Customer Reviews:
Easy book to read but not the fastest solution.......2007-04-22
This is an easy solution but will not solve it fast. You will probably get it done in about 3-5 minutes. I have used Jeff Conquers the Cube in 45 seconds and Minh Thai's The Winning Solution in the 80's. I used to average 38 seconds with a best time of 23 seconds using the Jeff Conquers the Cube method.
I just got the Jeff Conquers the Cube book again and after about a month average just under a minute and have a best time of 38 seconds.
this is the one you want.......2006-12-03
Superb book - short and to the point. The explanations are clear and simple. Nourse even provides expert variations for when you get the hang of his solution. WARNING - it's virtually impossible to find this book in most brick-and-mortar book stores (nowadays puzzle and game shelves are filled mainly with books on sudoku or poker), so buy this book ONLINE if you get a chance. You might never find another copy!
A Very Practical Key to Solving Rubik's Cube.......2006-07-25
I finally could solve Rubik's cube after getting this book. Nourse begins with nomenclature for each of the faces: Front, Back, Left, Right, Top, and Bottom. (It does not matter which face is the front, as long as one consistently uses that face as the front, etc.). He has a nomenclature for each move. For example, (B+) means one quarter turn of the back face in a clockwise direction, (F-) means one quarter turn of the front face in a counterclockwise direction, and (T2) means a half-turn of the top face (does not matter in which direction). In using this guide, one first solves the top face of Rubik's cube, then the side faces, and finally the bottom face. Helpful diagrams guide the reader at each step. He points out that the center squares can only rotate in place.
Nourse even has a place for humor in his little book. He says (p. 20) not to unglue and move around any of the colors, or else one may not be able to solve the cube even if one outlives the universe.
it works, it's all about patterns.......2005-05-27
I remember tinkering around with Rubik's Cube back in high school but was never all that serious about solving it. Recently, I've decided to pick up a cube, get a book to learn some patterns and then finally solve it. With the aid of this book, I solved the cube in less than 30 minutes. I solved two thirds of the cube without using any of the patterns in the book. The last fews steps to solving the cube are kind of tricky but the book explains it very well and has easy to memorize patterns. So with some practice, I can see how someone can easily solve the cube in less than a minute by using the patterns in this book or variations of them.
Fond Memories of 20 Years Ago.......2003-01-10
Sometime I guess in 1981 or 1982 I purchased this book at the Woolworth's in Janesville, Wisconsin having bought a Rubik's cube and having been completely engrossed in it. I was 12 or 13 at the time. The book was (at is) a straightforward explanation of how to take a mangled cube and get it back in shape. My personal record is one minute and nineteen seconds. I've managed to hold onto that cube and this book over the years. It has a very high geek nostalgia factor.
Book Description
Noted expert selects 70 "short" puzzles. The Returning Explorer, The Mutilated Chessboard, Scrambled Box Tops, and 67 more. Solutions included.
Customer Reviews:
The best compilation from Martin Gardner's Scientific American mathematical games column.......2006-07-19
"My best mathematical and logic puzzles" presents 70 of the best of the brain teaser that Martin Gardner published over a period of 25 years in his Mathematical games column at Scientific American. It some cases references to new developments related with specific puzzles have been added.
Martin Gardner was always especially careful to present in his American Scientific column only new and unfamiliar puzzles that have not been included in classic collections before. Now you can challenge your solving skills and rattle your ego with a compilation of his best mind-benders.
Here is an example of what you can find inside this book (31. The absent-minded teller}:
"An absent-minded bank teller switched the dollars and cents when he cashed a check for Mr. Brown, giving him dollars instead of cents, and cents instead of dollars. After buying a five-cent newspaper, Mr. Brown discovered that he had left exactly twice as much as his original check. What was the amount of the check?"
One of the best things about Martin Gardner books is that a carefully explained solution follows each problem, this way you learn and add new abilities to your problem solving skills, that will sure be helpful in solving real life problems, while entertaining yourself with a good and challenging reading.
The best of one of the best.......2004-04-26
Martin Gardner is the grand old man of puzzles and recreational mathematics. I recommend this book for intermediary and advanced puzzle enthusiasts - beginners might find some of these too challenging.
Intermediary puzzlists will find the pleasures of often working at the upper edge of their skills. The solutions at the end of the book are complete enough so that even those who didn't get it right the first time will get aha insights.
The book is well worth its price even for puzzle enthusiasts. Even I knew many of the puzzles beforehand - classics indeed - but the notes in the solutions often add a twist, a clever solution or a human interest point of view.
