Jennifer Beineke and Jason Rosenhouse (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691164038
- eISBN:
- 9781400881338
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691164038.001.0001
- Subject:
- Mathematics, History of Mathematics
The history of mathematics is filled with major breakthroughs resulting from solutions to recreational problems. Problems of interest to gamblers led to the modern theory of probability, for example, ...
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The history of mathematics is filled with major breakthroughs resulting from solutions to recreational problems. Problems of interest to gamblers led to the modern theory of probability, for example, and surreal numbers were inspired by the game of Go. Yet even with such groundbreaking findings and a wealth of popular-level books exploring puzzles and brainteasers, research in recreational mathematics has often been neglected. This book brings together authors from a variety of specialties to present fascinating problems and solutions in recreational mathematics. The chapters show how sophisticated mathematics can help construct mazes that look like famous people, how the analysis of crossword puzzles has much in common with understanding epidemics, and how the theory of electrical circuits is useful in understanding the classic Towers of Hanoi puzzle. The card game SET® is related to the theory of error-correcting codes, and simple tic-tac-toe takes on a new life when played on an affine plane. Inspirations for the book's wealth of problems include board games, card tricks, fake coins, flexagons, pencil puzzles, poker, and so much more. Looking at a plethora of eclectic games and puzzles, this book is sure to entertain, challenge, and inspire academic mathematicians and avid math enthusiasts alike.Less
The history of mathematics is filled with major breakthroughs resulting from solutions to recreational problems. Problems of interest to gamblers led to the modern theory of probability, for example, and surreal numbers were inspired by the game of Go. Yet even with such groundbreaking findings and a wealth of popular-level books exploring puzzles and brainteasers, research in recreational mathematics has often been neglected. This book brings together authors from a variety of specialties to present fascinating problems and solutions in recreational mathematics. The chapters show how sophisticated mathematics can help construct mazes that look like famous people, how the analysis of crossword puzzles has much in common with understanding epidemics, and how the theory of electrical circuits is useful in understanding the classic Towers of Hanoi puzzle. The card game SET® is related to the theory of error-correcting codes, and simple tic-tac-toe takes on a new life when played on an affine plane. Inspirations for the book's wealth of problems include board games, card tricks, fake coins, flexagons, pencil puzzles, poker, and so much more. Looking at a plethora of eclectic games and puzzles, this book is sure to entertain, challenge, and inspire academic mathematicians and avid math enthusiasts alike.
Philip Ehrlich
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- December 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198809647
- eISBN:
- 9780191846915
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198809647.003.0019
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
The purpose of this chapter is to provide a historical overview of some of the contemporary infinitesimalist alternatives to the Cantor-Dedekind theory of continua. Among the theories we will ...
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The purpose of this chapter is to provide a historical overview of some of the contemporary infinitesimalist alternatives to the Cantor-Dedekind theory of continua. Among the theories we will consider are those that emerge from nonstandard analysis, nilpotent infinitesimalist approaches to portions of differential geometry and the theory of surreal numbers. Since these theories have roots in the algebraic, geometric and analytic infinitesimalist theories of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, we will also provide overviews of the latter theories and some of their relations to the contemporary ones. We will find that the contemporary theories, while offering novel and possible alternative visions of continua, need not be (and in many cases are not) regarded as replacements for the Cantor-Dedekind theory and its corresponding theories of analysis and differential geometry.Less
The purpose of this chapter is to provide a historical overview of some of the contemporary infinitesimalist alternatives to the Cantor-Dedekind theory of continua. Among the theories we will consider are those that emerge from nonstandard analysis, nilpotent infinitesimalist approaches to portions of differential geometry and the theory of surreal numbers. Since these theories have roots in the algebraic, geometric and analytic infinitesimalist theories of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, we will also provide overviews of the latter theories and some of their relations to the contemporary ones. We will find that the contemporary theories, while offering novel and possible alternative visions of continua, need not be (and in many cases are not) regarded as replacements for the Cantor-Dedekind theory and its corresponding theories of analysis and differential geometry.
