Math Hysteria Fun and Games with Mathematics

by Stewart, Ian

• ISBN13: 9780198613367
• ISBN10: 0198613369
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-07-08
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Welcome to Ian Stewart's strange and magical world of mathematics! Math Hysteria contains twenty quirky tales of mathematical exploration by one of the world's most popular writers on mathematics. Ian Stewart presents us with a wealth of magical puzzles, each one spun around an amazing tale, including "Counting the Cattle of the Sun," "The Great Drain Robbery," and "Preposterous Piratical Predicaments." Fully illustrated with explanatory diagrams, each tale is told with engaging wit, sure to amuse everyone with an interest in puzzles and mathematics. Along the way, we also meet many curious characters. Containing twenty specially-commissioned cartoons, this book will delight all who are familiar with Stewart's many other books, such as What Shape is a Snowflake? and Flatterland and anyone interested in mathematical problems. In short, these stories are engaging, challenging, and lots of fun!

Author Biography

Ian Stewart is Professor of Mathematics at Warwick University and the author of many books, including Nature's Numbers and From Here to Infinity: A Guide to Today's Mathematics. He writes the "Mathematical Recreations" column for Scientific American.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Figure Acknowledgements	xi
1 I Know That You Know That	1	(10)
2 Domino Theories	11	(14)
3 Turning the Tables	25	(12)
4 The Anthropomurphic Principle	37	(10)
5 Counting the Cattle of the Sun	47	(10)
6 The Great Drain Robbery	57	(16)
7 Two-Way Jigsaw Puzzles	73	(12)
8 Tales of the Neglected Number	85	(10)
9 Is Monopoly Fair?	95	(12)
10 Monopoly Revisited	107	(10)
11 A Guide to Computer Dating	117	(10)
12 Dividing the Spoils	127	(16)
13 Squaring the Square	143	(12)
14 The Bellows Conjecture	155	(10)
15 Purposefully Piling Pyramids	165	(12)
16 Be a Dots-and-Boxes Grandmaster	177	(10)
17 Choosily Chomping Chocolate	187	(12)
18 Shedding a Little Darkness	199	(10)
19 Preposterous Piratical Predicaments	209	(8)
20 Million-Dollar Minesweeper	217	(10)
Further Reading	227	(4)
Index	231