The age recommendation of amazon.com - 4-8 years - is probably either an insider joke or a typo. I'd recommend this book to people between 14-80 years of age, and even over.
Puzzles requiring intermediate mathematical skills.......2001-03-26
Marvelous book. I found it better than many books but my friends, who were not that conversant with intermediate mathematics did not like it much. Though this book doesn't require a knowledge of calculus, people who have this level might appreciate the book more. But it has more to do with mathematical 'thinking' rather than mathematics itself.
So get this one if you are good at mathematical thinking and want to challenge yourself. If you are weak in math and would rather read puzzles that require only logic, cleverness, and lateral thinking only, this may not be the one for you.
A Question.......2000-08-16
I just had to question this - the book is rated at a reading level for 4 - 8 year olds, but some of the reviewers mention going on technical interviews and keeping track of columns in Scientific America over a number of years?
Great collection of what it says it is: prepublished puzzles.......2000-06-05
This is a great collection of puzzles from the Master Of It All. However, the book is exactly what is says it is: It is a collection of Martin Gardner's puzzles previously published in Scientific America. That means if you have followed Gardner's column over the years, you will have seen many of these puzzles already. And precisely because they're the "best," chances are you still remember them. Of course my favorite (a monk leaves his monastery and goes up the mountain...) is in there, as are a number of other favorites.
Book Description
The epic tale of an ancient, unsolved puzzle and how it relates to all scientific attempts to explain the basic structure of the universe
At the dawn of science the ancient Greek philosopher Zeno formulated his paradox of motion, and amazingly, it is still on the cutting edge of all investigations into the fabric of reality.
Zeno used logic to argue that motion is impossible, and at the heart of his maddening puzzle is the nature of space and time. Is space-time continuous or broken up like a string of beads? Over the past two millennia, many of our greatest minds—including Aristotle, Galileo, Newton, Einstein, Stephen Hawking, and other current theoreticians—have been gripped by the mystery this puzzle represents.
Joseph Mazur, acclaimed author of Euclid in the Rainforest, shows how historic breakthroughs in our understanding of motion shed light on Zeno's paradox. The orbits of the planets were explained, the laws of motion were revealed, the theory of relativity was discovered—but the basic structure of time and space remained elusive.
In the tradition of Fermat's Enigma and Zero, The Motion Paradox is a lively history of this apparently simple puzzle whose solution—if indeed it can be solved—will reveal nothing less than the fundamental nature of reality.
Customer Reviews:
Metaphysics of Being.......2007-08-31
The motion paradox is one of the most important books that you could ever read. After 2500 years of scientific development we still can not understand or quantify an indivisible moment in time. Mathematics tells us that a finite set encloses an infinite series and this creates one of the greatest paradoxes ever conceived of by man.
[...].
Why the Universe is Exceedingly Strange.......2007-08-30
Modern physics often reads like the ravings of a deluded crank, yet much of the paradox and counter-intuitive ramblings seems to be the way the universe works. For example while string theory is mind-bogglingly bizarre, one is drawn to the conclusion that it, or something akin to it, is probably true at some ultra-micro level.
"The Motion Paradox" discusses many of these issues, based on the Greek philosopher Zeno's ideas of 2500 years ago. Now the Achilles and the tortoise paradox has been simply solved with modern algebra, but the other paradoxes, although seemingly silly, are not so easily solved. As Joseph Mazur points out in this book, they are not quite as silly on close examination as one would suppose. Why does an arrow appear to have a smooth motion? Why do some calculations approach a limit, like Achilles approaching the tortoise, yet never seem to reach it? In fact as the matter-energy, motion-rest, time-space, microscopic-macroscopic and other paired concepts about our universe are examined closely, the solid world around us seems to disappear leaving us with a very Hindu or Buddhist sounding concept that all is illusion!
This is a very interesting book from a number of standpoints. I dropped it a star because there are parts that I think could have been more clearly written, but overall the author got most of his points across. The upshot is that we live in a very strange planet in a very strange universe and we may never really grasp exactly how very strange this "reality" really is!
unsatisfying.......2007-08-20
I had high hopes for this book, but I feel like the author has let me down.
