Riddles in Mathematics: a Book of Paradoxes

Description

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Introduction to the Dover Edition -- Preface -- Contents -- 1. What Is a Paradox? -- 2. A Few Simple Brain-Teasers -- 3. The Mighty Midget 2 and Other Miracles -- 4. Now You See It-Now You Don't -- 5. Thou Shalt Not Divide by Zero -- 6. Seeing Is believing-Perhaps -- 7. Outward Bound -- 8. What Are the Chances? -- 9. Vicious Circles -- 10. Not for the Novice -- Appendix -- Notes and References -- Index.;Two fathers and two sons leave town. This reduces the population of the town by three. True? Yes, if the trio consists of a father, son, and grandson. This entertaining collection consists of more than 200 such riddles, drawn from every branch of mathematics. Math enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy sharpening their wits with riddles rooted in areas from arithmetic to calculus, covering a wide range of subjects that includes geometry, trigonometry, algebra, concepts of the infinite, probability, and logic. But only an elementary knowledge of mathematics is needed to find amusement in this imaginative collection, which features complete solutions and more than 100 black-and-white illustrations.