Mathematical Delights is a collection of 90 short elementary gems from algebra, geometry, combinatorics, and number theory. Ross Honsberger presents us with some surprising results, brilliant ideas, and beautiful arguments in mathematics, written in his wonderfully lucid style. The book is a mathematical entertainment to be read at a leisurely pace. High school mathematics should equip the reader to handle the problems presented in the book. The topics are entirely independent and can be read in any order. A useful set of indices helps the reader locate topics in the text.
In this book, Maor rejects the usual arid descriptions of the sine and cosine functions and their trigonometric relatives. He brings the subject to life in a compelling blend of mathematics, history , and biography. Form the 'proto-trigonometry' of the Egyptian pyramid builders to Renaissance Europe's quest for more accurate artillery, from the earliest known trigonometric table......
Ross Honsberger was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1929 and attended the University of Toronto. After more than a decade of teaching mathe matics in Toronto, he took advantage of a sabbatical leave to continue his studies at the University of Waterloo, Canada. He joined its faculty in 1964 in the Department of Combina torics and Optimization, and has been there ever since. Honsberger has published a number of bestselling books with the Mathematical Association of America, including Episodes in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Euclidean Geometry, and From Erdos to Kiev. In Polya's Footsteps is his eighth book published in the Dolciani Mathematical Exposition Series. The study of mathematics is often undertaken with an air of such seriousness that it doesn't always seem to be much fun at the time. However, it is quite amazing how many surprising results and brilliant arguments one is in a position to enjoy with just a high school background. This is a book of miscellaneous delights, presented not in an attempt to instruct but as a harvest of rewards that are due good high school students and, of course, those more advancedtheir teachers, and everyone in the university mathematics community. Admittedly, they take a little concentration, but the price is a bargain for such gems. A half dozen essays are sprinkled among some hundred problems, most of which are the easier problems that have appeared on various national and international olympiads. Many subjects are representedcombinatorics, geometry, number theory, algebra, probability. The sections may be read in any order. The book concludes with twentyfive exercises and their detailed solutions. It is hoped that something to delight will be found in every sectiona surprising result, an intriguing approach, a stroke of ingenuityand that the leisurely pace and generous explanations will make them a pleasure to read. The inspiration for many of the problems came from the Olympiad Corner of Crux Mathematicorum, published by the Canadian Mathematical Society.
The Neumann Prize–winning, illustrated exploration of mathematics—from its timeless mysteries to its history of mind-boggling discoveries. Beginning millions of years ago with ancient “ant odometers” and moving through time to our modern-day quest for new dimensions, The Math Book covers 250 milestones in mathematical history. Among the numerous delights readers will learn about as they dip into this inviting anthology: cicada-generated prime numbers, magic squares from centuries ago, the discovery of pi and calculus, and the butterfly effect. Each topic is lavishly illustrated with colorful art, along with formulas and concepts, fascinating facts about scientists’ lives, and real-world applications of the theorems.
This is an eclectic compendium of the essays solicited for the 2010 Mathematics Awareness Month Web page on the theme of 'Mathematics and Sports'. In keeping with the goal of promoting mathematics awareness to a broad audience, all of the articles are accessible to university-level mathematics students and many are accessible to the general public. The book is divided into sections by the kind of sports. The section on American football includes an article that evaluates a method for reducing the advantage of the winner to a coin flip in an NFL overtime game; the section on track and field examines the ultimate limit on how fast a human can run 100 metres; the section on baseball includes an article on the likelihood of streaks; the section on golf has an article that describes the double-pendulum model of a golf swing and an article on modelling Tiger Woods' career.
The world of maths can seem mind-boggling, irrelevant and, let's face it, boring. This groundbreaking book reclaims maths from the geeks. Mathematical ideas underpin just about everything in our lives: from the surprising geometry of the 50p piece to how probability can help you win in any casino. In search of weird and wonderful mathematical phenomena, Alex Bellos travels across the globe and meets the world's fastest mental calculators in Germany and a startlingly numerate chimpanzee in Japan. Packed with fascinating, eye-opening anecdotes, Alex's Adventures in Numberland is an exhilarating cocktail of history, reportage and mathematical proofs that will leave you awestruck.
Solid geometry is the traditional name for what we call today the geometry of three-dimensional Euclidean space. Courses in solid geometry have largely disappeared from American high schools and colleges. The authors are convinced that a mathematical exploration of three-dimensional geometry merits some attention in today’s curriculum. A Mathematical Space Odyssey: Solid Geometry in the 21st Century is devoted to presenting techniques for proving a variety of mathematical results in three-dimensional space, techniques that may improve one’s ability to think visually. Special attention is given to the classical icons of solid geometry (prisms, pyramids, platonic solids, cones, cylinders, and spheres) and many new and classical results: Cavalieri’s principle, Commandino’s theorem, de Gua’s theorem, Prince Rupert’s cube, the Menger sponge, the Schwarz lantern, Euler’s rotation theorem, the Loomis-Whitney inequality, Pythagorean theorems in three dimensions, etc. The authors devote a chapter to each of the following basic techniques for exploring space and proving theorems: enumeration, representation, dissection, plane sections, intersection, iteration, motion, projection, and folding and unfolding. In addition to many figures illustrating theorems and their proofs, a selection of photographs of three-dimensional works of art and architecture are included. Each chapter includes a selection of Challenges for the reader to explore further properties and applications. It concludes with solutions to all the Challenges in the book, references, and a complete index. Readers should be familiar with high school algebra, plane and analytic geometry, and trigonometry. While brief appearances of calculus do occur, no knowledge of calculus is necessary to enjoy this book.
