to here, and I was enthralled by a thought provoking, engaging and intellectual riddle book; not at all a silly tea-time quiz book.
The puzzles are grouped into sections: "Logic & Probability", "When Reasoning Goes Wrong", "The Real World", "Motion, Infinity & Vagueness", "Philosophical Conundrums" and "Paradoxical All The Way Down" (i.e. stuff with no solution - yet). In each section there are quick fun quizzes you can read out, and also longer riddles which usually exemplify a well known (in mathematical or philosophical worlds) problem.
In the back, the solution to the problem is very clearly explained with examples and diagrams and, most interestingly for me, the historical or real-life context. For example: that Simpson's Paradox was demonstrated in and brought down a court case in 1973; that Sorites Paradox was first posed 2,000 years ago; or that a game destroyed 30 years of work or a well-known mathematician. From this I was able to further research things that interested me.
You might recognise some famous concepts (whether by name or not) such as the Prisoner's Dilemma, the Paradox of Deterrence (i.e. should we engage in arms races), which mystery box to pick in a gameshow (based on probability theory), and it hints at concepts I vaguely recall from my degree-level maths (concepts of infinity demonstrated by guests in a hotel, set theory demonstrated by a librarian cataloging books). There is also "The Gambler's Mistake" that Derren Brown recently used on TV (but this book is not nearly as annoying as him).
If you are have even a slight interest in fun maths or philospohy, this book is a great light but interesting read, even if you don't actually want to attempt the puzzles but flip straight to the answers at the back. However the complex stuff is only hinted at and the whole book is short, concise and fun. My whole (non-nerdy) family enjoyed dipping into these puzzles. The book gives you hints for approaching a solution and the solutions are very clearly explained - with digrams, examples, and real-life application. (As a hint for approaching Einstein's riddle, I suggest drawing an even bigger table with all possible options along each side and marking/crossing off combinations as you go.)
As a present, the book is slim but feels good quality with 144 glossy, neatly laid out pages, with nice pictures here and there. I also found the author very humorous, which makes the book more engaging still.
The puzzles are grouped into sections: "Logic & Probability", "When Reasoning Goes Wrong", "The Real World", "Motion, Infinity & Vagueness", "Philosophical Conundrums" and "Paradoxical All The Way Down" (i.e. stuff with no solution - yet). In each section there are quick fun quizzes you can read out, and also longer riddles which usually exemplify a well known (in mathematical or philosophical worlds) problem.
In the back, the solution to the problem is very clearly explained with examples and diagrams and, most interestingly for me, the historical or real-life context. For example: that Simpson's Paradox was demonstrated in and brought down a court case in 1973; that Sorites Paradox was first posed 2,000 years ago; or that a game destroyed 30 years of work or a well-known mathematician. From this I was able to further research things that interested me.
You might recognise some famous concepts (whether by name or not) such as the Prisoner's Dilemma, the Paradox of Deterrence (i.e. should we engage in arms races), which mystery box to pick in a gameshow (based on probability theory), and it hints at concepts I vaguely recall from my degree-level maths (concepts of infinity demonstrated by guests in a hotel, set theory demonstrated by a librarian cataloging books). There is also "The Gambler's Mistake" that Derren Brown recently used on TV (but this book is not nearly as annoying as him).
If you are have even a slight interest in fun maths or philospohy, this book is a great light but interesting read, even if you don't actually want to attempt the puzzles but flip straight to the answers at the back. However the complex stuff is only hinted at and the whole book is short, concise and fun. My whole (non-nerdy) family enjoyed dipping into these puzzles. The book gives you hints for approaching a solution and the solutions are very clearly explained - with digrams, examples, and real-life application. (As a hint for approaching Einstein's riddle, I suggest drawing an even bigger table with all possible options along each side and marking/crossing off combinations as you go.)
As a present, the book is slim but feels good quality with 144 glossy, neatly laid out pages, with nice pictures here and there. I also found the author very humorous, which makes the book more engaging still.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is excellent and is recommended for anyone interested in brainteasers.
I haven't solved Einstein's riddle yet but I working on it!
I haven't solved Einstein's riddle yet but I working on it!
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I bought this after a quiz night with a riddle round. It's got logical problems mixed in with short brainteasers and a good mixture of philosophical reasoning and practical challenges - good for challenging friends or family out loud. I tried a couple of riddles on my boyfriend's family who are really good at that kind of lateral thinking, but they were stumped. Plus it's written in a light, humorous way, and the answers at the back show you how to work the problems out rather than just giving you the answer, which is a nice touch.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
one trick pony
There is only one real puzzle in this book, the rest are philosophical questions not worth the effort. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Angie
EINSTEINS RIDDLES
I COMMEND YOU ON YOUR DESCRIPTION OF SAID BOOK.
IT WAS IMMACULATE @ SO VERY WELL WRAPPED @ DELIVERED IN RECORD TIME!! Read more
IT WAS IMMACULATE @ SO VERY WELL WRAPPED @ DELIVERED IN RECORD TIME!! Read more
Published 7 months ago by nannyronnie
the impossible became possible but hard work to get there
i had heard about the riddle, and was pleased to get a book that has it and others that are just as maddening to the point of screaming with frustration - well, until you solve... Read more
Published 13 months ago by chicken bird
challenging
One of the best brainteaser books I have come across. I like the depth of the analysis of each puzzle.
Published 18 months ago by burnsbarber
Listmania!
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