Riddles of the Sphinx and Other Mathematical Puzzle Tales
1385
First Published
4.25
Average Rating
170
Number of Pages
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.
Avg Rating
4.25
Number of Ratings
16
5 STARS
38%
4 STARS
50%
3 STARS
13%
2 STARS
0%
1 STARS
0%
goodreads
Author
Martin Gardner
Author · 64 books
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.
