Since its first appearance in 1956 there have been eight editions as well as translations from the original Russian into Ukrainian, Estonian, Lettish, and Lithuanian. Almost a million copies of the Russian version alone have been sold.Part of the reason for the book's success is its marvelously varied assortment of brainteasers ranging from simple "catch" riddles to difficult problems (none, however, requiring advanced mathematics). Many of the puzzles will be new to Western readers, while some familiar problems have been clothed in new forms. Often the puzzles are presented in the form of charming stories that provide non-Russian readers with valuable insights into contemporary Russian life and customs. In addition, Martin Gardner, former editor of the Mathematical Games Department, Scientific American, has clarified and simplified the book to make it as easy as possible for an English-reading public to understand and enjoy. He has been careful, moreover, to retain nearly all the freshness, warmth, and humor of the original.Lavishly illustrated with over 400 clear diagrams and amusing sketches, this inexpensive edition of the first English translation will offer weeks or even months of stimulating entertainment. It belongs in the library of every puzzlist or lover of recreational mathematics.

    Polya's simple, energetic prose and use of clever examples from a wide range of human activities, this two-volume work explores techniques of guessing, inductive reasoning, and reasoning by analogy, and the role they play in the most rigorous of deductive disciplines.

    Ranging from simple puzzles and games to more advanced problems, topics include the psychology of lottery players, the arrangement of chromosomes in a human cell, new and larger prime numbers, the fair division of a cake, how to find the shortest possible way to link a dozen locations by rail, and many other absorbing conundrums. A fascinating glimpse into the world of numbers and their uses. 1969 edition. 391 black-and-white illus.

    The books are written for students of science and engineering as well as for specialist mathematicians, and are designed to bridge the gap between the works used in schools and more advanced studies, with their emphasis on rigour. This volume is concerned with the basic ideas and applications of differentiation and integration in relation to algebraic and trigonometric functions, but excluding logarithmic and exponential functions. Integration begins on the 'Riemann integral' basis, and the treatment of curves combines accuracy with simplicity, without shirking the awkward problems of sign. Each section has examples; at the end of each chapter there are problems from school-leaving and open scholarship examinations.