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Mathematics Education in a Neocolonial Country: The Case of Papua New Guinea (History of Mathematics Education)
by Patricia Paraide Kay Owens Charly Muke Philip Clarkson Christopher OwensMost education research is undertaken in western developed countries. While some research from developing countries does make it into research journals from time to time, but these articles only emphasize the rarity of research in developing countries. The proposed book is unique in that it will cover education in Papua New Guinea over the millennia. Papua New Guinea’s multicultural society with relatively recent contact with Europe and the Middle East provides a cameo of the development of education in a country with both a colonial history and a coup-less transition to independence. Discussion will focus on specific areas of mathematics education that have been impacted by policies, research, circumstances and other influences, with particular emphasis on pressures on education in the last one and half centuries. This volume will be one of the few records of this kind in the education research literature as an in-depth record and critique of how school mathematics has been grown in Papua New Guinea from the late 1800s, and should be a useful addition to graduate programs mathematics education courses, history of mathematics, as well as the interdisciplinary fields of cross cultural studies, scholarship focusing on globalization and post / decolonialism, linguistics, educational administration and policy, technology education, teacher education, and gender studies.
Mathematics for Human Flourishing
by Francis SuAn inclusive vision of mathematics—its beauty, its humanity, and its power to build virtues that help us all flourish For mathematician Francis Su, a society without mathematical affection is like a city without concerts, parks, or museums. To miss out on mathematics is to live without experiencing some of humanity&’s most beautiful ideas. In this profound book, written for a wide audience but especially for those disenchanted by their past experiences, an award‑winning mathematician and educator weaves parables, puzzles, and personal reflections to show how mathematics meets basic human desires—such as for play, beauty, freedom, justice, and love—and cultivates virtues essential for human flourishing. These desires and virtues, and the stories told here, reveal how mathematics is intimately tied to being human. Some lessons emerge from those who have struggled, including philosopher Simone Weil, whose own mathematical contributions were overshadowed by her brother&’s, and Christopher Jackson, who discovered mathematics as an inmate in a federal prison. Christopher&’s letters to the author appear throughout the book and show how this intellectual pursuit can—and must—be open to all.
Mathematics for the Nonmathematician
by Morris KlinePractical, scientific, philosophical, and artistic problems have caused men to investigate mathematics. But there is one other motive which is as strong as any of these--the search for beauty. Mathematics is an art, and as such affords the pleasures which all the arts afford." In this erudite, entertaining college-level text, Morris Kline, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at New York University, provides the liberal arts student with a detailed treatment of mathematics in a cultural and historical context. The book can also act as a self-study vehicle for advanced high school students and laymen. Professor Kline begins with an overview, tracing the development of mathematics to the ancient Greeks, and following its evolution through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to the present day. Subsequent chapters focus on specific subject areas, such as "Logic and Mathematics," "Number: The Fundamental Concept," "Parametric Equations and Curvilinear Motion," "The Differential Calculus," and "The Theory of Probability." Each of these sections offers a step-by-step explanation of concepts and then tests the student's understanding with exercises and problems. At the same time, these concepts are linked to pure and applied science, engineering, philosophy, the social sciences or even the arts.In one section, Professor Kline discusses non-Euclidean geometry, ranking it with evolution as one of the "two concepts which have most profoundly revolutionized our intellectual development since the nineteenth century." His lucid treatment of this difficult subject starts in the 1800s with the pioneering work of Gauss, Lobachevsky, Bolyai and Riemann, and moves forward to the theory of relativity, explaining the mathematical, scientific and philosophical aspects of this pivotal breakthrough. Mathematics for the Nonmathematician exemplifies Morris Kline's rare ability to simplify complex subjects for the nonspecialist.
