Download or read book The Puzzler written by A.J. Jacobs and published by Crown. This book was released on 2022-04-26 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically goes on a rollicking journey to understand the enduring power of puzzles: why we love them, what they do to our brains, and how they can improve our world. “Even though I’ve never attempted the New York Times crossword puzzle or solved the Rubik’s Cube, I couldn’t put down The Puzzler.”—Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before Look for the author’s new podcast, The Puzzler, based on this book! What makes puzzles—jigsaws, mazes, riddles, sudokus—so satisfying? Be it the formation of new cerebral pathways, their close link to insight and humor, or their community-building properties, they’re among the fundamental elements that make us human. Convinced that puzzles have made him a better person, A.J. Jacobs—four-time New York Times bestselling author, master of immersion journalism, and nightly crossworder—set out to determine their myriad benefits. And maybe, in the process, solve the puzzle of our very existence. Well, almost. In The Puzzler, Jacobs meets the most zealous devotees, enters (sometimes with his family in tow) any puzzle competition that will have him, unpacks the history of the most popular puzzles, and aims to solve the most impossible head-scratchers, from a mutant Rubik’s Cube, to the hardest corn maze in America, to the most sadistic jigsaw. Chock-full of unforgettable adventures and original examples from around the world—including new work by Greg Pliska, one of America’s top puzzle-makers, and a hidden, super-challenging but solvable puzzle—The Puzzler will open readers’ eyes to the power of flexible thinking and concentration. Whether you’re puzzle obsessed or puzzle hesitant, you’ll walk away with real problem-solving strategies and pathways toward becoming a better thinker and decision maker—for these are certainly puzzling times.
Download or read book Paper Puzzle Book The All You Need Is Paper written by Ilan Garibi and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2018-01-19 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'This is a marvellous book. The diversity of possible puzzles that can be given with these very limited resources, which are basically some paper and scissors, is overwhelming, and the challenges are sometimes very tough. Even the two-star problems may be hard for an untrained puzzler. This is medicine against boredom on long rainy days, but be careful not to get addicted or it may suck up your less empty and sunny days as well.' See Full ReviewEuropean Mathematical Society ALL YOU NEED IS PAPER! All the puzzles inside are made out of paper — from simple teasers to extreme brain workouts!ORIGINAL DESIGNS Co-developed by a mathematician, an origami artist and a mechanical puzzle maker, this inventive book provides a unique and invaluable collection of a large, comprehensive and diverse variety of paper puzzles. And they only require a sheet of paper and perhaps a pair of scissors!EASY TO CHALLENGING There are 99 unique puzzles including paper strip puzzles, Möbius strips and flexagons, two-dimensional sheet folding, 'fold-and-cut' puzzles, 3D dissections and constructions, sequence folding puzzles, origami puzzles and even paper toys and magic. PROVIDES HOURS OF FUN Anyone of any age can find hours of enjoyment and challenge!LEARNING GEOMETRY, MATHEMATICS AND PROBLEM-SOLVING CHALLENGES CAN BE FUN! For students and teachers; parents and children; amateur and skilled mathematicians, and puzzle lovers.LEARN CONCEPTS AS YOU GO! Many of the puzzles are new and original, they complement the classic puzzles that are included and all of them come with a solution as well as a mathematical and geometrical explanation that can be easily understood by all. The layout of the book, with its extensive puzzles, solutions and detailed descriptions, make it a sure candidate as the paper puzzle 'bible' for enthusiasts and puzzle lovers everywhere.
Download or read book The Brainiest Insaniest Ultimate Puzzle Book written by Robert Leighton and published by Workman Publishing. This book was released on 2006-12-01 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fully illustrated in color, this treasure trove features 250 puzzles on every imaginable theme and subject. The book is a bonanza of mazes, word games, visual and logic puzzles, and more.
