Mathematical Wizardry for a Gardner

Ed Pegg Jr, Alan Schoen, Tom Rodgers

This is the second volume of papers mostly based on oral presentations at the Seventh Gathering for (Martin) Gardner held in March, 2006 in Atlanta, GA. Following two essays by G. Chartrand and J. Farrell in memory of the late Frank Harary, there are 24 articles ... [with numerous] papers on geometry ... [and] other papers discuss[ing] recreations ... For two people, there is a game that can be used to establish that the closed unit interval is uncountable as well as two games on directed graphs.—E. J. Barbeau, Mathematical Reviews, June 2010Anyone who enjoys learning about the mathematics behind problems will enjoy this book. ... Mathematical Wizardry for a Gardner poses interesting, engaging problems while also including an emphasis on post-high school mathematics. If you enjoy both, then this book is for you.—Cynthia Taylor, Mathematics Teacher, May 2010Most people enjoy puzzles, and it is only natural to feel good when you have solved a particularly difficult one. It is even more rewarding to invent a new puzzle that captivates the minds of the general public. Consequently, it comes as no surprise that there are groups of people who get together for the sole purpose of sharing new puzzles and new solutions to old puzzles. Gathering for Gardner (G4G) is just such a convention, and the contents of this book are from the seventh G4G (G4G7) conference. G4G conferences occur every two years to pay tribute to Martin Gardner, who rose to fame with his mathematical games columns in Scientific American. Since the book consists of 24 very different chapters, this review provides only a brief taste of what it has to offer. ... this fun book is a welcome change from the newspaper puzzles that I typically do on my way home from work.—Bernard Kuc, Computing Reviews, January 2010This volume collects 24 articles drawn from presentations given at a March 2006 meeting honoring Martin Gardner, who has played a large role in popularizing recreational mathematics ... The topics discussed are as broad as those that Gardner wrote about and include the mathematics of such puzzles and games as tangrams, peg solitaire, sudoku, coin-weighing problems, and anamorphoses.—Book News Inc., September 2009This book is the second of two volumes gathering most of the oral presentations delivered at the seventh of those conferences, held in 2006. ... some of the articles contain, strictly speaking, little mathematics; their subject could be more rightly labelled as puzzles, games, and other curious objects which are, however, likely to intrigue a mathematician, professional or amateur. ... This book is intended as recreational reading, and it is addressed to a very wide audience, including non-mathematicians and amateurs.—Fabio Mainardi, MAA Reviews, August 2009

• In Memoriam. Frank Harary. Harary. Spin a Tale. The Ig Nobel Prizes. Martin Gardner and Paperfolding. . . . Nothing but Confusion? Anamorphoses with Double Meaning. Ponder a Puzzle. Peg Solitaire with Diagonal Jumps. The Grand Time Sudoku and the Law of Leftovers. Patulous Pegboard Polygons. Beamer Variant. Packing Equal Circles in a Square. Bring a Friend. Uncountable Sets and an Infinite Real Number Game. The Cyclic Butler University Game. Misere Play of G-A-R-D-N-E-R, the G4G7 Heptagon Game. Play with Numbers. The Association Method for Solving Certain Coin-Weighing Problems. The Art of Ready Reckoning. Spherical Algebra. Mathematical Idol. The Elevator Problem. Take a Shape. Jordan as a Jordan Curve. Wang Tiles, Dynamical Systems, and Beatty Difference Sequences. The Trilobite and Cross. Orderly Tangles Revisited. Quasi-Periodic Essays in Architectural and Musical Form. Ellipses. Dances with Tangrams (and without Wolves). Two Special Polyhedra among the Regular Toroids.