The Liar Paradox and the Towers of Hanoi: The Ten Greatest Math Puzzles of All Time

by Marcel Danesi

• ISBN13: 9780471678434
• ISBN10: 0471678430
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2004-10-01
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

A walk through history's most mind-boggling puzzles Ever since the Sphinx asked his legendary riddle of Oedipus, riddles, conundrums, and puzzles of all sizes have kept humankind perplexed and amused. The Liar Paradox and the Towers of Hanoi takes die-hard puzzle mavens on a tour of the world's most enduringly intriguing braintwisters, from K?nigsberg's Bridges and the Hanoi Towers to Fibonacci's Rabbits, the Four Color Problem, and the Magic Square. Each chapter introduces the basic puzzle, discusses the mathematics behind it, and includes exercises and answers plus additional puzzles similar to the one under discussion. Here is a veritable kaleidoscope of puzzling labyrinths, maps, bridges, and optical illusions that will keep aficionados entertained for hours. Marcel Danesi (Etobicoke, ON, Canada) is the author of Increase Your Puzzle IQ

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

Introduction.

1. The Riddle of the Sphinx.

2. Alcuin’s River-Crossing Puzzle.

3. Fibonacci’s Rabbit Puzzle.

4. Euler’s Königsberg Bridges Puzzle.

5. Guthrie’s Four-Color Problem.

6. Lucas’s Towers of Hanoi Puzzle.

7. Loyd’s Get Off the Earth Puzzle.

8. Epimenides’ Liar Paradox.

9. The Lo Shu Magic Square.

10. The Cretan Labyrinth.

ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS.

GLOSSARY.

INDEX.