Recreational mathematics
In Recreational mathematics is defined as the study of mathematical questions, which is operated primarily under the aspect of the pastime. This includes brain teasers, math puzzles and humorous glosses, which often introduce current topics of mathematics in an entertaining way. Examples include the mathematical conversations in the science magazine Scientific American and the Logelei of two stone in the weekly newspaper Die Zeit.
Typical topics
Typical topics of recreational mathematics are:
- Geometric puzzles and structures (for example, Tangram, Pentaminos, the Tower of Hanoi or Rubik's Cube )
- Logic Brain Teasers and Paradoxes,
- Number theoretic and combinatorial gadgets (eg magic squares, Sudoku).
- Mathematical games such as chess problems, solitaire or the Nim game. A typical example of recreational mathematics is the Hilbert Hotel.
Authors
Well-known authors of popular mathematics are:
- Jacques Ozanam
- Wilhelm Ahrens, author of Mathematical entertainments and games, 1910
- Walter William Rouse Ball, Mathematical recreations and essays writer of 1892
- Édouard Lucas
- Sam Loyd
- Ernest Dudeney
- Maurice Kraitchik
- Walther Lietzmann
- Hugo Steinhaus
- John Horton Conway
- Martin Gardner, for many years, author of the column Mathematical Games in Scientific American
- Douglas R. Hofstadter, the column Metamagical theme designed in Scientific American, appeared in book form
- Boris Anastasjewitsch Kordemski
- Ian Stewart, successor of Gardner in Scientific American
- Raymond Smullyan, author of several books on entertaining puzzle logic
- Ross Honsberger
- Clifford A. Pickover
- Ilan Vardi
- Julian Havilland
In Germany originate columns for recreational mathematics, inter alia, of
- Gero von Randow, editor of the weekly Die Zeit ( like his father Thomas von Randow, " Two stone " )
- Heinrich Hemme, author, inter alia, by Cogito in the magazine image of science
- Christoph Pöppe, science writer at Scientific American