How to Cut a Cake: And Other Mathematical Conundrums

Description

Welcome back to Ian Stewart's magical world of mathematics! Here are twenty more curious puzzles and fantastical mathematical stories from one of the world's most popular and accessible writers on mathematics. This is a strange world of never-ending chess games, empires on the moon, furious fireflies, and, of course, disputes over how best to cut a cake. Each chapter--with titles such as, "How to Play Poker By Post" and "Repealing the Law of Averages"--presents a fascinating mathematical puzzle that is challenging, fun, and introduces the reader to a significant mathematical problem in an engaging and witty way. Illustrated with clever and quirky cartoons, each tale will delight those who love puzzles and mathematical conundrums. Cover Title Contents Preface Figure Acknowledgements 1. Your Half’s Bigger than My Half! 2. Repealing the Law of Averages 3. Arithmetic and Old Lace 4. Paradox Lost 5. Tight Tins for Round Sardines 6. The Never-Ending Chess Game 7. Quods and Quazars 8. Zero Knowledge Protocols 9. Empires on the Moon 10. Empires and Electronics 11. Resurrection Shuffle 12. Double Bubble, Toil and Trouble 13. Crossed Lines in the Brick Factory 14. Division without Envy 15. Furiously Flashing Fireflies 16. Why Phone Cords Get Tangled 17. Sierpinski’s Ubiquitous Gasket 18. Defend the Roman Empire! 19. Triangulation Takeaway 20. Easter Is a Quasicrystal Further Reading Index