Mathematics in Ancient Egypt
by Annette ImhausenMathematics in Ancient Egypt traces the development of Egyptian mathematics, from the end of the fourth millennium BC--and the earliest hints of writing and number notation--to the end of the pharaonic period in Greco-Roman times. Drawing from mathematical texts, architectural drawings, administrative documents, and other sources, Annette Imhausen surveys three thousand years of Egyptian history to present an integrated picture of theoretical mathematics in relation to the daily practices of Egyptian life and social structures.Imhausen shows that from the earliest beginnings, pharaonic civilization used numerical techniques to efficiently control and use their material resources and labor. Even during the Old Kingdom, a variety of metrological systems had already been devised. By the Middle Kingdom, procedures had been established to teach mathematical techniques to scribes in order to make them proficient administrators for their king. Imhausen looks at counterparts to the notation of zero, suggests an explanation for the evolution of unit fractions, and analyzes concepts of arithmetic techniques. She draws connections and comparisons to Mesopotamian mathematics, examines which individuals in Egyptian society held mathematical knowledge, and considers which scribes were trained in mathematical ideas and why. Of interest to historians of mathematics, mathematicians, Egyptologists, and all those curious about Egyptian culture, Mathematics in Ancient Egypt sheds new light on a civilization's unique mathematical evolution.
Mathematics in Ancient Greece (Dover Books on Mathematics)
by Tobias DantzigMore than a history of mathematics, this lively book traces mathematical ideas and processes to their sources, stressing the methods used by the masters of the ancient world. Author Tobias Dantzig portrays the human story behind mathematics, showing how flashes of insight in the minds of certain gifted individuals helped mathematics take enormous forward strides. Dantzig demonstrates how the Greeks organized their precursors' melange of geometric maxims into an elegantly abstract deductive system. He also explains the ways in which some of the famous mathematical brainteasers of antiquity led to the development of whole new branches of mathematics.A book that will both instruct and delight the mathematically minded, this volume is also a treat for readers interested in the history of science. Students and teachers of mathematics will particularly appreciate its unusual combination of human interest and sound scholarship.
Mathematics in Ancient Iraq: A Social History
by Eleanor RobsonThis monumental book traces the origins and development of mathematics in the ancient Middle East, from its earliest beginnings in the fourth millennium BCE to the end of indigenous intellectual culture in the second century BCE when cuneiform writing was gradually abandoned. Eleanor Robson offers a history like no other, examining ancient mathematics within its broader social, political, economic, and religious contexts, and showing that mathematics was not just an abstract discipline for elites but a key component in ordering society and understanding the world. The region of modern-day Iraq is uniquely rich in evidence for ancient mathematics because its prehistoric inhabitants wrote on clay tablets, many hundreds of thousands of which have been archaeologically excavated, deciphered, and translated. Drawing from these and a wealth of other textual and archaeological evidence, Robson gives an extraordinarily detailed picture of how mathematical ideas and practices were conceived, used, and taught during this period. She challenges the prevailing view that they were merely the simplistic precursors of classical Greek mathematics, and explains how the prevailing view came to be. Robson reveals the true sophistication and beauty of ancient Middle Eastern mathematics as it evolved over three thousand years, from the earliest beginnings of recorded accounting to complex mathematical astronomy. Every chapter provides detailed information on sources, and the book includes an appendix on all mathematical cuneiform tablets published before 2007.
Mathematics in Aristotle: 1949 Edition (Routledge Library Editions: Aristotle #5)
by Thomas HeathOriginally published in 1949. This meticulously researched book presents a comprehensive outline and discussion of Aristotle’s mathematics with the author's translations of the greek. To Aristotle, mathematics was one of the three theoretical sciences, the others being theology and the philosophy of nature (physics). Arranged thematically, this book considers his thinking in relation to the other sciences and looks into such specifics as squaring of the circle, syllogism, parallels, incommensurability of the diagonal, angles, universal proof, gnomons, infinity, agelessness of the universe, surface of water, meteorology, metaphysics and mechanics such as levers, rudders, wedges, wheels and inertia. The last few short chapters address ‘problems’ that Aristotle posed but couldn’t answer, related ethics issues and a summary of some short treatises that only briefly touch on mathematics.
Mathematics in Civilization, Third Edition (Dover Books on Mathematics)
by Raymond O. Wells Jr. Howard L. ResnikoffSpace flight, computers, lasers, and information technology - these are but a few examples of the spectacular growth, development, and far-reaching applications of mathematics. But what of the field's past? Upon which intellectual milestones were the foundations of modern mathematics constructed? How has our comprehension of the physical universe, language, and the nature of thought itself been influenced and informed by the developments of mathematics through the ages?This lucid presentation examines how mathematics shaped and was shaped by the course of human events. In a format suited to college-level studies as well as popular reading, the book explores trigonometry, navigation, cartography, logarithms, algebra, and calculus through ancient, medieval, post-Renaissance, and modern times. Solutions to problems appear at the end of each chapter, and this edition has been newly expanded to include a supplement on events in mathematics since the 1985 publication of the first Dover edition. Acclaimed by Telegraphic Reviews as "an exceptionally good liberal arts math text," this highly readable treatment makes a technical subject vividly fascinating.
