2 comments about The Big Book of Kakuro Puzzles.

1. The front cover shows puzzles that are 13x22 spaces (if I remember right), but every puzzle inside is only 10x10 (9x9 effective, since the top and left lines are not open). This is fine for beginners, but is a big disappointment for anyone used to bigger puzzles. It is also rather deceptive advertising. My suggestion would be to buy the Dell Kakuro Cross Sums magazines (less than 3 dollars at Wal-Mart), which comes out quarterly. I find them much more satisfying than the "bite-size" puzzles in this book. BTW, Dell has been putting out these puzzles since 1950 under the title "Cross Sums".



2. There are lots of puzzles in this book but the cover is deceiving showing a large puzzle when actually there are four small puzzles per page. They are not very challenging and appear to all be the same difficulty.

2 comments about Mathematics, Magic and Mystery (Cards, Coins, and Other Magic).

1. This book is very nice. It teaches you how to do magic with any houshold items. There are 2 chapters with cards too. NONE of the tricks described here use any sort of slight of hand. It is 100% mathematical tricks than ANYONE can do. And they are all nice cloe-up tricks which are the type of tricks which are most baffling. Martin Garder, the author of this book is a very talented writer. He wrote many books on mathematics and science. This is a great book and I recomend EVERYONE should get it even if they are not into magic that much.



2. The reason why we use the phrases "magic trick" and "card trick" is because we know that there is no such thing as magic. The magician is executing a very specific algorithm that leads from the starting point to the desired conclusion. In this book, Gardner explains some of the algorithms in areas such as card tricks, mental magic and other common feats of legerdemain.
   The titles of the chapters are:
   
   *) Tricks with cards part I
   *) Tricks with cards part II
   *) From Gergonne to Gargantua - more tricks with cards
   *) Magic with common objects - the objects are items such as dice and dominoes
   *) Topological tomfoolery - tricks with items such as ropes, handkerchiefs and vests
   *) Tricks with special equipment
   *) Geometrical vanishes part I
   *) Geometrical vanishes part II
   *) Magic with pure numbers - rapid computation or number guessing tricks
   
   Some people don't want to know how things are done because it spoils the fun for them. Since Gardner explains all of the tricks in complete detail, if you read this book then you will know how to do them yourself. Therefore, you should only pick it up if you can handle the knowledge of how these tricks are performed.

5 comments about The Riddle of Scheherazade: And Other Amazing Puzzles.

1. Seeing my frustration at being thoroughly unchallenged in logic in my math class at school, my mom bought me this book. I owe her one. There are coercive logic puzzles, easy but sneaky riddles, and math games. There are liar/truthteller problems to keep you guessing for hours. That said, this is also a great book to read on a plane. It is so complete, you will never need another brainteaser book. That is, until you memorize all the questions.



2. This is probably the best book on logic puzzles ever written (aside from other Smullyan books, that is). It is witty, challenging, and has problems of all kinds. The first half is framed as a continuation to the Arabian Nights, with ingenious and original puzzles (aside from the occasional oldy snuck in) given an Arabian touch.
   However, after those brilliant puzzles comes the greatest part of the book. The second half is a collection of puzzles, paradoxes, and even has a couple of chapters on coercive logic, invented by Raymond Smullyan himself.
   I reccomend this book to any logic buff, or indeed to anyone who's ever enjoyed a logic puzzle. And if you don't fall into either category, then you need this book all the more.



3. This book is a good source of riddles, old and new. Unfortunately, a lot of the riddles are just basic algebra problems... and that's not very fun. But if you skip (or quickly work out) the silly algebra riddles, there are still a lot of other interesting riddles. And also there's a neat way to prove Gauss's summing rule in this book.
   
   Also, I was looking for an errata for this book, but I couldn't find one, so I will just mention here that the answer to number 71 is incorrect. But, if you just remove the last sentence from the answer, then it is right.



4. This book, by a well-known poser of puzzles, sets out of the order of a thousand logic puzzles in a format loosely styled upon the presentation of Scheherazade, but in a somewhat less entrancing way. The problem with logic is that there is just so much of it about. Perhaps the axiom 'less is more' might have been applied and some judicious excision of the more mechanical or repetitious examples been performed. The jewels are lost amongst the glass beads. Obviously by its nature mathematical logic eschews value judgements, but in the present case this seems to have been taken rather too literally.



5. I bought this book because I like math and puzzles, and a friend who teaches middle school math had mentioned that she and her class were having fun going through the puzzles. I really enjoyed the puzzles in this book, most of which are math or number oriented, but some of which are more like word riddles. The answers and thought processes used are in the back of the book, although I swear a couple are wrong! I know this sounds a little odd, but doing the puzzles at night was a great help a few nights with insomnia (so I could think through a logic or math problem in my head until I fell asleep, rather than let my mind wander to more stessful life events...)

