"In fact, mathematics is the closest that we humans get to true magic. How else to describe the patterns in our heads that — by some mysterious agency — capture patterns of the universe around us?"
[Quotations XV -- 9/19/07]

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Product Description

Enter the magical maze of mathematics and explore the surprising passageways of a fantastical world where logic and imagination converge. For mathematics is a maze—a maze in your head—a maze of ideas, a maze of logic. And that maze in your mind is a powerful tool for understanding an even bigger maze—the one of cause and effect that we call "the universe." That is its special kind of magic. Real magic. Strange magic. Infinitely fascinating magic. Acclaimed author Ian Stewart leads you swiftly and humorously through the junctions, byways, and secret passages of the magical maze to reveal its beauty, surprise, and power. Along the way, he reveals the infinite possibilities that arise from what he calls "the two-way trade between the natural world and the human mind." If you’ve always loved mathematics, you will find endless delights in the twists and turns of The Magical Maze. If you’ve always hated mathematics, a trip through this marvelous book will do much to change your mind.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #501711 in Books
• Published on: 1999-08-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 268 pages

Amazon.com Review
Math is fun? It is in Ian Stewart's romp through a labyrinth of possibilities and logic. Although some of the delightful puzzles, problems and teasers will give your brain a workout, you will be glad you followed the path to the end. Stewart uses the maze metaphor (the book has an "entrance," "passages," and an "exit" rather than an introduction, chapters, and an end) to illustrate the mental journeys we take when solving everything from bar tricks to problems of artificial intelligence. Difficult points are illustrated with an imaginary journey and lots of fun games. Real-life examples of mathematical "magic" abound, including the trails of slime-molds and the dimples in golf balls. Great walk through the jungle of probability. --Therese Littleton

From the Publisher
Internationally acclaimed popular math and science author Ian Stewart has outdone himself with this infinitely entertaining romp through 4,000 years of mathematical monkey business. As with mathematics itself, fresh wonders await readers at every turn in this crazy quilt of fun games, mindboggling puzzles, fantastical parables, and fascinating yarns.

From the Inside Flap
The Magical Maze Entre the magical of mathematics maze and explore the surprising passageways of a fantastical world where logic and imagination converge. For mathematics is a maze—a maze in your head—a maze of ideas, a maze of logic. And that maze in your mind is a powerful tool for understanding an even bigger maze—the maze of cause and effect that we call "the universe." That is its special kind of magic. Real magic. Strange magic. Infinitely fascinating magic. In this adventure of a book, acclaimed author law Stewart leads you swiftly and humorously through the junctions, byways, and secret passages of the magical maze to reveal its beauty, its surprise, and its power. Along the way, he reveals the infinite possibilities that arise from what he calls "the two-way trade between the natural world and the human mind." On your travels you will encounter number magic—both the stage-act variety and the deeper magic of animals, plants, and the physical world. You will come to understand the amazing pattern-forming abilities of the humble slime mold, the numerology of flowers, and the feeding habits of pigs and panthers. You will discover how to solve puzzles the algorithmic way, the artistic way, and the army way. You will be amazed by the deep connections between the founding of Carthage, soap bubbles, and communications networks. You will discover how to use a toy train set as a computer, and find out why this implies that there are unavoidable limits to mathematics. You will join the controversy over cars and goats, find out the terrible truth about confessions, and win endless bets about birthdays. You will see how a new idea about ferns can lead to a multimillion-dollar computer graphics company, and how Jupiter and Mars can combine forces to hurl cosmic rocks at Earth. And you will never again be able to watch a kitten, a kangaroo, or a Chihuahua without noticing the delightfully rhythmic patterns with which they move their feet. If you’ve always loved mathematics, you will find endless delights in the twists and turns of The Magical Maze. If you’ve always hated mathematics, a trip through this marvelous book will do much to change your mind.

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Customer Reviews

A wonderful introduction to recreational mathematics!
Other reviewers have criticized this book for its lack of detail and mathematical depth. Although that may be true for the experienced mathematician, this is an EXCELLENT introduction to the world of recreational mathematics. This book shows that math can be fun and useful and explains it in a way that anyone can understand. I often wondered, when I was younger, where logic tied in with math... I loved logic games and puzzles, things labeled as "math games" but I hated "math" -- arithmatic is totally lame. This book completely bridges the gap between logic games and mathematics and submerses the reader in a whole new, wonderful world. However, if you are already familiar with this world it may feel kind of like watching Seseme Street -- entertaining, but attempting to teach things you learned long ago. Either way it's an entertaining and educational (for the non-mathematician) romp in the frivolities of mathematics.

suitable for students in grade 10-12 BUT NOT FOR ME
The content in this book is suitable only for beginners. If u think that u are quite familiar with recreational mathematic, this book is quite tedious and have no new topic.