A Mind for Numbers

A Mind for Numbers
Author: Barbara A. Oakley
Publisher: TarcherPerigee
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2014-07-31
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 039916524X

Engineering professor Barbara Oakley knows firsthand how it feels to struggle with math. In her book, she offers you the tools needed to get a better grasp of that intimidating but inescapable field.

Euclidean Geometry in Mathematical Olympiads

Euclidean Geometry in Mathematical Olympiads
Author: Evan Chen
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
Total Pages: 311
Release: 2021-08-23
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1470466201

This is a challenging problem-solving book in Euclidean geometry, assuming nothing of the reader other than a good deal of courage. Topics covered included cyclic quadrilaterals, power of a point, homothety, triangle centers; along the way the reader will meet such classical gems as the nine-point circle, the Simson line, the symmedian and the mixtilinear incircle, as well as the theorems of Euler, Ceva, Menelaus, and Pascal. Another part is dedicated to the use of complex numbers and barycentric coordinates, granting the reader both a traditional and computational viewpoint of the material. The final part consists of some more advanced topics, such as inversion in the plane, the cross ratio and projective transformations, and the theory of the complete quadrilateral. The exposition is friendly and relaxed, and accompanied by over 300 beautifully drawn figures. The emphasis of this book is placed squarely on the problems. Each chapter contains carefully chosen worked examples, which explain not only the solutions to the problems but also describe in close detail how one would invent the solution to begin with. The text contains a selection of 300 practice problems of varying difficulty from contests around the world, with extensive hints and selected solutions. This book is especially suitable for students preparing for national or international mathematical olympiads or for teachers looking for a text for an honor class.

Street-Fighting Mathematics

Street-Fighting Mathematics
Author: Sanjoy Mahajan
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 152
Release: 2010-03-05
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0262265591

An antidote to mathematical rigor mortis, teaching how to guess answers without needing a proof or an exact calculation. In problem solving, as in street fighting, rules are for fools: do whatever works—don't just stand there! Yet we often fear an unjustified leap even though it may land us on a correct result. Traditional mathematics teaching is largely about solving exactly stated problems exactly, yet life often hands us partly defined problems needing only moderately accurate solutions. This engaging book is an antidote to the rigor mortis brought on by too much mathematical rigor, teaching us how to guess answers without needing a proof or an exact calculation. In Street-Fighting Mathematics, Sanjoy Mahajan builds, sharpens, and demonstrates tools for educated guessing and down-and-dirty, opportunistic problem solving across diverse fields of knowledge—from mathematics to management. Mahajan describes six tools: dimensional analysis, easy cases, lumping, picture proofs, successive approximation, and reasoning by analogy. Illustrating each tool with numerous examples, he carefully separates the tool—the general principle—from the particular application so that the reader can most easily grasp the tool itself to use on problems of particular interest. Street-Fighting Mathematics grew out of a short course taught by the author at MIT for students ranging from first-year undergraduates to graduate students ready for careers in physics, mathematics, management, electrical engineering, computer science, and biology. They benefited from an approach that avoided rigor and taught them how to use mathematics to solve real problems. Street-Fighting Mathematics will appear in print and online under a Creative Commons Noncommercial Share Alike license.

Increase Your Puzzle IQ

Increase Your Puzzle IQ
Author: Marcel Danesi
Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2007-08-24
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 0470255463

Learn how to take the "tease" out of brainteasers, and increase your puzzle IQ with this eye-opening guide to solving puzzles. Revealing the basic principles and strategies of cracking logic problems, it shows you, step-by-step, how to solve ten of the most common types of puzzles, from basic deduction conundrums to more complex mathematical bafflers. Packed with practice puzzles and offering hours of amusement and mental challenge, Increase Your Puzzle IQ gives you the know-how you need to decipher even the most puzzling of puzzles. Why are 1997 dollar bills worth more than 1980 dollar bills? In a box there are 20 balls, 10 white and 10 black. With a blindfold on, what is the least number you must draw out in order to get a pair of balls that matches? Which clock keeps the best time? The clock that loses a minute a day or one that doesn't run at all? I have two current U.S. coins in my hand. The two coins add up to 15?. One of the coins is not a nickel. What two coins do I have? How much dirt is there in a hole that is 1 foot wide by 1 foot long by 1 foot deep?

Prelude to Mathematics

Prelude to Mathematics
Author: W. W. Sawyer
Publisher: Courier Corporation
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2012-04-19
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0486152774

This lively, stimulating account of non-Euclidean geometry by a noted mathematician covers matrices, determinants, group theory, and many other related topics, with an emphasis on the subject's novel, striking aspects. 1955 edition.

