Entertaining Mathematical Puzzles  (English, Paperback, Gardner Martin)

Published in the year 1986, Entertaining Mathematical Puzzles is a book that provides its readers with a number of puzzles to help them better themselves in the subject.

Summary Of The Book

Entertaining Mathematical Puzzles, as the name suggests, is a book that keeps its readers amused while providing them with insight into several mathematical concepts. Through the course of this book, readers are provided puzzles that are based on different aspects of mathematics, which include topology, solid geometry, probability, and speed. At the beginning of each section in this book, the readers are provided with certain guidelines highlighting the skill needed to solve the particular problem. The author also provides the readers with information regarding the usefulness of a particular mathematical concept.

In total, this book contains 10 chapters. The chapters include Topology Puzzles, Probability Puzzles, Game Puzzles, Tricky Puzzles, Miscellaneous Puzzles, Money Puzzles, Speed Puzzles, Solid Geometry Puzzles, and Arithmetic Puzzles. All these chapters mentioned above come with 4 or 5 puzzles, which test the skills of the reader in that particular area. Individuals who are not able to solve these problems can easily refer to the answers as they are provided with the book, along with a detailed explanation. A few of the puzzles are The Silver Bar, The Colored Socks, Low Finance, Pick Your Pay, No Change, Round Trip, Corner to Corner, The Hindu and the Cat, Under the Band, and The Painted Cubes.

Individuals with elementary understanding of the subject will be able to solve the puzzles present in this book. The readers are also provided with a number of black-and-white illustrations that support the explanation and puzzles present in the book.

About Martin Gardner

Martin Gardner was a well-known author, science writer and mathematician. Apart from this book, Gardner has written a number of other books, and some of them include Match-ic, Cut the Cards, Mathematics, Magic, and Mystery, Never Make Fun of a Turtle, My Son, Aha! Insight, Logic Machines And Diagrams, Visitors From Oz and Relativity For The Million.

Gardner was born on the 21st of October, 1914, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He completed his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago, majoring in Philosophy. During the Second World War, he also served in the U.S. Navy for a period of four years. 

Gardner used to contribute regularly to the Scientific American magazine in the Mathematical Games column from the year 1956 to 1981. He also contributed to the Notes Of A Fringe-Watcher column from the year 1983 to 2002, in Skeptical Inquirer. He has published over 100 books. Gardner passed away on the 22nd of May, 2010, in Norman, Oklahoma at the age of 95.