Mathematics in Computing: An Accessible Guide to Historical, Foundational and Application Contexts (Undergraduate Topics in Computer Science)
by Gerard O’ReganThis illuminating textbook provides a concise review of the core concepts in mathematics essential to computer scientists. Emphasis is placed on the practical computing applications enabled by seemingly abstract mathematical ideas, presented within their historical context. The text spans a broad selection of key topics, ranging from the use of finite field theory to correct code and the role of number theory in cryptography, to the value of graph theory when modelling networks and the importance of formal methods for safety critical systems.This fully updated new edition has been expanded with a more comprehensive treatment of algorithms, logic, automata theory, model checking, software reliability and dependability, algebra, sequences and series, and mathematical induction.Topics and features: includes numerous pedagogical features, such as chapter-opening key topics, chapter introductions and summaries, review questions, and a glossary; describes the historical contributions of such prominent figures as Leibniz, Babbage, Boole, and von Neumann; introduces the fundamental mathematical concepts of sets, relations and functions, along with the basics of number theory, algebra, algorithms, and matrices; explores arithmetic and geometric sequences and series, mathematical induction and recursion, graph theory, computability and decidability, and automata theory; reviews the core issues of coding theory, language theory, software engineering, and software reliability, as well as formal methods and model checking; covers key topics on logic, from ancient Greek contributions to modern applications in AI, and discusses the nature of mathematical proof and theorem proving; presents a short introduction to probability and statistics, complex numbers and quaternions, and calculus.This engaging and easy-to-understand book will appeal to students of computer science wishing for an overview of the mathematics used in computing, and to mathematicians curious about how their subject is applied in the field of computer science. The book will also capture the interest of the motivated general reader.
Mathematics in Computing
by Gerard O’reganThis clearly written and enlightening textbook provides a concise, introductory guide to the key mathematical concepts and techniques used by computer scientists. Topics and features: ideal for self-study, offering many pedagogical features such as chapter-opening key topics, chapter introductions and summaries, review questions, and a glossary; places our current state of knowledge within the context of the contributions made by early civilizations, such as the ancient Babylonians, Egyptians and Greeks; examines the building blocks of mathematics, including sets, relations and functions; presents an introduction to logic, formal methods and software engineering; explains the fundamentals of number theory, and its application in cryptography; describes the basics of coding theory, language theory, and graph theory; discusses the concept of computability and decideability; includes concise coverage of calculus, probability and statistics, matrices, complex numbers and quaternions.
Mathematics in India
by Kim PlofkerBased on extensive research in Sanskrit sources, Mathematics in India chronicles the development of mathematical techniques and texts in South Asia from antiquity to the early modern period. Kim Plofker reexamines the few facts about Indian mathematics that have become common knowledge--such as the Indian origin of Arabic numerals--and she sets them in a larger textual and cultural framework. The book details aspects of the subject that have been largely passed over in the past, including the relationships between Indian mathematics and astronomy, and their cross-fertilizations with Islamic scientific traditions. Plofker shows that Indian mathematics appears not as a disconnected set of discoveries, but as a lively, diverse, yet strongly unified discipline, intimately linked to other Indian forms of learning. Far more than in other areas of the history of mathematics, the literature on Indian mathematics reveals huge discrepancies between what researchers generally agree on and what general readers pick up from popular ideas. This book explains with candor the chief controversies causing these discrepancies--both the flaws in many popular claims, and the uncertainties underlying many scholarly conclusions. Supplementing the main narrative are biographical resources for dozens of Indian mathematicians; a guide to key features of Sanskrit for the non-Indologist; and illustrations of manuscripts, inscriptions, and artifacts. Mathematics in India provides a rich and complex understanding of the Indian mathematical tradition. **Author's note: The concept of "computational positivism" in Indian mathematical science, mentioned on p. 120, is due to Prof. Roddam Narasimha and is explored in more detail in some of his works, including "The Indian half of Needham's question: some thoughts on axioms, models, algorithms, and computational positivism" (Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 28, 2003, 1-13).
