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COLOSSAL BOOK
Iz
SHORT PUZZLES
PROBLEMS
nd
C B1NATORICS PROBABILITY ALGEBRA GEOMETRY TOPOLOGY
CESS LOGIC CRYPTARITHMS WORDPLAY PHYSICS AND
OTHER TOPICS OF RECR ATIONAL MATHEMATICS
MARTIN GARDNER
nANA RICHARDS
EDITED pv
The BOOK of
C 'OLO~SAL
SHORT PUZZLES and PROBLEMS
UTh. b< k In r th r t tim th prohl m h v b n )11 cted t th
No\\' a n \\ g n r ti n .11 Ie m that mathe tiCS i nt nalnlng, magu: I,
nd beauutul - ana RIC rd, editor, on1 th Introduction
Featuring 340 ~Ia~. ic Ho\\ good is our kno~ ledge 0
braintea,er~ from all br,lnches popular mathematic ? Challcn 'e
of mathematic~, includin~: '(lur~elf \\ ith pu--Ie_ like these:
Polyhedra 1) Ho\\" man traight flushc~ ~an
~ou make from a normal deck of
Pcntominocs
~ards? Ho\\ man· fours of a kind.
~·tagic Card~
BO\\'ling Pins
A ghan Band
Killing Square '
2) If Ca~cv \\'as tvtud\'illc'~ leadoff
Polypo"'crs b. . ltt~rt ..l nJ h~ \."ame to bat onc~ in
Kobon Triangl~~ II ninc innings, ho\\' many runs
JiJ the ~luJ\'ille Nine score?
• Toroids
Cryptarithm~
.. ~t.tnln (. udn r the rem.uk. hi blhrl t 1 rat h
\\' \ thAt 1\ In ln 01 lake fun. nl I Iak In
(I erful exerCI (Ir [h ht In "- ,ltlmOn Gululnb, thor
BOl\iUS: lZ OF THE MOST INTRIGLTING :\1:::\\' PL'lllE:~ ~ElI:CTl:ll BY ~I:\RTI~ G.\RD"'l-R
\Xi NlRTON
NE\X ' ORJ.... · II NOON
USA $35.00
Can. $49.00
"WARNING: Martin Gardner ha~ turned
do:::ens of innocent young~ters intu mdth pro ...
fe",son~ and thLlu~ands of nlath professors into
innOLent ) oungsters."
-Persi Diaconis, professor of mathematics,
Stanford University
For over twenty .. five years, Martin Gardner's
legendary "Mathematical Games" column for
Scientific American challenged readers on sub ...
jects as diverse as probability, chess, and logic.
At once the inventor and provocateur of what
became known as "recreational mathematics,"
Gardner distilled complicated mathematical and
physical concepts into puzzles that both enticed
novices and challenged experienced math
lovers. Once a year Gardner'!, column \\ ould
present a handful of short and inventive puzzles
that ranged from the classic "Was Fermat
wrong?" to Stetner's "Ellipses" to the more
playful "Tor idal cannibalism" and "F :llding a
Ml1bius strip. These concise puzzles were among
H
Gardner's most anticipateJ as they retlecteJ his
wit and scientific elegance in short and pleasing
mind .. henders.
Grouped by subject and arrayed from easiest
to hardest, the 340 puzzles, gathered here by
subject for the first time in hook form, are the
highlights of Gardner's treasury of short prob
lems. In four delIghtful sections, Gardner covers
a wide gamut of mathematical topics. from such
classic comhinatorics as "mutilated chessboards"
and "bowling .. hall pennies" to engrossing geo ..
metric puzzles and algonthmic games, and finally
to cryptarithms, logic, and wordplay.
Among the most antiCipated problems in The
Colossal Book of Short Puzzles and Problems are
the twelve new mathen1atical hrainteasers, the
best and most engrossing prohlems out of the
( CON TIN " 1: n '"' ~l n A C K F lAP )
(CONTINUED FlA P)
hundreds [hat Gardner, now in his ninettes, has
been gathering since he retired from Scientific
An1erican in 1986. These represent some of the
lnost intriguing and entertaining problems to
arrear in the last two decades. chosen by
Gardntr hinlself.