Download or read book Lateral Thinking Puzzlers written by Paul Sloane and published by Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.. This book was released on 1992 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Puzzles - Clues - Answers_
Download or read book Famous Puzzles of Great Mathematicians written by Miodrag Petkovi_ and published by American Mathematical Soc.. This book was released on 2009-09-02 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This entertaining book presents a collection of 180 famous mathematical puzzles and intriguing elementary problems that great mathematicians have posed, discussed, and/or solved. The selected problems do not require advanced mathematics, making this book accessible to a variety of readers. Mathematical recreations offer a rich playground for both amateur and professional mathematicians. Believing that creative stimuli and aesthetic considerations are closely related, great mathematicians from ancient times to the present have always taken an interest in puzzles and diversions. The goal of this book is to show that famous mathematicians have all communicated brilliant ideas, methodological approaches, and absolute genius in mathematical thoughts by using recreational mathematics as a framework. Concise biographies of many mathematicians mentioned in the text are also included. The majority of the mathematical problems presented in this book originated in number theory, graph theory, optimization, and probability. Others are based on combinatorial and chess problems, while still others are geometrical and arithmetical puzzles. This book is intended to be both entertaining as well as an introduction to various intriguing mathematical topics and ideas. Certainly, many stories and famous puzzles can be very useful to prepare classroom lectures, to inspire and amuse students, and to instill affection for mathematics.
Download or read book The Puzzler s Riddles written by Michael Dahl and published by Capstone. This book was released on 2021-08 with total page 41 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Can the Librarian help three students trapped in the Puzzler's maze-like park full of dangerous riddles and twisted storybook creatures?
Download or read book Book of Curious and Interesting Puzzles written by David Wells and published by Dover Publications. This book was released on 2006 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Of immense interest to those who enjoy recreational maths and puzzles . . . even the most hardened puzzler will find something new." -- Mathematical Gazette Puzzles are as old as history itself, following an arc like that of technology: centuries of slow progress, followed by rapid expansion in the 1800s, and an explosion of activity in the twentieth century. This collection by bestselling author David Wells, a Cambridge math scholar and teacher, follows that pattern. Its first part is devoted to puzzles from ancient Egypt and Babylon and subsequent sources, featuring those devised by Lewis Carroll, Eduard Lucas, Sam Loyd, and other master puzzlers of the Victorian era. The second part demonstrates the tremendous variety of twentieth-century puzzles. More than 560 puzzles are included, from the "mind sharpeners" of a medieval monk to the eighteenth-century Ladies' Diary, the Hindu Bhakshali manuscript, and riddles and popular rhymes. None requires any mathematics beyond the most elementary algebra and geometry -- and few require even that. Complete answers appear at the end.
Download or read book Algorithmic Puzzles written by Anany Levitin and published by OUP USA. This book was released on 2011-10-14 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Algorithmic puzzles are puzzles involving well-defined procedures for solving problems. This book will provide an enjoyable and accessible introduction to algorithmic puzzles that will develop the reader's algorithmic thinking. The first part of this book is a tutorial on algorithm design strategies and analysis techniques. Algorithm design strategies — exhaustive search, backtracking, divide-and-conquer and a few others — are general approaches to designing step-by-step instructions for solving problems. Analysis techniques are methods for investigating such procedures to answer questions about the ultimate result of the procedure or how many steps are executed before the procedure stops. The discussion is an elementary level, with puzzle examples, and requires neither programming nor mathematics beyond a secondary school level. Thus, the tutorial provides a gentle and entertaining introduction to main ideas in high-level algorithmic problem solving. The second and main part of the book contains 150 puzzles, from centuries-old classics to newcomers often asked during job interviews at computing, engineering, and financial companies. The puzzles are divided into three groups by their difficulty levels. The first fifty puzzles in the Easier Puzzles section require only middle school mathematics. The sixty puzzle of average difficulty and forty harder puzzles require just high school mathematics plus a few topics such as binary numbers and simple recurrences, which are reviewed in the tutorial. All the puzzles are provided with hints, detailed solutions, and brief comments. The comments deal with the puzzle origins and design or analysis techniques used in the solution. The book should be of interest to puzzle lovers, students and teachers of algorithm courses, and persons expecting to be given puzzles during job interviews.
Download or read book The Penguin Book of Puzzles written by Gareth Moore and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2017-11-02 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Want to keep your brain active and in trim? Challenge your mind with The Penguin Book of Puzzles . . . From the riddles of the ancients to puzzles that perplex the greatest minds of today, The Penguin Book of Puzzles is a glorious compendium of conundrums from throughout history. These challenges will require all the reader's wits to solve, but range from the easy to the brain-bending and are suitable for novice and veteran puzzlers alike. There is something here to suit every taste, including crosswords, mathematical challenges, word games and logic conundrums, but also some intriguing types of puzzles that have been unearthed from centuries gone by. Hours of fun await you in this timeless and entertaining miscellany of puzzlement. ____________ A Sumerian Riddle (circa 18th Century) There is a house. The blind enter it and then come out seeing. What is that house? ____________ A Charade I have wings, yet never fly - I have sails, yet never go - I cant keep still, if I try, Yet forever stand just so. ____________
Download or read book The Great Book of Mind Teasers Mind Puzzlers written by George J. Summers and published by Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.. This book was released on 1986 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Huge collection of tantalizing logic puzzles offers hints when you're stuck, plus step-by-step solutions, imaginatively teaching problem-solving skills. "Will challenge and delight."--Mathematics Teacher. "Fun for puzzle fans of all ages."--Booklist. 256 pages, b/w illus. throughout, 5 3/8 x 7 3/4.
