The Last Recreations: Hydras, Eggs, and Other Mathematical MystificationsOf all of Martin Gardner's writings, none gained him a wider audience or was more central to his reputation than his Mathematical Recreations column in "Scientific American", which virtually defined the genre of popular mathematics writing for a generation. Flatland, Hydras and Eggs: Mathematical Mystifications will be the final collection of these columns, covering a period roughly from 1979 to Gardner's retirement as a regular columnist in 1986. The notable trend over Gardner's career is the increasing sophistication of the mathematics he has been able to translate into his famously lucid prose. These columns show him at the top of his form and are not to be missed by anyone with an interest in mathematics. As always in his published collections, Gardner includes letters received from mathematicians and other commenting on the ideas presented in the columns. |
Contents
1 | |
Bulgarian Solitaire and Other Seemingly Endless Tasks | 27 |
Fun with Eggs Part I | 45 |
The Topology of Knots | 67 |
MPire Maps | 85 |
Directed Graphs and Cannibals | 101 |
Dinner Guests Schoolgirls and Handcuffed Prisoners | 121 |
The Monster and Other Sporadic Groups | 139 |
Taxicab Geometry | 159 |
The Power of the Pigeonhole | 177 |
Strong Laws of Small Primes | 191 |
Checker Recreations Part II | 221 |
Other editions - View all
The Last Recreations: Hydras, Eggs, and Other Mathematical Mystifications Martin Gardner Limited preview - 2007 |
The Last Recreations: Hydras, Eggs, and Other Mathematical Mystifications Martin Gardner Limited preview - 2020 |
Common terms and phrases
4-group approval voting Astrian ball Black Bulgarian solitaire called candidate cards cell checkers chess circle color column complete digraph congruent conjecture Conway corners cube curve cyclic Dewdney digraph directrix disk distance edges ellipse equal Euclidean example finite number five four four-color hyperbolic infinite infinity integers John Horton Conway Journal Kim's kings knot knot theory lattice loop m-pire mathematician minimal Steiner tree NON-EUCLIDEAN GEOMETRY odd number pair paper parabola parallel postulate partition path pattern permutations Petersen graph pigeonhole principle plane planiverse play player points position possible prime problem proof prove published puzzle queens rotated Scientific American segment sequence shown in Figure shows side small numbers Snark solution spots square Steiner tree Steiner triple systems steriversal symmetry taxicab geometry theorem theory tion triangles triplets trivalent graphs trivial University vertex voters White