The Mathematics of Various Entertaining Subjects - by Jennifer Beineke & Jason Rosenhouse (Hardcover)

About the Book

Copyright 2017 by Princeton University Press.

Book Synopsis

The history of mathematics is filled with major breakthroughs resulting from solutions to recreational problems. Problems of interest to gamblers led to the modern theory of probability, for example, and surreal numbers were inspired by the game of Go. Yet even with such groundbreaking findings and a wealth of popular-level books, research in recreational mathematics has often been neglected. The Mathematics of Various Entertaining Subjects now returns with a brand-new compilation of fascinating problems and solutions in recreational mathematics.

This latest volume gathers together the top experts in recreational math and presents a compelling look at board games, card games, dice, toys, computer games, and much more. The book is divided into five parts: puzzles and brainteasers, geometry and topology, graph theory, games of chance, and computational complexity. Readers will discover what origami, roulette wheels, and even the game of Trouble can teach about math. Essays contain new results, and the contributors include short expositions on their topic's background, providing a framework for understanding the relationship between serious mathematics and recreational games. Mathematical areas explored include combinatorics, logic, graph theory, linear algebra, geometry, topology, computer science, operations research, probability, game theory, and music theory.

Investigating an eclectic mix of games and puzzles, The Mathematics of Various Entertaining Subjects is sure to entertain, challenge, and inspire academic mathematicians and avid math enthusiasts alike.

From the Back Cover

"Every essay in this collection can be appreciated by math enthusiasts of all levels, from high school students to research mathematicians. With work from leading mathematicians such as John Conway, Richard Guy, Bob Bosch, Peter Winkler, Tanya Khovanova, and Erik Demaine, what's not to love?"--Arthur Benjamin, author of The Magic of Math: Solving for x and Figuring out Why

"Recreational math is an important branch of mathematics. The contributions in The Mathematics of Various Entertaining Subjects are of a very high quality and almost all contain new results."--Anany Levitin, coauthor of Algorithmic Puzzles

"The fascinating essays in this collection are written by top scholars who employ diverse mathematical and computational techniques to find surprising answers to intriguing questions. With a nice balance of context and background information, new results, and surveys of known and related results, this book will be useful to a wide array of mathematicians and readers interested in recreational mathematics."--David Richeson, author of Euler's Gem: The Polyhedron Formula and the Birth of Topology

"As enticing as a Rubik's Cube, this rigorous and inviting book is a treat to the eyes and mind. The list of contributors is an all-star lineup ready to welcome you into their mathematical rec rooms. Pull up a chair and grab a friend, it's time to be entertained with various mathematical subjects."--Tim Chartier, author of Math Bytes: Google Bombs, Chocolate-Covered Pi, and Other Cool Bits in Computing

"The fascinating essays in this collection are written by top scholars who employ diverse mathematical and computational techniques to find surprising answers to intriguing questions. With a nice balance of context and background information, new results, and surveys of known and related results, this book will be useful to a wide array of mathematicians and readers interested in recreational mathematics."--David Richeson, author of Euler's Gem: The Polyhedron Formula and the Birth of Topology

Review Quotes

"[This book] is beautiful in that just about every problem could be explained to anybody with almost no mathematics background at all, but the methods of solving them take you deeply into many complex areas of mathematics. The books gathers together problems which pop up through what one might consider 'silly' or 'frivolous' questions, but which lead to new ways of thinking and have applications in enormously wide-ranging areas of mathematics."---Jonathan Shock, Mathemafrica

"In the second volume of this engaging series, Beineke . . . and Rosenhouse . . . deliver another fantastic collection of essays dealing with popular mathematics. . . . Anyone who enjoys reading about recreational mathematics will find plenty to enjoy and discover in this second volume."-- "Choice"

"The editors once again have brought together an extraordinary list of authors to produce nineteen engaging papers, split into five groups: puzzles and brainteasers, geometry and topology, graph theory, games of chance, and computational complexity. . . . It is often deeply challenging mathematically and, as a result, all the more fun. Each reader will find chapters that appeal to them."-- "MAA Reviews"

About the Author

Jennifer Beineke is professor of mathematics at Western New England University. Jason Rosenhouse is professor of mathematics at James Madison University. Beineke and Rosenhouse are the coeditors of The Mathematics of Various Entertaining Subjects: Research in Recreational Math (Princeton).