Riddles of the Sphinx and Other Mathematical Puzzle Tales

Anneli Lax New Mathematical Library

by Martin Gardner

Martin Gardner begins Riddles with questions about splitting up polygons into prescribed shapes and he ends this book with an offer of a prize of $100 for the first person to send him a 3 x# magic square consisting of consecutive primes. Only Gardner could fit so many diverse and tantalizing problems into one book. This material was drawn from Gardner's column in Issac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. His riddles presented here incorporate the responses of his initial readers, along with additions suggested by the editors of this series. In this book, Gardner draws us from questions to answers, always presenting us with new riddles- some as yet unanswered. Solving these riddles is not simply a matter of logic and calculation, though these play a role. Luck and inspiration are factors as well, so beginners and experts alike may profiably exercise their wits on Gardner's problems, whose subjects range from geometry to word play to questions relating to physics and geology. We guarantee that you will solve some of these riddles, be stumped by others, and be amused by almost all of the stories and settings that Gardner has devised to raise these questions.

Genres: Mathematics, Science, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1385

About the author

Martin Gardner was an American mathematics and science writer specializing in recreational mathematics, but with interests encompassing micromagic, stage magic, literature (especially the writings of Lewis Carroll), philosophy, scientific skepticism, and religion. He wrote the Mathematical Games column in Scientific American from 1956 to 1981, and published over 70 books.

Reviews

[Maurizio Codogno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terza e ultima raccolta della rubrica tenuta da Martin Gardner sull'Isaac Asimov Science Fiction Magazine, il risultato finale di questo libro è però a mio parere un po' inferiore rispetto alle raccolte precedenti: non tanto per i problemi basati sui giochi di parole, che sono sempre stati una caratteristica di questa serie, quanto per quelli matematici che spesso mi sono sembrati davvero troppo semplicistici.

Sono pochi i giochi per cui vale davvero la pena di mettersi su a studiarli, anche se queste eccezioni meritano comunque il lavoro. Detto questo, non dovrebbe comunque essere necessario aggiungere che la prosa gardneriana è sempre così piacevole da essere un valore aggiunto di suo. Il libro è praticamente fuori catalogo, però; solo Amazon USA sembra averne qualche copia, forse recuperata da un wormhole. L'unica speranza, oltre che andare sul mercato dei libri usati, è che la MAA decida di ripubblicarlo, probabilmente a prezzo più elevato - ma non si può pretendere tutto dalla vita, no?

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martin Gardner’s Riddles spans tessellations, algebra, infinity, and geometry. The comic-illustrated problem-tales often include a light-hearted science fiction theme, such as the adventures of the spaceship Bagel and planar alien life. An engaging set of First through Fourth Answers sections draws the reader on through deeper exploration of the accessible problems. It takes no more than a high school education to understand and tackle the puzzles here, even though they often illuminate higher principles that one may have encountered in high school.