Download or read book Puzzle Baron s Logic Puzzles written by Puzzle Baron and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2010-08-03 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Get your brain working with 200 grid-based logic puzzles from the Puzzle Baron! Filled with complex and fun brain teasers that range in difficulty, this book will put your mind into overdrive with hours of brain-challenging fun. Using the given backstory and list of clues, readers use pure logic to deduce the correct answer for each fiendishly tricky puzzle in Puzzle Baron's Logic Puzzles. Bring out your competitive side and check your stats against the average completion time, the record completion time, and the percentage of people who finish the puzzle. Check your work against the answer key and see how logical you really are! Perfect for adults or children, Puzzle Baron's Logic Puzzles is the ultimate challenge for those who love piecing clues and facts together. The brain is a wonderful thing to tease!
Download or read book The Great Book of Riddles 250 Magnificent Riddles Puzzles and Brain Teasers written by Peter Keyne and published by Elsinore Books. This book was released on 2020-03-18 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This family-sized compendium presents 250 of the greatest riddles and puzzles of all time. There are classical logic puzzles, lateral thinking puzzles, “who am I?” riddles, mathematical brain teasers, word ladders, ditloids, and a large selection of illustrated pen and paper, coins, cups, and toothpicks puzzles (please view the preview of this book for a full listing). This is the first time a collection of such breadth has been compiled and formatted especially for e-reader devices. The puzzles have been carefully organized into 25 chapters, and each question is hyperlinked to its solution, to provide utmost ease of navigation. Alongside the world’s most famous riddles, are some lesser known gems, and some brand new puzzles, in print here for the first time. Our aim was to create a definitive compendium of riddles and puzzles to bring enjoyment to people of all ages. We hope you will enjoy unraveling them as much as we enjoyed creating and editing them. Here are a handful of sample riddles: Outside the Box Riddles: You need to divide a round birthday cake into eight pieces, so each of your guests will have something to eat. How can you do this by making only three straight cuts with a knife, and without moving any of the pieces? The king’s two bodyguards developed an ingenious method for assuring the king’s safety. With the king standing between them, they would face in opposite directions; one looking to the west and the other to the east, but at the same time, and without the use of any reflective surfaces, they would both be able to observe the king clearly. How was this possible? Pure Logic Riddles: There are two glasses. One contains water, and the other contains an equal quantity of wine. A teaspoon of water is removed and mixed into the glass of wine. A teaspoon of the wine-water mixture is then removed and mixed into the glass of water. Which of the mixtures is now purer? The sorcerer’s tower was enchanted in such a way that it was able to build itself. Bricks, slates, tiles, and panes of glass, all flew to it of their own accord and danced into position. The tower doubled in size every day until after 100 days it reached a height that provided fine views over the entire realm. How many days did the tower take to reach half its full height? Lateral Thinking Puzzles: Five men are going to church. It starts to rain, and four of the men begin to run. When they arrive at the church, the four men who ran are soaking wet, whereas the fifth man, who didn’t run, is completely dry. How is this possible? Think Twice Riddles: If you are running a race, and you overtake the person in second place, what place do you move into? Word Riddles: SOS is read the same forwards, backwards, and even upside-down. What four-letter word also shares these properties? Number Puzzlers: How many letters are there in the answer to this question? You have an opportunity to buy a hen. In fact, you have been offered a choice between two quite remarkable animals. One of the hens produces six dozen dozen eggs per month, and the other produces a half dozen dozen. Admittedly, both seem impressive. Does it matter which hen you choose? Traditional Poetic Riddles: Five creatures cross a field of snow; But leave a single track behind Whose loops and bows are soon, I know, Unravelled by the mind. Coins, Cups, and Toothpicks Illustrated Riddles: A coin is dropped into an empty bottle and a cork is then inserted in the neck of the bottle. How is it possible to remove the coin without taking out the cork, or breaking the bottle? At Elsinore Books we pride ourselves on creating beautiful e-books, and devote great attention to formatting, and ease of navigation. This book contains a cleanly styled contents page that permits easy movement between puzzles. You can return at any time to the contents page by clicking on the name of each chapter.
