Wheels, Life and Other Mathematical Amusements explained

Wheels, Life and Other Mathematical Amusements
Author:	Martin Gardner
Pub Date:	1983

Wheels, Life and Other Mathematical Amusements is a book by Martin Gardner published in 1983. The Basic Library List Committee of the Mathematical Association of America has recommended its inclusion in undergraduate mathematics libraries.^[1]

Contents

Wheels, Life and Other Mathematical Amusements is a book of 22 mathematical games columns that were revised and extended after being previously published in Scientific American. It is Gardner's 10th collection of columns, and includes material on Conway's Game of Life, supertasks, intransitive dice, braided polyhedra, combinatorial game theory, the Collatz conjecture, mathematical card tricks, and Diophantine equations such as Fermat's Last Theorem.^[2]

Reception

Dave Langford reviewed Wheels, Life and Other Mathematical Amusements for White Dwarf #55, and stated that "Here too are revisions of the three famous pieces on Conway's solitaire game Life, which has absorbed several National Debts' worth of computer time since 1970. Fascinating."^[3] The book was positively reviewed in several other mathematics and science journals.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Wheels, Life, and Other Mathematical Amusements. Mathematical Association of America. 2020-07-09.
2. Review of Wheels, Life and Other Mathematical Amusements. zbMATH. G. A.. Heuer. 0537.00002.
3. Langford . Dave . David Langford . Critical Mass . . 55 . 20 . . July 1984 .
4. Additional reviews:
   • Roberts. Sharon M.. May 1984. 5. The Mathematics Teacher. 27964108. 397. none. 77.
   • Golomb. Solomon W.. Solomon W. Golomb. July–August 1984. 4. American Scientist. 27852818. 408. none. 72.
   • Carter. D. C.. March 1985. 10.2307/3616487. 447. The Mathematical Gazette. 3616487. 75. none. 69.
   • Klarner. David A.. David A. Klarner. April 1986. 10.2307/2323703. 4. The American Mathematical Monthly. 2323703. 321–323. none. 93.