My principal complaint with the book is akin to the complaint about the three statisticians who go hunting- one shoots high, the other shoots low, and the third yells "we got it!" Mazur looks at the world through a mathematicians eyes, and misses the forest for the trees. He is attempting to summarize his thoughts on the physical ramifications for the philosophy and math behind Zeno's paradox, completely ignoring the fact that one can pit Achilles and the tortoise in a race and observe Achilles' win. Were he to attempt to focus on this goal, even if he had to do so ironically by halves, he would have a better chance of leaving solid concepts in the reader's mind. Rather, he fills the reader with a hocus-pocus level of wonder, marveling at the impossibility of motion and it all. One can open their eyes, and, like a child, exclaim, "yet it moves!", and not be mystified at all. Is Mazur trying to make the reader feel inferior?
For example, he spends a certain amount of time at the end of the book marveling at the persistance of vision, wondering if our eyesight averages discrete images into a false perception of continuous motion, what if our vision were that of a strobe camera and the universe were continuous, would our vision be different? This is interesting, and the sense of wonder seems genuine; but there is a physical explanation for the persistance of vision, in that eyesight is a chemical phenomemon and as the chemical reactions become saturated, there is a natural decay required before a new image might render fully. Indeed, he completely ignores wondering about two images (such as the bird and the cage) when flipped at high speed, seem to merge into one bird in a cage. He is restricted into a highly constructed narrative, saying, "follow me along this path", to his conclusion, ignoring that the educated reader is constatly going to say "but... what about..", and be left either lost and frustrated, or dumbly following as if in a boring guided tour. Either way, the reader will not feel better about themselves at the end of the tour.
More troublingly, there are extensive unmentioned mathmatical insights that he completely overlooks, when as a mathematician, he should be at least mentioning them. For example, Hilbert's Grand Hotel paradox seems worth at least a brief mention as belonging in the same class, and yet despite three references to David Hilbert in the index, no hint is given. If Zeno's paradoxes are the root puzzle, as the cover suggests, of "all the mysteries of time and space"- then why does he not spend more time giving concrete examples of how that is? Clearly, Zeno's paradox seems to be at the root of calculus, which is extremely relevant for mathematics, but he fails to convey sufficiently how and what that means for real world problems. That there is and has always been a deep divide between pure applied math, and practically applied science, is glossed over. If he is saying, "math is the root of all science", he does not bravely say so. Many people can do science without math, and as such the physical scientist in me is unimpressed with his tack.
More minor peccadilloes: This book was not carefully edited, and the hardcover edition contains many typos, sometimes distractingly so. It is also useless as a reference book. The style and subject matter does not leave the reader more educated- rather it is written in a mystical style which doesn't clearly open or close its subjects, and smacks of a Whig history of Zeno's paradox. When you separate out his whiggish narration, you quickly begin to realize that this book isn't really saying anything. He leaves you not much more significantly educated than many putative purchasers of this book, and as such, you'd be better off saving the money. If it's not educating, it should be entertaining, but he fails on this as well. It does not have well drawn characters, and except for the first few pages, we get no sense of struggle or personality. In fact, reading the first few pages as an excerpt clearly leaves you feeling like it's going to be a more interesting book- for example, how has Zeno's paradox been a personal struggle for the author? But instead, it falls flat. It is a dry retelling of history, and I feel cheated by having wasted my time reading it.
Fascinating and thought-provoking!.......2007-07-26
The Motion Paradox is a fascinating mix of science, math, and philosophy that draws the reader deeper and deeper into one of the most interesting puzzles of all time. Mazur's prose is joyfully thought-provoking and is not distracted by unnecessary mathematical equations. I thoroughly enjoyed this book -- Mazur's best to date!
Excellent but for mathematically oriented reader a little bit frustrating.......2007-07-19
This is an excellent account of the development of the ideas around an intriguing question (zeno's paradox) through two and a half millenia of the history of mathematics and physics. In fact this paradox is ultimately related to the problem of the link between discrete and continuous in the linear number system (real line). If one digs deep enough, one can find also links to famous paradoxes of twentieth century mathematics (for example the banach-tarsky paradox or the paradox of the "pea and the sun"). Unfortunately the author overlooks these issues which have caused virulent debates between best mathematicians of the history (supporters of cantor's ideas against his adversaries). The author follows scupulously the maxim that every mathematical formula divides by two the number of peaple who will read the book, so he forbids himself of introducing any formula. I think in many places, mathematical formulation is much clearer than a long text (it could at least be presented as notes).
Book Description
The definitive account of the Everests of mathematics--the seven unsolved problems that define the state of the art in contemporary math.
