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Review
'Gardner's monthly romp through recreational math and logic ran in Scientific American for 25 years, from the Sputnik splash to the Reagan reign, and nobody has been able to match it since. 'Mathematical Games' was an orgy of right-brain tomfoolery that could be approached for superficial fun or deep insight, or both at the same time … I can't think of a better present for a clever 12-year old, bored undergraduate, restless retiree, or stay-at-home parent fearing intellectual stagnation.' David Brooks, The Telegraph
'Hexaflexagons, Probability Paradoxes, and the Tower of Hanoi and Origami, Eleusis, and the Soma Cube provide a taste of Gardner's prowess at devising quirky and fascinating mathematical conundrums. An excellent example is the 'generalised ham-sandwich theorem', which, among other things, explains how a doughnut can be sliced into 13 pieces by three simultaneous plane cuts.' Physics World
'For libraries, these famous and important books are an essential acquisition: they can have a complete set, with a uniform look, including updates. It is hard to exaggerate the importance and influence of these books. … what makes it all work is Gardner's writing. He is simple and direct, his explanations are clear, and he always includes the reader, inviting us to build models, play games, try out methods, solve problems. The readers respond, participate, and contribute, often in creative and productive ways. … These books are fascinating, useful, fun, and historically significant. You must have them! Buy one for yourself, and buy many to give away. Have your students read them. Give a set to your local high school (they'll be published over five years, so it won't even be a financial burden). Time has passed, and a generation that knoweth not Gardner has arisen. Now we can fix that.' MAA Reviews
'I believe that many readers will enjoy the book with great pleasure.' EMS Newsletter
'Hexaflexagons, Probability Paradoxes, and the Tower of Hanoi and Origami, Eleusis, and the Soma Cube provide a taste of Gardner's prowess at devising quirky and fascinating mathematical conundrums. An excellent example is the 'generalised ham-sandwich theorem', which, among other things, explains how a doughnut can be sliced into 13 pieces by three simultaneous plane cuts.' Physics World
'For libraries, these famous and important books are an essential acquisition: they can have a complete set, with a uniform look, including updates. It is hard to exaggerate the importance and influence of these books. … what makes it all work is Gardner's writing. He is simple and direct, his explanations are clear, and he always includes the reader, inviting us to build models, play games, try out methods, solve problems. The readers respond, participate, and contribute, often in creative and productive ways. … These books are fascinating, useful, fun, and historically significant. You must have them! Buy one for yourself, and buy many to give away. Have your students read them. Give a set to your local high school (they'll be published over five years, so it won't even be a financial burden). Time has passed, and a generation that knoweth not Gardner has arisen. Now we can fix that.' MAA Reviews
'I believe that many readers will enjoy the book with great pleasure.' EMS Newsletter
Product Description
Paradoxes and paper-folding, Moebius variations and mnemonics, fallacies, magic squares, topological curiosities, parlor tricks, and games ancient and modern, from Polyominoes, Nim, Hex, and the Tower of Hanoi to four-dimensional ticktacktoe. These mathematical recreations, clearly and cleverly presented by Martin Gardner, delight and perplex while demonstrating principles of logic, probability, geometry, and other fields of mathematics. Hexaflexagons, Probability Paradoxes, and the Tower of Hanoi is the inaugural volume in Martin Gardner's New Mathematical Library. This book of the earliest of Gardner's enormously popular Scientific American columns and puzzles continues to challenge and fascinate readers. Now the author, in consultation with experts, has added updates to all the chapters, including new game variations, mathematical proofs, and other developments and discoveries.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This new series of reprints is a must for Gardner fans. The first few volumes are especially exciting as the originals are so hard to come by. For readers new to Gardner, he wrote a 'maths for the masses' style column in Scientific American for many years and the books are a collection of his best columns.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
This Book Changed My Life
8 Oct 2009
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I ran across the first incarnation of this book, "The Scientific American Book of Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions," in 1971. (Originally published in 1959.) Up until then I'd assumed that mathematics was just the excruciatingly dull pile of dusty numbers and theorems I slogged through every afternoon in algebra class. Suddenly I was exposed to an exciting new world of rubber coffee cups and folded strips of paper exhibiting very bizarre properties indeed.
I'm a highly-skilled computer programmer and consultant now. I owe my career to the logic skills I honed on Martin Gardner's books. I cannot recommend them highly enough. If you enjoy having a brain, read these books.
I'm a highly-skilled computer programmer and consultant now. I owe my career to the logic skills I honed on Martin Gardner's books. I cannot recommend them highly enough. If you enjoy having a brain, read these books.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
The master of math writing just being a master
24 Oct 2009
Format:Paperback
Even though I have read so much of Martin Gardner's writing as well as many books in recreational mathematics by other authors, I never get tired of the work of the master. His ability to express mathematical concepts in simple, understandable form has done more to promote mathematics than millions of dollars in educational appropriations.
In this book 16 of his "Scientific American" columns are reprinted with postscript material that describes what has happened since the initial publication. The column titles are:
*) Hexaflexagons
*) Magic with a matrix
*) Nine problems
*) Ticktacktoe
*) Probability paradoxes
*) The Icosian game and the tower of Hanoi
*) Curious topological models
*) The game of hex
*) Sam Loyd: America's greatest puzzlist
*) Mathematical card tricks
*) Memorizing numbers
*) Nine more problems
*) Polyominoes
*) Fallacies
*) Nim and Tax Tix
*) Left or right?
Gardner himself downplays his mathematical ability, arguing that he is "strictly a journalist." Which is about the only piece of unintentional nonsense he has ever written. Gardner will go down in history as one of the most significant mathematicians of all time and the combination of the gems in this collection is an airtight proof of that fact.
Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.
In this book 16 of his "Scientific American" columns are reprinted with postscript material that describes what has happened since the initial publication. The column titles are:
*) Hexaflexagons
*) Magic with a matrix
*) Nine problems
*) Ticktacktoe
*) Probability paradoxes
*) The Icosian game and the tower of Hanoi
*) Curious topological models
*) The game of hex
*) Sam Loyd: America's greatest puzzlist
*) Mathematical card tricks
*) Memorizing numbers
*) Nine more problems
*) Polyominoes
*) Fallacies
*) Nim and Tax Tix
*) Left or right?
Gardner himself downplays his mathematical ability, arguing that he is "strictly a journalist." Which is about the only piece of unintentional nonsense he has ever written. Gardner will go down in history as one of the most significant mathematicians of all time and the combination of the gems in this collection is an airtight proof of that fact.
Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Leaves you wanting for more!
10 Dec 2010
Format:Paperback
I first read this and other Martin Gardner's book way too many years back. It's very good reading them again, like meeting an old friend again -- and finding out he's learned some new tricks. I'm left wanting for the fourth book (should have appeared in October 2010?!) and all the rest of the series!
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