Mathematics in Kant's Critical Philosophy: Reflections on Mathematical Practice
by Lisa ShabelFirst published in 2003. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Mathematics in Twentieth-Century Literature and Art: Content, Form, Meaning
by Robert TubbsChips away at the notion of an accidental relationship between math and art and literature.During the twentieth century, many artists and writers turned to abstract mathematical ideas to help them realize their aesthetic ambitions. Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, and, perhaps most famously, Piet Mondrian used principles of mathematics in their work. Was it mere coincidence, or were these artists simply following their instincts, which in turn were ruled by mathematical underpinnings, such as optimal solutions for filling a space? If math exists within visual art, can it be found within literary pursuits? In short, just what is the relationship between mathematics and the creative arts?In this provocative, original exploration of mathematical ideas in art and literature, Robert Tubbs argues that the links are much stronger than previously imagined and exceed both coincidence and commonality of purpose. Not only does he argue that mathematical ideas guided the aesthetic visions of many twentieth-century artists and writers, Tubbs further asserts that artists and writers used math in their creative processes even though they seemed to have no affinity for mathematical thinking. In the end, Tubbs makes the case that art can be better appreciated when the math that inspired it is better understood. An insightful tour of the great masters of the last century and an argument that challenges long-held paradigms, Mathematics in Twentieth-Century Literature and Art will appeal to mathematicians, humanists, and artists, as well as instructors teaching the connections among math, literature, and art.
Mathematics in Twentieth-Century Literature & Art: Content, Form, Meaning
by Robert TubbsThe author of What Is a Number? examines the relationship between mathematics and art and literature of the 20th century.During the twentieth century, many artists and writers turned to abstract mathematical ideas to help them realize their aesthetic ambitions. Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, and, perhaps most famously, Piet Mondrian used principles of mathematics in their work. Was it coincidence, or were these artists following their instincts, which were ruled by mathematical underpinnings, such as optimal solutions for filling a space? If math exists within visual art, can it be found within literary pursuits? In short, just what is the relationship between mathematics and the creative arts?In this exploration of mathematical ideas in art and literature, Robert Tubbs argues that the links are much stronger than previously imagined and exceed both coincidence and commonality of purpose. Not only does he argue that mathematical ideas guided the aesthetic visions of many twentieth-century artists and writers, Tubbs further asserts that artists and writers used math in their creative processes even though they seemed to have no affinity for mathematical thinking.In the end, Tubbs makes the case that art can be better appreciated when the math that inspired it is better understood. An insightful tour of the great masters of the last century and an argument that challenges long-held paradigms, this book will appeal to mathematicians, humanists, and artists, as well as instructors teaching the connections among math, literature, and art.“Though the content of Tubbs’s book is challenging, it is also accessible and should interest many on both sides of the perceived divide between mathematics and the arts.” —Choice
Mathematics, Informatics, and Their Applications in Natural Sciences and Engineering: AMINSE 2017, Tbilisi, Georgia, December 6-9 (Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics #276)
by George Jaiani David NatroshviliThis book presents eleven peer-reviewed papers from the 3rd International Conference on Applications of Mathematics and Informatics in Natural Sciences and Engineering (AMINSE2017) held in Tbilisi, Georgia in December 2017. Written by researchers from the region (Georgia, Russia, Turkey) and from Western countries (France, Germany, Italy, Luxemburg, Spain, USA), it discusses key aspects of mathematics and informatics, and their applications in natural sciences and engineering. Featuring theoretical, practical and numerical contributions, the book appeals to scientists from various disciplines interested in applications of mathematics and informatics in natural sciences and engineering.