In 2000, the Clay Foundation announced a historic competition: whoever could solve any of seven extraordinarily difficult mathematical problems, and have the solution acknowledged as correct by the experts, would receive $1 million in prize money. There was some precedent for doing this: In 1900 the mathematician David Hilbert proposed twenty-three problems that set much of the agenda for mathematics in the twentieth century. The Millennium Problems--chosen by a committee of the leading mathematicians in the world--are likely to acquire similar stature, and their solution (or lack of it) is likely to play a strong role in determining the course of mathematics in the twenty-first century. Keith Devlin, renowned expositor of mathematics and one of the authors of the Clay Institute's official description of the problems, here provides the definitive account for the mathematically interested reader.
Customer Reviews:
Seven of the greatest mathematical problems.......2007-05-13
If you want to know about seven of the most difficult unsolved math problems for which the Clay Mathematics Institute offers 1 million dolars a piece to whoever can solve them, this is the right book. Actually, we might talk about six unsolved problems since Perelman apparently solved the famous Poincaré conjecture.
A quite readable account for someone who has some training in math.
The best that could be done in a linear medium.......2007-01-19
This compromise between the desire to be comprehensible to a wide audience, and to describe aspects of highly abstract mathematics, works better than one might expect, but it is still a compromise. (I skipped years of school and took my Math degree at London University too immature to be successful.)
In my opinion, the only way this (book)/project could have been successful would have been for the Clay Institute to have commissioned a website with home pages for each of the problems, and a large web of explanatory pages for the various mathematical concepts involved.
There was one place I thought the author (no doubt overwhelmed with the purely mathematical difficulties of the task he had set himself) missed an opportunity to be clear. His Navier-Stokes equations describe a perfectly incompressible fluid. Clearly this is a mathematical abstraction - the speed of sound in such a fluid would be greater than the speed of light, indeed infinite. I think the whole thing would have been clearer if he had noted that the real question to be answered is "are the equations for an incompressible fluid a useful approximation to the behaviour of a real fluid, or does the attempt to approximate inevitably lead to nonsense?". Attempts to simulate multi-body gravitational interactions on a PC screen, for example, seem easy to program, but simple programs that calculate forces at an instant and then step positions forward a finite time, inevitably lead to all the particles eventually shooting off the screen, simply because two particles very close together at the instant have mometary huge forces on them, and the approximation that the force is constant over a step is then nonsensical. So far, the Navier-Stokes equations seem to fail in the same way. The question is, can this be fixed? At least that's my understanding, but it does not come through in this book.
Good reading for non-experts .......2006-09-09
It is probably impossible to satisfy everyone when writing a book about modern mathematics: no matter how good the book, some readers are bound to find it too primitive, while others will be hopelessly lost. The author seems to have tried to find the middle ground, perhaps a little on the "simple" side. A professional mathematician would probably find this book far too elementary; as a chemist, I found it educational. In places, it goes on and on about elementary concepts instead of progressing quickly to something more advanced. But overall, it was a good and stimulating reading that provided a glimpse of contemporary mathematics. Recommended if you are a non-mathematician with an interest in mathematics.
hard math made interesting..........2006-06-17
This week I finished reading The Millennium Problems, by Keith Devlin. It's a look into seven of the hardest, unsolved mathematics issues we have on our hands today. A prize for solving any of these puzzles has been offered by the Clay Mathematics Institute, offering one million dollars to anyone who solves or resolves any of them.
Devlin's book is a math populizer, and he does his best to illustrate the seven puzzles in question. They are:
1. The Riemann Hypothesis, which asks if there is a pattern to the distribution of the prime numbers, related to the zeta function.
2. Yang-Mills Theory and the Mass Gap Hypothesis, which would help us understand why the electron has mass.
3. The P vs. NP problem, which seeks to understand the types of problems that computers can analyze, by trying to determine whether problems can be broken up into two groups: easy to find an answer (P), vs. easy to check the answer (NP).
4. The Navier-Stokes Equations, which are differential equations governing fluid dynamics, but don't have known general solutions.
5. The Poincare Conjecture which is a toplogical problem for 4-dimensional objects, asking the question as to whether the surface of a four-dimensional sphere is simply connected.
6. The Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture, which relates to whether a particular class of equations have solutions.
7. The Hodge Conjecture, which is a rather complicated piece of work in analytic geometry.
I have to be honest...while I followed the explanations given in the book for the last two, I know I have no hope of explaining them. The author does his best with the material, but he even admits that those two problems are rather obtuse.
All in all, it's a good book, for the mathematically inclined. The author provides good explanations for the problems, illustrating their histories, and the stories of those folks who originated the problems. Check it out...but only if math is your bag, baby.