Download or read book Programming for the Puzzled written by Srini Devadas and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2017-11-16 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Learning programming with one of “the coolest applications around”: algorithmic puzzles ranging from scheduling selfie time to verifying the six degrees of separation hypothesis. This book builds a bridge between the recreational world of algorithmic puzzles (puzzles that can be solved by algorithms) and the pragmatic world of computer programming, teaching readers to program while solving puzzles. Few introductory students want to program for programming's sake. Puzzles are real-world applications that are attention grabbing, intriguing, and easy to describe. Each lesson starts with the description of a puzzle. After a failed attempt or two at solving the puzzle, the reader arrives at an Aha! moment—a search strategy, data structure, or mathematical fact—and the solution presents itself. The solution to the puzzle becomes the specification of the code to be written. Readers will thus know what the code is supposed to do before seeing the code itself. This represents a pedagogical philosophy that decouples understanding the functionality of the code from understanding programming language syntax and semantics. Python syntax and semantics required to understand the code are explained as needed for each puzzle. Readers need only the rudimentary grasp of programming concepts that can be obtained from introductory or AP computer science classes in high school. The book includes more than twenty puzzles and more than seventy programming exercises that vary in difficulty. Many of the puzzles are well known and have appeared in publications and on websites in many variations. They range from scheduling selfie time with celebrities to solving Sudoku problems in seconds to verifying the six degrees of separation hypothesis. The code for selected puzzle solutions is downloadable from the book's website; the code for all puzzle solutions is available to instructors.
Download or read book The Riddle of Scheherazade written by Raymond Smullyan and published by Knopf. This book was released on 2012-08-22 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his new book, Raymond Smullyan, grand vizier of the logic puzzle, joins Scheherazade, a charming young woman of “fantastic logical ingenuity,” to give us 1001 hours of brain-teasing fun. Scheherazade, we find, has gotten back into hot water with the king, and is once more in danger of losing her head at down. But, thinking quickly, she tempts the king to stay her execution by posing him the most delightfully devious mathematical and logic puzzle ever invented. They keep him guessing for many more nights until the fatal hour has passed, and she keeps her head. The Riddle of Scheherazade includes several wonderful old chestnuts and many fiendishly original puzzles, 225 in all. There are logic tricks and number games, metapuzzles (puzzles about puzzles), liar/truth-teller exercises, Gödelian brian twisters, baffling paradoxes, and an excursion, under Scheherazade’s expert guidance, into an amusing new field invented by Smullyan, called “coercive” logic, in which the answer to a problem can actually change the fate of the puzzler! An absolute must for all puzzle fans—from the middle-school whiz to the sophisticated mathematician or computer scientist.
Download or read book Puzzler s Riddles written by Michael Dahl and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Three students are caught in Puzzling Picture Book Park, a trap created by the Puzzler, a cunning enemy of the Library of Doom. Can the kids solve the tricky riddles to escape, or will they be lost forever in the twisted park?
Download or read book The Puzzler s Riddles Express Edition written by Michael Dahl and published by Raintree. This book was released on 2024-04-25 with total page 33 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Puzzler, a cunning enemy of the Library of Doom, has caught a group of students in his latest trap. Now the kids must navigate a maze-like park full of tricky riddles and twisted storybook creatures. Will they be lost forever, or can the Librarian help them escape the fairy-tale terror? Uncover hidden dangers and dark mysteries with SECRETS OF THE LIBRARY OF DOOM, a page-turning chapter book series from bestselling author Michael Dahl.
Download or read book The Puzzle of Existence written by Tyron Goldschmidt and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-02-05 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This groundbreaking volume investigates the most fundamental question of all: Why is there something rather than nothing? The question is explored from diverse and radical perspectives: religious, naturalistic, platonistic and skeptical. Does science answer the question? Or does theology? Does everything need an explanation? Or can there be brute, inexplicable facts? Could there have been nothing whatsoever? Or is there any being that could not have failed to exist? Is the question meaningful after all? The volume advances cutting-edge debates in metaphysics, philosophy of cosmology and philosophy of religion, and will intrigue and challenge readers interested in any of these subjects.