Mathematics, Logic, and their Philosophies: Essays in Honour of Mohammad Ardeshir (Logic, Epistemology, and the Unity of Science #49)
by Shahid Rahman Mojtaba Mojtahedi Mohammad Saleh ZarepourThis volume is a collection of essays in honour of Professor Mohammad Ardeshir. It examines topics which, in one way or another, are connected to the various aspects of his multidisciplinary research interests. Based on this criterion, the book is divided into three general categories. The first category includes papers on non-classical logics, including intuitionistic logic, constructive logic, basic logic, and substructural logic. The second category is made up of papers discussing issues in the contemporary philosophy of mathematics and logic. The third category contains papers on Avicenna’s logic and philosophy.Mohammad Ardeshir is a full professor of mathematical logic at the Department of Mathematical Sciences, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, where he has taught generations of students for around a quarter century. Mohammad Ardeshir is known in the first place for his prominent works in basic logic and constructive mathematics. His areas of interest are however much broader and include topics in intuitionistic philosophy of mathematics and Arabic philosophy of logic and mathematics. In addition to numerous research articles in leading international journals, Ardeshir is the author of a highly praised Persian textbook in mathematical logic. Partly through his writings and translations, the school of mathematical intuitionism was introduced to the Iranian academic community.
Mathematics Minus Fear: How to Make Math Fun and Beneficial to Your Everyday Life
by Lawrence PotterForget your classroom nightmares and discover how numbers can enhance and illuminate your world!How can math help you bet on horses or win in Vegas? What&’s the foolproof way to solve Sudoku? How can probability teach you to calculate your chances of survival in Russian roulette? In this irreverent and entertaining guide to mathematics, Lawrence Potter takes the fear out of everything from long division to percentages. Using fascinating puzzles and surprising examples, from M.C. Escher to Pascal, he shows us how math is connected with the world we encounter every day, from how the VAT works to why weather forecasts are wrong, from winning at Monopoly to improving your mental arithmetic. Along the way you&’ll also discover who invented numbers, whether animals can count, and what nuns have to do with multiplication.
The Mathematics of Coordinated Inference
by Christopher S. Hardin Alan D. TaylorTwo prisoners are told that they will be brought to a room and seated so that each can see the other. Hats will be placed on their heads; each hat is either red or green. The two prisoners must simultaneously submit a guess of their own hat color, and they both go free if at least one of them guesses correctly. While no communication is allowed once the hats have been placed, they will, however, be allowed to have a strategy session before being brought to the room. Is there a strategy ensuring their release? The answer turns out to be yes, and this is the simplest non-trivial example of a "hat problem. " This book deals with the question of how successfully one can predict the value of an arbitrary function at one or more points of its domain based on some knowledge of its values at other points. Topics range from hat problems that are accessible to everyone willing to think hard, to some advanced topics in set theory and infinitary combinatorics. For example, there is a method of predicting the value f(a) of a function f mapping the reals to the reals, based only on knowledge of f's values on the open interval (a - 1, a), and for every such function the prediction is incorrect only on a countable set that is nowhere dense. The monograph progresses from topics requiring fewer prerequisites to those requiring more, with most of the text being accessible to any graduate student in mathematics. The broad range of readership includes researchers, postdocs, and graduate students in the fields of set theory, mathematical logic, and combinatorics. The hope is that this book will bring together mathematicians from different areas to think about set theory via a very broad array of coordinated inference problems.
Mathematics of Discrete Structures for Computer Science
by Gordon J. PaceMathematics plays a key role in computer science, some researchers would consider computers as nothing but the physical embodiment of mathematical systems. And whether you are designing a digital circuit, a computer program or a new programming language, you need mathematics to be able to reason about the design -- its correctness, robustness and dependability. This book covers the foundational mathematics necessary for courses in computer science. The common approach to presenting mathematical concepts and operators is to define them in terms of properties they satisfy, and then based on these definitions develop ways of computing the result of applying the operators and prove them correct. This book is mainly written for computer science students, so here the author takes a different approach: he starts by defining ways of calculating the results of applying the operators and then proves that they satisfy various properties. After justifying his underlying approach the author offers detailed chapters covering propositional logic, predicate calculus, sets, relations, discrete structures, structured types, numbers, and reasoning about programs. The book contains chapter and section summaries, detailed proofs and many end-of-section exercises -- key to the learning process. The book is suitable for undergraduate and graduate students, and although the treatment focuses on areas with frequent applications in computer science, the book is also suitable for students of mathematics and engineering.