An uneven account.......2005-11-28
As the author himself relays many times in the introduction, it is not the easiest task to explain to lay readers the forefront of mathematical research (or for that matter, the forefront of any academic discipline). However tried the author did, and in my opinion failed to convey the fundamental issues.
History is always a good place to start from when describing a problem. And the author excels in putting together the many strands of history leading up to the seven millennium problems. But history in itself cannot be sufficient in itself without describing the actuals. For instance in a chapter describing the Navier-Stokes theorem the author bluntly writes down the differential equation for users to read. Yes, specialists will relate to them, but for the lay readers? The chapter on Hodge's conjecture is even worse. The author acknowledges honestly there that he has no means to explain in lay terms the question in hand. In such case shouldn't the chapter be expanded to attempt to explain instead of just stating that there is no easy way? How else would writing a book on such topic be justified?
Even in the better chapters (the chapter on Riemann's hypothesis for e.g.) the disconnect between the good historical material and the lack of description for the real problem are evident. The book should either have been written for professional mathematicians or, if intended for general readers, should have limited its scope to things the author found clear-cut methods to explain. I admire the author's attempt, but as it is, the book appears uneven and incomplete.
Average customer rating:
- Math Talk
- I absolutely love this book!
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Math Talk: Mathematical Ideas in Poems for Two Voices
Theoni Pappas
Manufacturer: Wide World Publishing, Tetra
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ASIN: 0933174748 |
Customer Reviews:
Math Talk.......2005-06-16
We read some of these in Math Class and they were really cool!
I absolutely love this book!.......2000-03-24
This is a delightful engaging introduction to the world of mathematics, giving children and adults alike a glimpse of the wonderful adventures that lie beyond simple (and boring) drills. My 9 year old son, who doesn't like to read aloud, loves to say these poems with me. I would also recommend Math Talk to anyone looking for creative ways to expose math-phobes to the intriguing possibilities.
Poems for two voices are designed to be read aloud by two readers. Each reader reads from one of the two columns and lines written on the same line are said simultaneously.
Product Description
This book discusses how to design good geometric puzzles: two-dimensional dissection puzzles, polyhedral dissections, and burrs. It outlines major categories of geometric puzzles and provides examples, sometimes going into the history and philosophy of those examples. The author presents challenges and thoughtful questions, as well as practical design and woodworking tips to encourage the reader to build his own puzzles and experiment with his own designs. Aesthetics, phychology, and mathematical considerations all factor into the definition of the quality of a puzzle.
Customer Reviews:
Classic book not to be missed.......2007-08-15
This book covers a large number of puzzle designs, most due to the author. Most of these puzzles have become sought-after classics. The puzzles are mostly 3D interlocking burrs, but there also included are 2D designs, sliding block puzzles, and non-interlocking 3D puzzles. The author also talks about how to build puzzles, characteristics of wood, etc.
I am not a puzzle builder, but enjoyed the book immesely. The author is an excellent writer and his musings about symmetry and general design considerations I found fascinating. Solutions in general are lacking and much is left to the ingenuity of the reader to keep the mystery of solving these puzzles fresh.
Although you can download a pdf copy of this book for free, I enjoy the physical copy for perusal. Highly recommended.
A "must-have" for intermediate to advanced woodworkers seeking to create truly brain-teasing gifts........2007-06-09
Written by veteran woodworker and expert wood puzzle designer Stewart Coffin, Geometric Puzzle Design is a one-of-a-kind guide to creating intriguing, three-dimensional wooden puzzles. Special techniques for creating oddly shaped small puzzle pieces accurately and safely, recommendations for drafting one's own original designs, mathematical concepts that can be applied as engineering tools, and much more fill this original craftsman's manual. A "must-have" for intermediate to advanced woodworkers seeking to create truly brain-teasing gifts.
MUST HAVE for puzzle builders.......2007-05-09
Coffin does it again, with the quintessential wooden puzzle builder's guide. If you're fortunate enough to have previous works by Stewart, keep in mind that this is an updated version, so a lot will be repetitive. Then again, if you have the previous version, you're probably a Puzzle Junkie, in which case the updates alone are probably worth it.
If I were going to be stuck on a desert island...and there were trees, and I had a knife and a sharpening stone...then this would be the One Book I'd want.