Fl)r alnateurs, for professional mathemati
cians, and t)r all those who enjoy a good hrain
teaser, this is an indispensable volume-a
charnling stanJ,alone volunle but also a com ...
p.anion book to Gardner's classic The Colossal
Book of lvlache)natics. The Colossal Book of Shore
Puzzles and Problelns is another milestone in
the remarkable career of the twentieth century's
most renowned popularizer of mathen1atics.
MAR TIN GAR D N E R is the author
of Inore than seventy books, including The
Annotated Alice, Calculus Made Easy and The
I
Colossal Book of Mathematics. He lives in
Norman, Oklahoma.
JACKET DESIGN BY CALVIN CHU
JACKET ILLUSTRATI N BY WIRE DESIGN I GETTY IMAGES
AUTHOR PHOTOGRAPH BY OlAN MILLS
The
Colossal Book of
Short Puzzles
& Problems
Also by Martin Gardner
Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science
Mathematics, Magic, and Mystery
Great Essays in Science (ed.)
Logic Machines and Diagrams
The Scientific American Book of Mathematical
Puzzles and Diversions
The Annotated Alice
The Second Scientific American Book of
Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions
Relativity for the Million
The Annotated Snark
The Ambidextrous Universe
The Annotated Ancient Mariner
New Mathematical Diversions from Scientific
American
The Annotated Casey at the Bat
Perplexing Puzzles and Tantalizing Teasers
The Unexpected Hanging and Other
Mathematical Diversions
Never Make Fun of a Thrtle, My Son (verse)
The Sixth Book of Mathematical Games from
Scientific American
Codes, Ciphers, and Secret Writing
Space Puzzles
The Snark Puzzle Book
The Flight of Peter Fromm (novel)
Mathematical Magic Show
More Perplexing Puzzles and Tantalizing Teasers
The Encyclopedia of Impromptu Magic
Aha! Insight
Mathematical Carnival
Science: Good, Bad, and Bogus
Science Fiction Puzzle Tales
Aha! Gotcha
Wheels, Life, and Other Mathematical
Amusements
Order and Surprise
The Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener
Puzzles from Other Worlds
Also by Martin Gardner
The Magic Numbers of Dr. Matrix
Knotted Doughnuts and Other Mathematical
Entertainments
The Wreck of the Titanic Foretold?
Riddles of the Sphinx
The Annotated Innocence of Father Brown
The No-Sided Professor (short stories) .
Time Travel and Other Mathematical
Bewilderments
The New Age: Notes of a Fringe Watcher
Gardner's Whys and Wherefores
Penrose Tiles to Trapdoor Ciphers
How Not to Test a Psychic
The New Ambidextrous Universe
More Annotated Alice
The Annotated Night Before Christmas
Best Remembered Poems (ed.)
Fractal Music, Hypercards, and More
The Healing Revelations of Mary Baker Eddy
Martin Gardner Presents
My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles
Classic Brainteasers
Famous Poems of Bygone Days (ed.)
Urantia: The Great Cult Mystery
The Universe Inside a Handkerchief
On the WiJd Side
Weird Water and Fuzzy Logic
The Night Is Large
Science Magic
Mental Magic
The Annotated Thursday
Visitors from Oz (novel)
Gardner's Workout
The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition
Did Adam and Eve Have Navels?
The Colossal Book of Mathematics
Mind-Boggling Word Puzzles
Are Universes Thicker than Blackberries?
Smart Science Tricks
Martin Gardner
The
COLOSSAL
Book of
SHORT PUZZLES
and
PROBLEMS
Edited by
Dana Richards
Combinatorics
Probability
Algebra· Geometry
Topology • Chess
Logic· Cryptarithms
Wordplay· Physics
and Other Topics
of Recreational
Mathematics
W. W. Norton & Company
New York • London
Description:Finally collected in one volume, Martin Gardner's immensely popular short puzzles; along with a few new ones from the master.For more than twenty-five years, Martin Gardner was Scientific American's renowned provocateur of popular math. His yearly gatherings of short and inventive problems were easi