4 comments about The Big Book of Kakuro.

1. I was disappointed at the small size of many of the puzzles. Some were as small as 4x4 and took less than 1 minute to solve for anyone who has worked Kakuro puzzles before. Half of the puzzles were 9x9 or smaller. However, this could make the book attractive to those new to Kakuro...they could develop some sense of accomplishment on the early, small and easy puzzles. Another positive, 20% of the puzzles were hybrid Kakuro-Sodoku puzzles. I've not seen these elsewhere and I found them delightfully challenging and complicated.



2. I am an avid CrossSums fan and I am definitely finding this book challenging and I have not even started the difficult ones yet.



3. This is a good book to begin your Kakuro experience. The instructions are well-written. The puzzles begin very simply, getting increasingly more difficult as you progress through the book. Squares are big. Lots of room to write notes in the margins. Definitely THE book to start with.



4. An excellent book for beginners; takes you from very easy right up to extremely difficult puzzles. Any and all people who like puzzles will enjoy this volume.

1 comments about The Contest Problem Book VII: American Mathematics Competitions, 1995-2000 Contests.

1. These collections of problems are those used in the American High School Mathematics Examinations (AHSME) for the years 1995-2000. Each examination has thirty questions and detailed solutions to the problems are given. I was especially interested in the classification of problems by type and by decade in the preface. From this, you can see the dramatic change in the topics covered on the exams. Probability, statistics and trigonometry problems did not appear on the exams in the decades 1950-59, 1960 - 69 and 1970 - 79. The significant drops in percentage appearing on the exam were in geometry and logarithms.
   When I started reading this book, I was solving the problems in my head, but it wasn't long before I grabbed a pad and pen and starting writing out the solutions. While all of the problems are within the grasp of the advanced high school student, some require a clever insight if you want to solve it in a reasonable amount of time. At the end of each chapter, there is a chart listing the percentage of qualifiers who gave that answer to the question. While rare, there are occasions when a wrong answer was given more often than the correct one. It is interesting to note the general decline in the sum of the percentages as you go down the list to later in the test.
   This book is the best study material available for people getting ready for a future AHSME exam. I strongly recommend it for all teachers working to prepare their students for the exams. When you look through the problems over the five years, there are some similarities that repeat on a regular basis.
   
   Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission

4 comments about Problem Solving Through Recreational Mathematics.

1. I first became acquainted with this book about twenty years ago when it first appeared. Since it didn't fit into a standard niche in college mathematics curricula, it never really caught on and, before the Dover edition, was out of print for a number of years.

   This was a shame, as this is both a wonderful and remarkable book. It has a broad appeal; amateur mathematicians, professional mathematicians, and puzzle buffs should all find something in it to interest them. It is both fun and rewarding at the same time. One can learn a great deal of mathematics from it. It also contains a method for solving linear Diophantine equations that I have never seen anywhere else.

   The authors have added a chapter on probability which should further enhance this highly original work.




2. This book is the heavyweight champion of problems in recreational mathematics, containing a large number of very detailed problems in many areas. The presentation strategy is to develop the topic by using problems followed by an explanation followed by a detailed solution. The style is largely that of a textbook, which in fact is what it is designed to be. The authors developed the material as the main text for a course they teach in applied problem solving.
   The chapters are largely independent, so it is possible to pick and chose the topics for a course. Do not let the word recreational in the title lead you to believe that these problems are bunnies. I am a co-editor of Journal of Recreational Mathematics and I found myself thinking long and hard about some of these problems. Granted, many are straightforward, but there are enough of the head-scratching variety to satisfy every taste. The general topics are logic, basic number theory, graph theory and games, with a few other topics interspersed.
   With hundreds of problems, detailed solutions to the demonstrations and hints for most included, this is a resource unlike all others. If you teach a course in mathematical problem solving or beginning computer programming, you cannot help finding a problem in here that you can use to illustrate a topic or as a test question. I have already used a couple as the seeds for some programming exercises. Better yet, consider it as a textbook for your course in mathematical problem solving.
   
   Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.



3. This is a fun puzzle-type book, but with a difference from most such books. In this book, you will really learn some interesting mathematics. The authors' way of presenting the material is very effective. First, they present a problem or puzzle for the reader to attempt to solve. Then they show the mathematics behind the problem. Then they lead the reader through the solution and show how the mathematics is used to make solving such a problem easier.
   