Amazon.com
This book has been a classic in the former Soviet Union since it was first published in 1956, and it remains just as entertaining today. A master at making math fun for his high school students, Boris Kordemsky loaded this clever collection with a wide variety of math and logic related games and puzzles dealing with magic squares, tricky weights and measures, properties of numbers, mathematical tricks, and more. Number and math game fans are bound to find several new amusements here. Even many of the well-known classics from generations past take on new life with the fresh twists Kordemsky provides.
Book Description
Most popular Russian puzzle book ever published. Marvelously varied puzzles ranging from simple "catch" riddles to difficult problems. Lavishly illustrated with clear diagrams and amusing sketches. Edited for English-readers, while retaining warmth and charm of original. Inexpensive edition of first English translation. Introduction by Martin Gardner. 425 line illustrations. Solutions.
Customer Reviews:
Funny, challenging, and well written!.......2006-11-08
I bought this book while working as a gifted children teacher. I liked it so much that I used to keep it in my car and solve riddles whenever I had to wait for someone. It is a great resource for all teachers; children are suddenly made quiet when you present a puzzle to them.
I especially like the stick puzzles, where you can distribute a number of matches to students (by the way, it works with kids, teenagers and adults alike) and give them a puzzle. The advantage of this kind of puzzle is that you can give additional tasks to those fast-solvers; you do not have a story behind it.
The organization of the book is excellent; it is divided by difficulty levels as well as by type of puzzle. For example, you have different levels of geometry problems and of sticks problems.
Great book!
very good .......2006-11-05
despite of difficulty, I love it because there are various good problems
Thanks you
An absolutely must have for puzzle lovers........2006-07-19
Excellent collection of math puzzles not requiring advanced math - A book for anyone and everyone
With and outstanding collection of 359 mathematical recreations and being lavishly illustrated with more than 400 diagrams and sketches, this book will certainly become a treasure in the personal library of anyone that enjoys solving puzzles.
It's a mammoth puzzle collection, compare with most math teasers and puzzles book available. But what is important is not the quantity, but the quality and charm of the problems presented.
The book is divided in fifteen chapters, as shown:
- Amusing problems.
- Difficult problems.
- Geometry with matches.
- Measure seven times before you cut.
- Skill will find its application everywhere.
- Dominoes and dice.
- Properties of nine.
- With algebra and without it.
- Mathematics with almost no calculations.
- Mathematical games and tricks.
- Divisibility.
- Cross sums and magic squares.
- Numbers curious and serious.
- Numbers ancient but eternally young.
- Solutions.
Everyone will find the type of problems the like most. Often the puzzles are presented in the form of charming stories that provides valuable insights into contemporary Russian life and customs.
Wonderful, charming puzzles teach problem solving........2006-01-12
I was thrilled and surprised to see that this book is still in print. I loved puzzles as a child and spent many hours for fun working the problems in this book (which may have paved the way for my PhD in Computer Science). I fished out my old copy recently to show my 11 year old daughter how I spent my spare hours as a child - *not* playing computer games of dubious educational value. I am sure that working the problems in this book helped increase my problem solving skills - in a different and more general way than I was learning in school.
Of all the puzzle books and puzzles I ever owned, this is the only one I saved. The book has a wide variety of types of puzzles (not all involve numbers). While some are easy, most were challenging. The descriptions were charming, with Russian names of children and towns and quaint puzzle descriptions involving wells, or steam engines or household objects. All in all, a delightful, very educational puzzle collection.
Comprehensive set of math puzzles for various levels.......2001-11-14
Nice collection of problems which demand some creativity as well as varying degrees of mathematical prowess. Also populated with interesting anedotes regarding mathematicians throughout history.
Although no mathematics beyond the high school level is required, the challenge lies in the ingenious application of even the most rudimentary math and logic necessary to successfully tackle these exercises. The problems range from rather simple to difficult. Some amount to raw logic riddles requiring little or no math while others offer the opportunity to fine tune one's skills in geometry and algebra. In addition to offering a rich variety of problems which will satisfy the needs of puzzlists at many levels, the editors have made a good point of dividing the problems into categories emphasizing different sets of skills including geometry, algebra, arithmetic operations, spatial visualization and logic. Such a delineation makes it easy evaluate strengths and weaknesses so you can focus on areas of improvement.
Given the long history of this publication, several problems will be familiar to some seasoned puzzle enthusiasts but most will still provide a fresh challenge.
Book Description
Expert tips on solving these extraordinarily popular puzzles.
In September 2005 CNN reported: "According to the most recent list of best-selling books tracked by USA Today, seven of the top 100 were compilations of Sudoku puzzles." This ever-expanding market hungers for more new books on Sudoku.