The Mathematics of Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, India, and Islam: A Sourcebook
by Annette Imhausen Eleanor Robson Joseph Warren Dauben Kim Plofker J. Lennart BerggrenIn recent decades it has become obvious that mathematics has always been a worldwide activity. But this is the first book to provide a substantial collection of English translations of key mathematical texts from the five most important ancient and medieval non-Western mathematical cultures, and to put them into full historical and mathematical context. The Mathematics of Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, India, and Islam gives English readers a firsthand understanding and appreciation of these cultures' important contributions to world mathematics. The five section authors--Annette Imhausen (Egypt), Eleanor Robson (Mesopotamia), Joseph Dauben (China), Kim Plofker (India), and J. Lennart Berggren (Islam)--are experts in their fields. Each author has selected key texts and in many cases provided new translations. The authors have also written substantial section introductions that give an overview of each mathematical culture and explanatory notes that put each selection into context. This authoritative commentary allows readers to understand the sometimes unfamiliar mathematics of these civilizations and the purpose and significance of each text. Addressing a critical gap in the mathematics literature in English, this book is an essential resource for anyone with at least an undergraduate degree in mathematics who wants to learn about non-Western mathematical developments and how they helped shape and enrich world mathematics. The book is also an indispensable guide for mathematics teachers who want to use non-Western mathematical ideas in the classroom.
The Mathematics of Frobenius in Context: A Journey Through 18th to 20th Century Mathematics
by Thomas HawkinsFrobenius made many important contributions to mathematics in the latter part of the 19th century. Hawkins here focuses on his work in linear algebra and its relationship with the work of Burnside, Cartan, and Molien, and its extension by Schur and Brauer. He also discusses the Berlin school of mathematics and the guiding force of Weierstrass in that school, as well as the fundamental work of d'Alembert, Lagrange, and Laplace, and of Gauss, Eisenstein and Cayley that laid the groundwork for Frobenius's work in linear algebra. The book concludes with a discussion of Frobenius's contribution to the theory of stochastic matrices.
The Mathematics of Life: The New Mathematics Of The Living World
by Ian StewartBiologists have long dismissed mathematics as being unable to meaningfully contribute to our understanding of living beings. Within the past ten years, however, mathematicians have proven that they hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of our world--and ourselves. In The Mathematics of Life, Ian Stewart provides a fascinating overview of the vital but little-recognized role mathematics has played in pulling back the curtain on the hidden complexities of the natural world--and how its contribution will be even more vital in the years ahead. In his characteristically clear and entertaining fashion, Stewart explains how mathematicians and biologists have come to work together on some of the most difficult scientific problems that the human race has ever tackled, including the nature and origin of life itself.
Mathematics of Program Construction: 13th International Conference, MPC 2019, Porto, Portugal, October 7–9, 2019, Proceedings (Lecture Notes in Computer Science #11825)
by Graham HuttonThis book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Mathematics of Program Construction, MPC 2019, held in Porto, Portugal, in October 2019. The 15 revised full papers presented together with an invited paper were carefully reviewed and selected from 22 submissions. The papers deal with mathematical principles and techniques for constructing computer programs. They range from algorithmics to support for program construction in programming languages and systems. Some typical areas are type systems, program analysis and transformation, programming-language semantics, security, and program logics.
The Mathematics of the Gods and the Algorithms of Men: A Cultural History
by Paolo ZelliniA masterful cultural history of mathematics from bestselling Italian mathematician and philosopher Paolo Zellini.Is mathematics a discovery or an invention? Have we invented numbers or do they truly exist? What sort of reality should we attribute to them? Mathematics has always been a way of understanding and ordering the world: from sacred ancient texts and pre-Socratic philosophers to twentieth-century logicians such as Russell and Frege and beyond. In this masterful, elegant book, mathematician and philosopher Paolo Zellini offers a brief cultural and intellectual history of mathematics, from ancient Greece to India to our contemporary obsession with algorithms, showing how mathematical thinking is inextricably linked with philosophical, existential and religious questions—and indeed with our cosmic understanding of the world.
The Mathematics of Various Entertaining Subjects
by Jason Rosenhouse Jennifer Beineke Raymond M. SmullyanThe 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. The Mathematics of Various Entertaining Subjects brings together authors from a variety of specialties to present fascinating problems and solutions in recreational mathematics.Contributors to the book 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, The Mathematics of Various Entertaining Subjects is sure to entertain, challenge, and inspire academic mathematicians and avid math enthusiasts alike.