Mathemagics A Magical Journey Through Advanced Mathematics Connecting More Than 60 Magic Tricks To High Level Math

'This delightful book connects mathematical concepts in a dozen areas to magic tricks. Expositions of the mathematics precede description and analysis of the tricks. The expositions are too short for in-depth learning; the intent is to give sophomores a taste of the content and ideas of later mathematics courses. Each chapter features exercises on the mathematics, and students can have fun practicing the tricks.'Mathematics MagazineTeixeira and Park present over 60 different magic tricks while introducing students to high-level math areas. Readers will learn really interesting ideas that will better prepare them for future courses and help them finding areas they might want to study deeper. And as a 'side effect' students will learn amazing magic tricks, century-old secrets, and details from famous magicians and mathematicians.The material was written to quickly present key concepts in several mathematical areas in direct way. Little or no proficiency in math is assumed. In fact, students do not require any Calculus knowledge. And since chapters are almost independent from each other, this book also work as introduction to several other courses.Topics covered include mathematical proofs, probability, abstract algebra, linear algebra, mathematical computing, number theory, coding theory, geometry, topology, real analysis, numerical analysis and history of math.

Teixeira and Park present over 60 different magic tricks while introducing students to high-level math areas. Readers will learn really interesting ideas that will better prepare them for future courses and help them finding areas they might want to study deeper. And as a "side effect" students will learn amazing magic tricks, century-old secrets, and details from famous magicians and mathematicians. The material was written to quickly present key concepts in several mathematical areas in direct way. Little or no proficiency in math is assumed. In fact, students do not require any Calculus knowledge. And since chapters are almost independent from each other, this book also work as introduction to several other courses. Topics covered include mathematical proofs, probability, abstract algebra, linear algebra, mathematical computing, number theory, coding theory, geometry, topology, real analysis, numerical analysis and history of math.

Each chapter is written to quickly show an important feature related to different areas, and with direct applications in magic tricks. For instance, students will study Group Theory with definitions and some key results, then they will see them as explanation for a classic magician secret: Si Stebbin's card system. The application to magic tricks has proven very inspiring, and students would be less intimidated with advanced topics.Some highlights from the chapters are:- Chapter 1, Mathematical Proofs: We use this chapter to set a base for the book; it covers proofs by construction, contradiction, induction, and string induction. It offers a variety of definitions that will be used throughout the book. We relate the material with a generalization of one simple trick, and the generalization of a famous Penn and Teller magic trick.- Chapter 2, Probability: we introduce counting principles, probability trees, hypothesis testing, and some very interesting relation to magic tricks.- Chapter 3, Abstract Algebra: finite groups, permutation group, orbit, and a classic magicians' secret (Si Stebbins). We have included twelve tricks to exemplify the material.- Chapter 4, Linear Algebra: inverse matrix, rank, linearly independence, vector spaces, eigenvalue and eigenvector, and their relation to magic squares.- Chapter 5, Elementary Number Theory: positional systems, binary, octal, hexadecimal, arithmetic with other bases. There are several magic tricks to illustrate the material, from card tricks, calendar trick, mentalism, etc.- Chapter 6, Advanced Number Theory: divisibility, prime number, primitive roots, and their relation to magic tricks through tricks performed by famous mental-math expert Arthur Benjamin, and Fields Medal recipient Manjul Bhargava.- Chapter 7, Coding Theory: parity check, Hamming code, expanding Hamming code, Double error correction, Reed-Solomon decoding, Fast Fourier Transform, and their relation to magic tricks though some original tricks.- Chapter 8, Geometry: Euclidean and Non-euclidean geometry, symmetries, rotations, and some tricks.- Chapter 9, Topology and Knot Theory: winding numbers, Euler characteristic, Konigsburg Bridges, Eulerian tours, graph invariants, and their relation to magic tricks with examples from Martin Gardner, Criss Angel, and others.- Chapter 10, Real Analysis: sequences, series, epsilon proofs, and their relation to magic tricks. We reveal the basis for a magician secret prop that can be related to series.- Chapter 11, Numerical Analysis: Computer arithmetic, Bisection Method, other methods for finding solutions numerically, and magic tricks where readers will learn how to make a ``gimmick'' to find cards.- Chapter 12, History of Math: Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, Europeans, and their relation to magic tricks.Each chapter starts with a presentation of a key concept in the area, followed by a section on the relationship of the concepts with magic tricks. Then some magic tricks are presented and explained. Chapter ends with exercises section.

The world's greatest mental mathematical magician takes us on a spellbinding journey through the wonders of numbers (and more) "Arthur Benjamin . . . joyfully shows you how to make nature's numbers dance." -- Bill Nye (the science guy) The Magic of Math is the math book you wish you had in school. Using a delightful assortment of examples-from ice-cream scoops and poker hands to measuring mountains and making magic squares-this book revels in key mathematical fields including arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and calculus, plus Fibonacci numbers, infinity, and, of course, mathematical magic tricks. Known throughout the world as the "mathemagician," Arthur Benjamin mixes mathematics and magic to make the subject fun, attractive, and easy to understand for math fan and math-phobic alike. "A positively joyful exploration of mathematics." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review "Each [trick] is more dazzling than the last." -- Physics World

The world's greatest mental mathematical magician takes us on a spellbinding journey through the wonders of numbers (and more) "Arthur Benjamin . . . joyfully shows you how to make nature's numbers dance." -- Bill Nye (the science guy) The Magic of Math is the math book you wish you had in school. Using a delightful assortment of examples-from ice-cream scoops and poker hands to measuring mountains and making magic squares-this book revels in key mathematical fields including arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and calculus, plus Fibonacci numbers, infinity, and, of course, mathematical magic tricks. Known throughout the world as the "mathemagician," Arthur Benjamin mixes mathematics and magic to make the subject fun, attractive, and easy to understand for math fan and math-phobic alike. "A positively joyful exploration of mathematics." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review "Each [trick] is more dazzling than the last." -- Physics World

Martin Gardner's Mathematical Games columns in Scientific American inspired and entertained several generations of mathematicians and scientists. Gardner in his crystal-clear prose illuminated corners of mathematics, especially recreational mathematics, that most people had no idea existed. His playful spirit and inquisitive nature invite the reader into an exploration of beautiful mathematical ideas along with him. These columns were both a revelation and a gift when he wrote them; no one--before Gardner--had written about mathematics like this. They continue to be a marvel. This volume, first published in 1977, contains columns published in the magazine from 1965-1968. This 1990 MAA edition contains a foreword by Persi Diaconis and Ron Graham and a postscript and extended bibliography added by Gardner for this edition.

A magician appears able to banish chaos at will: a deck of cards arranged in order is shuffled--apparently randomly--by a member of the audience. Then, hey presto! The deck is suddenly put back in its original order! Magic tricks like this are easy to perform and have an interesting mathematical foundation. In this rich, colorfully illustrated volume, Ehrhard Behrends presents around 30 card tricks and number games that are easy to learn, with no prior knowledge required. This is math as you've never experienced it before: entertaining and fun!