Giant Book of Sudoku is the most comprehensive Sudoku book, with 1,001 brand new puzzles organized in seven skill levels from very easy to very difficult. Already a great value for the number of its puzzles, this book also shows how to improve puzzle-solving skills so essential for any Sudoku player -- from the novice to the experienced to the truly obsessed.
A step-by-step guide to solving Sudoku describes the five rules of logic basic to the game -- missing numbers, single candidates, unique candidates, linked pairs, and linked triples -- and how to apply them. The book includes 300 pages of puzzles, with dozens of expert tips and techniques.
Giant Book of Sudoku will tweak the interest of every member of the ever-growing ranks of Sudoku aficionados.
Customer Reviews:
recommended.......2007-08-09
when i opened the packages from amazon, then i looked this book.. i was thinking when i would finish it.. hehehe cause there're 1001 puzzle of sudoku.. 1 book for 1 year.. it's a good book
Real Giant.. Good for addicts :).......2007-06-28
Really giant book with 2 puzzles in each page. My main disappointment is the low recycled paper quality and the mistakes in few of the puzzles in the 1 and 2 stars level. I expected it to be well prepared by an expert!! Overall, it's worth what you paid for.
LOTS of puzzles.......2007-06-14
There are lots of puzzles but there are also some typos in the puzzles(i.e.repeated numbers). You have to check the answers to correct the puzzles before working them. The answers are correct. I am still doing the 200 Easy puzzles and learning a lot about solving. Have had the book for several months and still not 1/3 through. But I am also not an expert solver.
Customer Reviews:
Where is an example?.......2002-12-23
In the every day practice of mathematics or viewing the works of others, I have never ran across or derived a self-referential statement of the kind that Goedel used in his proof of the incompleteness theorems. The appearance of these kinds of statements takes place only in the context of mathematical logic, and their construction is is somewhat artificial, involving the use of 'diagonalization'. It is for this reason that I don't find the incompleteness theorems in any way troubling for the "truth" of mathematics. If they kept arising in the everyday practice of mathematics, this would lend support to the incompleteness theorems. As such though there is no "empirical" support for them, and until they do arise they can be safely ignored.
The results of Goedel have been used to cast doubt on the "foundations" of mathematics and the "strong AI" problem. But they have also been used to support "strong AI", as it is felt that the existence of self-referential statements are an indication that a machine is conscious. All of these arguments are interesting, but they have yet to help in the practice of mathematics or in the construction of intelligent machines. In fact, too long an emphasis on these results has probably retarded the advancement of artificial intelligence research. The incompleteness theorems though have stimulated research in the field of 'automatic theorem proving' and in this respect they can be said to have had some value.
This book gives an overview of Goedel's incompleteness theorems and its corollaries from a "semi-popular" point of view, meaning that readers are expected to have some background in elementary logic as well as philosophy, in order to appreciate the contents. The author is eloquent and enthusiatic throughout the book, and this serves to make the book more palatable for the absolute beginner. It would be unfortunate maybe that readers will begin to doubt the "truth" of mathematics after reading this book, but that doubt could also be viewed as a virtue, in that it would motivate further thinking and research. But again, to this date there has been no self-referential statement that has appeared in the everyday practice of mathematics....that I know of anyway.
Brain candy in a logical form.......2000-03-14
Do you believe that you know what you believe? Is it possible to believe only those things that are true? These questions are but two of the many addressed in this book by Professor Smullyan, and the answers will surprise you!
With most of the material in the form of puzzles, and nearly all of them solved, it is possible for a logical novice to read and understand the book. However, it is recommended that you find another source for explanations of the standard logical operators and read it first. Even then, you should not be surprised to find yourself rereading a solution thinking that the answer simply cannot be correct. But keep trying, as eventually you will begin to understand, and come to appreciate some of the unresolvable consequences of mathematics, the most precise of disciplines. For while Professor Smullyan may not be logically consistent, he is consistently logical. (This is of course a bad pun, but it is no worse than some of the groaners in the book.)
Finally, as the following example shows:
"The following dialogue ensues between a student and his theology professor:
Student: If I believe that God exists, then I will also believe that I will be saved?
Professor: It that is true, then God exists.
Student: If I believe that God exists, then will I be saved?
Professor: If God exists, then that is true.
Prove that if the professor is accurate and if the student believes the professor, then God must exist and the student will be saved"
You may also be given insight into one of the most fundamental questions regarding human existence.
Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.
