A collection of articles by those who have been inspired by Martin Gardner to enter mathematics, to enter magic, to bring magic into their mathematics, or to bring mathematics into their magic. It includes articles such as card or magic tricks, the history behind given puzzles, and mathematically interesting objects involving the number seven.
The tradition of honoring Martin Gardner continues with this edited collection of articles by those who have been inspired by Gardner to enter mathematics, to enter magic, to bring magic into their mathematics, or to bring mathematics into their magic. Contributing authors include world-leading puzzle designers, puzzle collectors, mathematicians, and magicians.
The variety of articles includes card or magic tricks (with a mathematical trick behind them), the history behind given puzzles, mathematically interesting objects involving the number seven, and puzzles for the reader to solve. Specific puzzles discussed include tangram, 14-15 Puzzle, seven-coloring of the torus, packing circles, Crazy Elephant Dance, and more!
The final section tells the stories of how various mathematical games were invented, and if you are a fan of them gives many that you might not have heard of before. ... whether you are interested in puzzles, origami or card tricks, it has them all. ... If you are bored with doing Sudoku and fancy reading about games of a similar ilk, then this is the book for you.-Simon Craik, London Mathematical Society, May 2010
... Over two-thirds of the book consists of nineteen articles on puzzles and games ... these involve quite a spread of mathematics, including dissections, knots, Hamiltonian circuits, paper folding, groups and coding, along with a little philosophy.-E. J. Barbeau, Mathematical Reviews, July 2010