   I have an engineering degree and a minor in mathematics, but this book introduced me to some new areas of mathematics. It also helped me understand some areas that had been confusing before, such as applications of modular arithmetic and linear Diophantine equations. I bought this book in hardback a few years ago for $38. This new Dover edition in paperback at $14.95 list is a steal.



4. I bought this book for cracking interview tests. It has all the possible types of problems that can be asked in an aptitude test. The author explains the solutions in great detail and also explain how similar problems can be solved.

4 comments about Crimes And Mathdemeanors.

1. Not just for high school students, Crimes and Mathdemeanors is a delight for those a tad-or-two older than the days of stairwells and study halls. In Mr. Hathout have a new bright star in the world of math writing.



2. Crimes and Mathdemeanors is an Encyclopedia Brown-style book of short detective stories for young adults and adults alike - to test their mathematics skills and knowledge! Ravi, the 14-year-old math genius, must apply his knowledge of math and physics and his general cleverness to deduce the answers to riddles, mysteries, and puzzles. Tales rely on trigonometry, probability, combinatorics, and deductive reasoning to uncover the secret of whodunnit in this delightful educational and learning tool. Ideal for high school libraries, classroom use, and for adults who want to keep their math skills sharp!



3. A Mathematical Mosaic: Patterns & Problem Solving
   Crimes and Mathdemeanors is a well-written brilliantly conceived book for those who love mysteries and puzzles. Author Leith Hathout wrote this delightful book while in high school, yet the quality of the writing and the sophistication of the underlying mathematical themes reflect a mature blend of literary and mathematical talent. I found his murder mysteries both engaging and challenging. If you enjoyed the riddles in Dan Brown's "The da Vinci Code," you will find this book a delight.



4. Leith Hathout has written a recreational math book for all ages. I have many math and recreational math books and still had not encountered most of the puzzles he chose to build his mysteries around. The mysteries are a bit "underwritten" but this is a recreational math book as opposed to a novel. His explanations are excellent. I suspect that we will be hearing more from him in the future.

2 comments about More Joy of Mathematics: Exploring Mathematics All Around You.

1. If you enjoyed Pappas' "The Joy of Mathematics," then you should love this addition to the set. This book, like its predecessor, contains a diverse collection of concise, insightful discussions about mathematical topics and how they relate to the observed world. It develops ideas with an elegant simplicity by providing the reader with copious amounts of illustrations and diagrams. Pappas communicates mathematical ideas clearly and, unlike some mathematicians, stresses their relation to the lives and experiences of humans. She reveals the appealing aspects of the subject by excluding the technical, logical deductions that most frequently discourage people from studying it. The variety of topics presented in the book displays the versatility of mathematics and its relevance to human knowledge. For students interested in exploring the meaning and significance of mathematics or for teachers lacking the necessary materials to enlighten their students about these topics, this book is ideal.



2. Many have sadly been led to believe that math is a cold, lifeless subject limited only to homework assignments and balancing your checkbook. Nothing could be further from the truth, and Pappas books show this. Her "More Joy of Mathematics" shows a vast amount of instances of where math shows up, some math history, and a few visual brain teasers. How are exponents involved in the forging that creates a powerful Samuri sword? How do the properties of an elipse make your car's headlights switch to high-beam? What math can be found in an ocean wave, the strength of a honeycomb pattern, or a nautilus shell? How is math vital to the contruction of musical instruments? Is zero really a "number", and where does the concept come from? What are some currently unsolved problems in mathematics? A total layman could understand most of the book, but to understand all the mini essays you might at least want to have knowledge of math at the high school level.

   The book is a fast read, and fun to flip back and forth through, because each example is summarized in its own 1 or 2 page section, with illustrations. The same goes for "Joy of Mathematics" so you don't necessarily have to read that one first; they just contain different sets of examples. And don't think that all the good ideas were already taken for the first book -- "More Joy of Mathematics" is just as exciting to read. Plus it has a single index listing the topics from both this book and the previous one, so if you buy both it's easy to find the article you want by only looking it up once. Perfect gift for a math enthusiast at any level, and it may even covert a few "mathphobes".

2 comments about Beat the Clock Kakuro: 214 Easy to Hard Puzzles with Target Time Limits (Kakuro).

1. I have gone through a few other kakuro books before trying this one. The other books never even came close to the difficulty of these puzzles. It took me a while to get into the spirit, but now I'm totally in love with this book. These are puzzles you can really sink your teeth into.



2. Good puzzles, a bit harder than usual. Some of them are really tough. There is an interesting gimmick: rather than grade the puzzles, there are expected times to complete for a beginner, intermediate, or advanced solver. The sums are tiny numbers printed white on gray and legibility suffers.

No comments about The $1.00 Word Riddle Book.