Unique method uses puzzles to explain Go:del's theorem.......1998-09-03
This is a great book for anyone wanting to understand Go:del's theorem, which basically proves that logic is inherently flawed. The book is very readable. Just make sure that you don't let your head explode.
Book Description
Puzzle lovers of every persuasion, prepare to be mystified and wonderously maddened! These 51 original puzzles by Barry R. Clarke, puzzle columnist for the Daily Telegraph (UK), present challenges ranging from moderate to difficult and span a terrific range of clever conundrums : word puzzles, complex crosswords, and math and logic puzzles.
The first section, Popular Puzzles, calls for a moderate amount of effort and imagination. It features complex crosswords in which cryptic clues must be solved in sequence and the solutions fitted together on the grid. Teaser Tales, the following section, contains longer puzzles in the form of amusing stories with a series of clues that must be solved to provide a single solution at the end.
The final section represents the Mount Everest of the collection, the Advanced Puzzles. Designed to stretch the mental muscles, these puzzles are more mathematical than their predecessors, but even the most difficult ones require no greater knowledge than high school algebra. Most of the puzzles include hints, and solutions are provided for all (no peeking!).
Customer Reviews:
Unhelpful for LSAT prep.......2007-09-14
This was posted near LSAT review materials. I did not find it helpful. Too many of the questions are dissimilar from the type needed for the LSAT logic section.
It was also frustratingly difficult, because the directions and hints were too cryptic.
Ingenious!.......2003-12-07
Almost exactly ninety years ago, Sam Loyd's 'Cyclopaedia of Puzzles' was published in New York. This was a collection of a very large number of his puzzles which had mostly appeared in the American Press. Many were illustrated with delightful pictures at the head of the page, drawn in Sam's own hand. Barry Clarke's new book has marked similarities in layout with illustrations drawn by the author at the head of many pages and many puzzles had previously appeared in the 'Brain Twister' column in the Daily Telegraph. The drawings are remarkably like Sam Loyd's, but there the similarity stops. Sam Loyd's book was foolscap size and hard bound while Barry's has the typical Dover cover, but the real difference is in the puzzles themselves. Barry's puzzles are graded in difficulty, so that readers who do not wish to be challenged too much can start with the first section and gradually work themselves in. Also, the puzzles are ingenious and well thought out and hints are provided before the full solutions for those who need a bit of steering. This is altogether a very good read, guaranteed to keep the puzzler in the family busy over Christmas. I thoroughly recommend it.
(Angela Newing has written for The Daily Telegraph, UK)
The Mathematical Poetry of a Puzzle Artist: Barry R. Clarke.......2003-11-11
In this most recent adventure into the Puzzling World of Barry R. Clarke, I found my mind quite well entertained. What I enjoy most about logic puzzles is their requirement for little if any prior knowledge, and each of Barry's "puzzlers" is no different. However, what is missing in most logic and mathematical puzzle books is a touch of true creativity and humor. In Brain Busters! I found that while my mathematical mind was challenged to the limit, I was also encouraged to think in new and original ways, moving from basic logic to the simple yet complex world of recreational mathematics. Barry Clarke pushes your mind to the edge with this most recent creation, and holds you there.
As Mr. Clarke notes in the introduction, his reasons for this puzzle compilation included the pure enjoyment of creating logical and mathematical art. Fortunately for us, Barry's creations serve not only the role of entertainment, but also more importantly the role of instruction, as he leads us down different paths of twisting logic, with excellent scenery along the way. If you view mathematics as a form of poetry, you will certainly enjoy this opportunity to learn from a mathematical wizard. Brain Busters! is indeed a "mind-stretching" experience, one that allows you to see the way Barry's imagination is captured in a distinctly unique manner in each of his puzzles. His mathematical imagination is the communality that runs through each puzzle, but at the same time it is his creative touch that serves as the specificity, giving great variation to this excellent and enjoyable work.
Mind S-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g!.......2003-10-24
I'm always thrilled when an exciting book of puzzles appears on the bookshelves, especially if it is by Barry Clarke.
Brain Busters, like Barry's other books, demonstrates his wonderful ability to create funny offbeat puzzles as only he can. Besides the imaginatively written puzzles, I really enjoyed his charming cartoons that accompany many of them. My favourite one is of a sorcerer who has just turned the furious Count Lettuce into a little furry creature.
As well as math and logic problems, the book also contains some very tricky crosswords, short puzzle stories and fun lateral-type puzzles using matchsticks. In fact, there is something to suit every taste. So, if you like puzzles, you'll absolutely love this book. I did!
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