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Recreational mathematics is an umbrella term that refers to mathematical puzzles and mathematical games. This article is about puzzles that require mathematics in order to solve them This article is about using Mathematics to study the inner-workings of Multiplayer games which on the surface may not appear mathematical at all

Not all problems in this field require a knowledge of advanced mathematics, and thus recreational mathematics often piques the curiosity of non-mathematicians and inspires their further study of mathematics.

This genre of mathematics includes logic puzzles and other puzzles that require deductive reasoning, the aesthetics of mathematics, and peculiar or amusing stories and coincidences about mathematics and mathematicians. A logic puzzle is a Puzzle deriving from the Mathematics field of Deduction. Deductive reasoning is Reasoning which uses deductive Arguments to move from given statements ( Premises to Conclusions which must be true if the Aesthetics or esthetics ( also spelled æsthetics) is commonly known as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values sometimes called Some of the more well-known topics in recreational mathematics are magic squares and fractals. In Recreational mathematics, a magic square of order n is an arrangement of n ² numbers usually distinct Integers in a square, such A fractal is generally "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts each of which is (at least approximately a reduced-size copy of the whole"

Contents

Mathematical games

Main article: Mathematical games

Mathematical games are multiplayer games whose rules, strategies, and outcomes can be studied and explained by mathematics. This article is about using Mathematics to study the inner-workings of Multiplayer games which on the surface may not appear mathematical at all This article is about using Mathematics to study the inner-workings of Multiplayer games which on the surface may not appear mathematical at all A multiplayer game is a Game which is played by several players. Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and The players of the game may not need to use mathematics in order to play mathematical games. For example, Mancala is a mathematical game because mathematicians can study it using combinatorial game theory even though no mathematics is necessary in order to play it. Mancala is a family of board games played around the world sometimes called " Sowing " games or "count-and-capture" games which describes the This article is on the theory of combinatorial games For the theory that includes games of chance and games of imperfect knowledge see Game theory

Sometimes mathematical puzzles (below) are referred to as mathematical games. This article is about puzzles that require mathematics in order to solve them

Mathematical puzzles

Main article: Mathematical puzzles

Mathematical puzzles require mathematics in order to solve them. This article is about puzzles that require mathematics in order to solve them This article is about puzzles that require mathematics in order to solve them They have specific rules as do multiplayer games, but mathematical puzzles do not usually involve competition between two or more players. A multiplayer game is a Game which is played by several players. Instead, in order to solve such a puzzle, the solver must find a solution that satisfies the given conditions. A puzzle is a Problem or Enigma that challenges Ingenuity. In a basic puzzle one is intended to piece together objects in a logical way in order to

Logic puzzles are a common type of mathematical puzzle. A logic puzzle is a Puzzle deriving from the Mathematics field of Deduction. Conway's Game of Life and fractals are also considered mathematical puzzles even though the solver only interacts with them by providing a set of initial conditions. "Conway game" can refer to games as defined by Surreal numbers which Conway also developed A fractal is generally "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts each of which is (at least approximately a reduced-size copy of the whole"

Sometimes mathematical puzzles (above) are referred to as mathematical games. This article is about puzzles that require mathematics in order to solve them

Other

Other curiosities and pastimes of non-trivial mathematical interest:

Publications

The Journal of Recreational Mathematics is the largest publication on this topic. Juggling is a physical human skill involving the movement of objects usually through the air for entertainment (see Object manipulation) (from oru meaning "folding" and kami meaning "paper" is the ancient Japanese Art of Paper folding. For other uses see Cat's cradle (disambiguation. Cat's Cradle is a 1963 Science fiction Novel by Kurt Vonnegut A string figure is a Design formed by manipulating string on around and using one's Fingers or sometimes between the fingers of multiple people The Journal of Recreational Mathematics is a peer reviewed journal dedicated to Recreational mathematics.

Mathematical Games was the title of a long-running column on the subject by Martin Gardner in Scientific American. Martin Gardner (b October 21, 1914, Tulsa Oklahoma) is a popular American mathematics and science writer specializing in Recreational mathematics Scientific American is a Popular science magazine, published (first weekly and later monthly since August 28, 1845, making it He inspired several new generations of mathematicians and scientists through his interest in mathematical recreations. Mathematical Games was succeeded by Metamagical Themas, a similarly distinguished but shorter-running column by Douglas Hofstadter, and afterwards by Mathematical Recreations, a column by Ian Stewart. Metamagical Themas is an eclectic collection of articles written for Scientific American during the early 1980s by Douglas Hofstadter, and published Douglas Richard Hofstadter (born February 15 1945 in New York New York) is an American academic whose research focuses on consciousness thinking and creativity Ian Nicholas Stewart (born 1945) is a professor of Mathematics at University of Warwick, England and a widely known popular-science and science-fiction

In popular culture

In the Doctor Who episode "42", the Doctor completes a sequence of happy primes, then complains that schools no longer teach recreational mathematics. Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. "42" is an episode of the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who. The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and also features in A happy number is defined by the following process Starting with any positive Integer, replace the number by the Sum of the squares of its digits

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, a book about a young boy with Aspergers Syndrome, discusses many mathematical games and puzzles. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is a 2003 Novel by British writer Mark Haddon. Asperger syndrome (also called Asperger's syndrome, Asperger's disorder, Asperger's or AS) is the Autism spectrum disorder (ASD

People

The foremost advocates of recreational mathematics have included:

References

See also

Bibliography

Dictionary

recreational mathematics

-noun

  1. (mathematics) Any use of mathematics or logic whose primary purpose is recreation, though often with more serious characteristics.
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