Mathematical Puzzle Tales from Mount Olympus

212 Pages·2023·8.052 MB·English

by  Andy Liu

Mathematical Puzzle Tales
from Mount Olympus
Mathematical Puzzle Tales from Mount Olympus uses fascinating tales from
Greek Mythology as the background for introducing mathematics puzzles to the
general public. A background in high school mathematics will be ample prepara-
tion for using this book, and it should appeal to anyone who enjoys puzzles and
recreational mathematics.
Features
• Combines the arts and science, and emphasizes the fact that mathemat-
ics straddles both domains.
• Great resource for students preparing for mathematics competitions,
and the trainers of such students.
Andy Liu obtained his doctorate in mathematics as well as a professional diploma
in elementary education in 1976, qualifying him officially to teach from kinder-
garten to graduate school. He was an academic at his alma mater for over thirty
years, where he is currently a Professor Emeritus. During that period, he ran a
mathematics circle for students in upper elementary or junior high schools. The
members had published over fifty papers in scientific journals.
Andy had served as the deputy leader of the USA team and the leader of the
Canadian team in the International Mathematical Olympiad. He had chaired its
Problem Committee once and was a member three other times. He had authored
or co-authored eighteen books in mathematics, and had been credited as an edi-
tor or a co-editor for several others.
AK Peters/CRC Recreational Mathematics Series
Series Editors
Robert Fathauer
Snezana Lawrence
Jun Mitani
Colm Mulcahy
Peter Winkler
Carolyn Yackel
Tessellations
Mathematics, Art, and Recreation
Robert Fathauer
Mathematics of Casino Carnival Games
Mark Bollman
Mathematical Puzzles
Peter Winkler
X Marks the Spot
The Lost Inheritance of Mathematics
Richard Garfinkle, David Garfinkle
Luck, Logic, and White Lies
The Mathematics of Games, Second Edition
Jörg Bewersdorff
Mathematics of The Big Four Casino Table Games
Blackjack, Baccarat, Craps, & Roulette
Mark Bollman
Star Origami
The StarrygamiTM Galaxy of Modular Origami Stars, Rings and Wreaths
Tung Ken Lam
Mathematical Recreations from the Tournament of the Towns
Andy Liu, Peter Taylor
The Baseball Mysteries
Challenging Puzzles for Logical Detectives
Jerry Butters, Jim Henle
For more information about this series please visit: https://www.routledge.com/AK-PetersCRC-
Recreational-Mathematics-Series/book-series/RECMATH?pd=published,forthcoming&pg=2&pp=12&
so=pub&view=list

Mathematical Puzzle Tales
from Mount Olympus
Andy Liu
First edition published 2023
by CRC Press
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
and by CRC Press
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
© 2023 Andy Liu

CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and
publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use.
The authors and publishers have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced
in this publication and apologize to copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not
been obtained. If any copyright material has not been acknowledged please write and let us know so
we may rectify in any future reprint.
Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced,
transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers.
For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, access www.copyright.com
or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923,
978-750-8400. For works that are not available on CCC please contact mpkbookspermissions@tandf.
co.uk
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are
used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data
Names: Liu, A. C. F. (Andrew Chiang-Fung), author.
Title: Mathematical puzzle tales from Mount Olympus / Andy Liu.
Description: First edition. | Boca Raton : AK Peters/CRC Press, 2023. |
Series: AK Peters/CRC Recreational Mathematics Series | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022041652 (print) | LCCN 2022041653 (ebook) | ISBN
9781032424545 (hardback) | ISBN 9781032424187 (paperback) | ISBN
9781003362845 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Mathematical recreations. | Puzzles. | LCGFT: Puzzles and
games
Classification: LCC QA95 .L7648 2023 (print) | LCC QA95 (ebook) | DDC
793.74--dc23/eng20221121
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022041652
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022041653
ISBN: 978-1-032-42454-5 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-42418-7 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-36284-5 (ebk)
DOI: 10.1201/ 9781003362845
Typeset in CMR10 font
by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.
Publisher’s note: This book has been prepared from camera-ready copy provided by the authors.
To
ROBERT GRAVES,
who introduced me to the
Greek Gods and Heroes,
and
NIKOLAY KONSTANTINOV,
who founded the
International Mathematics
Tournament of the Towns

Contents
Preface xi
Physical Geography of Ancient Greece xiii
Urban Geography of Ancient Greece xv
1 The Boxing Matches 1
2 The First and Second Labors of Heracles 5
3 The Third and Fourth Labors of Heracles 9
4 The Fifth and Sixth Labors of Heracles 13
5 The Seventh and Eighth Labors of Heracles 19
6 The Ninth and Tenth Labors of Heracles 23
7 The Loss of the Pigs 27
8 The Planting of Barley 31
9 The Fruit Pies 35
10 The Palace Admittance Questionnaire 39
11 The Midas Touch 43
vii
viii Contents
12 The Collapsing Beams 47
13 The Seating Plan 51
14 The Dana¨ıds 55
15 The Quarrelsome Residents 59
16 The Bears in the Caves 65
17 The Phrygian Music Festival 69
18 The Banquet Tickets 73
19 The Eleventh and Twelfth Labors of Heracles 77
20 The Summer Festival 83
21 The Great Amoeba Escape 87
22 The Rolling Stones 93
23 The Conscientious Birds 99
24 The Archipelago Tour 103
25 The Fireballs and Lightning Bolts 109
26 The Leaded Spears 113
27 The Triangular Palace 117
28 The Matching of Boxes and Keys 123
29 The Number-and-Coin Tricks 129
30 The Unguarded Gate 133