Putnam and Beyond

Putnam and Beyond
Author: Răzvan Gelca
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 857
Release: 2017-09-19
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 3319589881

This book takes the reader on a journey through the world of college mathematics, focusing on some of the most important concepts and results in the theories of polynomials, linear algebra, real analysis, differential equations, coordinate geometry, trigonometry, elementary number theory, combinatorics, and probability. Preliminary material provides an overview of common methods of proof: argument by contradiction, mathematical induction, pigeonhole principle, ordered sets, and invariants. Each chapter systematically presents a single subject within which problems are clustered in each section according to the specific topic. The exposition is driven by nearly 1300 problems and examples chosen from numerous sources from around the world; many original contributions come from the authors. The source, author, and historical background are cited whenever possible. Complete solutions to all problems are given at the end of the book. This second edition includes new sections on quad ratic polynomials, curves in the plane, quadratic fields, combinatorics of numbers, and graph theory, and added problems or theoretical expansion of sections on polynomials, matrices, abstract algebra, limits of sequences and functions, derivatives and their applications, Stokes' theorem, analytical geometry, combinatorial geometry, and counting strategies. Using the W.L. Putnam Mathematical Competition for undergraduates as an inspiring symbol to build an appropriate math background for graduate studies in pure or applied mathematics, the reader is eased into transitioning from problem-solving at the high school level to the university and beyond, that is, to mathematical research. This work may be used as a study guide for the Putnam exam, as a text for many different problem-solving courses, and as a source of problems for standard courses in undergraduate mathematics. Putnam and Beyond is organized for independent study by undergraduate and gradu ate students, as well as teachers and researchers in the physical sciences who wish to expand their mathematical horizons.

The GCHQ Puzzle Book

The GCHQ Puzzle Book
Author: GCHQ
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 9780718185541

** WINNER OF 'STOCKING FILLER OF THE YEAR AWARD' GUARDIAN ** Pit your wits against the people who cracked Enigma in the official puzzle book from Britain's secretive intelligence organisation, GCHQ. 'A fiendish work, as frustrating, divisive and annoying as it is deeply fulfilling: the true spirit of Christmas' Guardian 'Surely the trickiest puzzle book in years. Crack these fiendish problems and Trivial Pursuit should be a doddle' Daily Telegraph If 3=T, 4=S, 5=P, 6=H, 7=H ...what is 8? What is the next letter in the sequence: M, V, E, M, J, S, U, ? Which of the following words is the odd one out: CHAT, COMMENT, ELF, MANGER, PAIN, POUR? GCHQ is a top-secret intelligence and security agency which recruits some of the very brightest minds. Over the years, their codebreakers have helped keep our country safe, from the Bletchley Park breakthroughs of WWII to the modern-day threat of cyberattack. So it comes as no surprise that, even in their time off, the staff at GCHQ love a good puzzle. Whether they're recruiting new staff or challenging each other to the toughest Christmas quizzes and treasure hunts imaginable, puzzles are at the heart of what GCHQ does. Now they're opening up their archives of decades' worth of codes, puzzles and challenges for everyone to try. In this book you will find: - Tips on how to get into the mindset of a codebreaker - Puzzles ranging in difficulty from easy to brain-bending - A competition section where we search for Britain's smartest puzzler Good luck! 'Ideal for the crossword enthusiast' Daily Telegraph

Increase Your Puzzle IQ

Increase Your Puzzle IQ
Author: Marcel Danesi
Publisher: New York ; Toronto : J. Wiley
Total Pages: 232
Release: 1997-04-11
Genre: Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN:

Learn how to take the "tease" out of brainteasers, and increase your puzzle IQ with this eye-opening guide to solving puzzles. Revealing the basic principles and strategies of cracking logic problems, it shows you, step-by-step, how to solve ten of the most common types of puzzles, from basic deduction conundrums to more complex mathematical bafflers. Packed with practice puzzles and offering hours of amusement and mental challenge, Increase Your Puzzle IQ gives you the know-how you need to decipher even the most puzzling of puzzles. Why are 1997 dollar bills worth more than 1980 dollar bills? In a box there are 20 balls, 10 white and 10 black. With a blindfold on, what is the least number you must draw out in order to get a pair of balls that matches? Which clock keeps the best time? The clock that loses a minute a day or one that doesn't run at all? I have two current U.S. coins in my hand. The two coins add up to 15?. One of the coins is not a nickel. What two coins do I have? How much dirt is there in a hole that is 1 foot wide by 1 foot long by 1 foot deep?

Problem-Solving Through Problems

Problem-Solving Through Problems
Author: Loren C. Larson
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1461254981

This is a practical anthology of some of the best elementary problems in different branches of mathematics. Arranged by subject, the problems highlight the most common problem-solving techniques encountered in undergraduate mathematics. This book teaches the important principles and broad strategies for coping with the experience of solving problems. It has been found very helpful for students preparing for the Putnam exam.

First Concepts of Topology

First Concepts of Topology
Author: William G. Chinn
Publisher: MAA
Total Pages: 170
Release: 1966
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0883856182

Over 150 problems and solutions.