A funny, entertaining introduction to Ben Franklin and his many inventions, including the story of how he created the "magic square." A magic square is a box of nine numbers arranged so that any line of three numbers adds up to the same number, including on the diagonal! Teachers and kids will love finding out about this popular teaching tool that is still used in elementary schools today!
This innovative work replaces magic square numbers with two-dimensional forms. The result is a revelation that traditional magic squares are now better seen as the one-dimensional instance of this self-same geometrical activity.
Presents the development of Chinese urbanism. Equipped with source material and maps, this book applies metrological methods. Including about 300 drawings, it gives an overall view of the urban life and culture that existed in the traditional society of late Imperial China.
A Puzzling Clue to an Unconventional Murder… "You will just LOVE these books!"—VANISH Magazine When an old family friend is arrested for murder at a magic convention, Uncle Harry urges Eli to step in and solve the bizarre homicide. Eli’s attempt to sort through all the suspects is stymied after a second murder and then a third murder attempt–or was it merely an accident? Is someone trying to knock off the top mentalists in the country? And if they are, why do the clues keep pointing to Eli’s friend? As the body count rises, Eli must race against the clock to trap this clever killer before becoming the final victim. Grab this fun and funny mystery today! ★★★★★ Praise for Eli Marks Mystery Series: "If David Copperfield and Sherlock Holmes had a child, it would be Eli Marks.”—The Magic Word Podcast “This is an instant classic, in a league with Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and Arthur Conan Doyle.”—Rosebud Book Reviews “It’s full of magic, mystery, danger and misdirection, as a good magic trick should be. I love this cozy mystery series, a thoroughly delightful read.”—Sweet Mystery Books “Before I had even finished the first chapter I had fallen in love with Eli. He is intelligent, sensitive, witty and, suddenly, the main suspect in a series of murders…well written, fast-paced and exciting.”—The Frugal Mennonite “This story is very well written and fun to read. I would definitely read another Eli Marks Mystery!”_A Simple Taste for Reading “Hands-down the funniest thing I have read in a long time, expertly paced and hilariously detailed.”—Seattle Book Mama
Traditional magic squares employ a chessboard-like arrangement of numbers in which the total of all rows, columns, and diagonals add up to the same number. This innovative approach by a Dutch engineer challenges puzzlists to think two dimensionally by replacing numbers with colorful geometric shapes. Dozens of creative puzzles, suitable for ages 12 and up.
Humanity's love affair with mathematics and mysticism reached a critical juncture, legend has it, on the back of a turtle in ancient China. As Clifford Pickover briefly recounts in this enthralling book, the most comprehensive in decades on magic squares, Emperor Yu was supposedly strolling along the Yellow River one day around 2200 B.C. when he spotted the creature: its shell had a series of dots within squares. To Yu's amazement, each row of squares contained fifteen dots, as did the columns and diagonals. When he added any two cells opposite along a line through the center square, like 2 and 8, he always arrived at 10. The turtle, unwitting inspirer of the ''Yu'' square, went on to a life of courtly comfort and fame. Pickover explains why Chinese emperors, Babylonian astrologer-priests, prehistoric cave people in France, and ancient Mayans of the Yucatan were convinced that magic squares--arrays filled with numbers or letters in certain arrangements--held the secret of the universe. Since the dawn of civilization, he writes, humans have invoked such patterns to ward off evil and bring good fortune. Yet who would have guessed that in the twenty-first century, mathematicians would be studying magic squares so immense and in so many dimensions that the objects defy ordinary human contemplation and visualization? Readers are treated to a colorful history of magic squares and similar structures, their construction, and classification along with a remarkable variety of newly discovered objects ranging from ornate inlaid magic cubes to hypercubes. Illustrated examples occur throughout, with some patterns from the author's own experiments. The tesseracts, circles, spheres, and stars that he presents perfectly convey the age-old devotion of the math-minded to this Zenlike quest. Number lovers, puzzle aficionados, and math enthusiasts will treasure this rich and lively encyclopedia of one of the few areas of mathematics where the contributions of even nonspecialists count.
