Mathematical Quickies

For the mathematics enthusiast of any age or level of sophisitcation, this stimulating treasury of unusual math problems offers unlimited opportunity for mind-biggling recreation. Carles W. Trigg, Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus at Los Angeles City College and one of the country's best-known problemists, has compiled nearly 300 mathematical brainteasers from the field of of arithmetic, algebra, plane and solid geometry, trigonometry, number theory, and such general recreational mathematics and dissections, cryptarithms and magic squares. The object of each problem is to find the quickest, most elegant solution - they are often unorthodox and there is usually and element of surprise in each. Ranging from the simple to complex, problems are both original with the author and the work of over 100 other qualified mathematicians. Most are rarely seen or entirely new; all challenge the reader to devise solutions more elegant than the ones provided.

This long-awaited sequel of Mathematical Quickies & Trickles comes with many creative worked examples and questions, with cartoons sprinkled throughout the book to keep in line with the same irreverent and fun spirit of the previous book. In addition to 300+ trick and tricky questions, More Mathematical Quickies & Trickles comes with more than 25 five-minute enrichment mathematics items, aimed at enhancing the mathematical problem-solving skills of problem solvers. You won’t only be exposed to different problem-solving techniques, commonly used in answering math contests and competitions questions, but also learn to appreciate elegant or intuitive solutions. More Mathematical Quickies & Trickies would appeal primarily to these audiences: * grades 6-8 students and teachers looking for some fertile trick and tricky questions; * mathletes preparing for local and regional contests and competitions; * problem solvers longing to be challenged by questions whose obvious solutions are never the correct ones for what offhand appears to be true is false. Contents 1. Creative GST 2. Are You Calculator-Smart? 3. What Is the Easy Way? 4. The Magic of Three Consecutive Numbers 5. Twitter Math @MathPlus 6. What Is 27 x 37, Really? 7. Humanizing 1, 2, 3 8. A Mathophobia Kit 9. WITs: 13 Ways to Attain Mathematical Excellence 10. Facebook Math: Numeracy vs. Literacy 11. Thou Shalt Not Divide By Zero 12. Math Jokes to Relieve Stress 13. Look-see Proofs 14. Some PhD Math Questions 15. Mathematical Prayers 16. The Largest Product 17. What’s Wrong?: A Comedy of Mathematical Errors 18. The Aha! Myth 19. Sam Loyd’s Toughies 20. The Tuesday Boy Problem 21. What Is 1 + 1, Really? 22. In Love with Cryptarithms 23. Mathematical Kiasuism 24. The Mathemagic of 142857 25. The Lighter Side of Singapore Math 26. K C Yan’s Laws & Lores 27 Flee and Free from the FREE Answers/Hints/Solutions Bibliography & References

Singapore’s bestselling Mathematical Quickies & Trickies, which has sold over 90,000 copies locally, contains more than 300 nonroutine problems to enhance students’ mathematical problem-solving skills. With many creative worked examples and questions, and with cartoons sprinkled throughout the book, Mathematical Quickies & Trickies would appeal primarily to these audiences: * grades 5-7 students and teachers looking for some fertile trick and tricky questions; * mathletes preparing for local and regional contests and competitions; * problem solvers longing to be challenged by questions whose obvious solutions are never the correct ones for what offhand appears to be true is false. With proper insight, you’ll learn how to solve these tricky problems almost instantly, whose solutions are almost never the correct ones. You need no longer be caught off-guard; instead, you’ll learn to solve these questions confidently—how to tame these counter-intuitive questions into routine ones. Contents 1. Mental Computation I 2. Mental Computation 2 3. Number Series 4. A Tricky Way with Fractions 5. Test Your Calculator Proficiency 6. Simplifying a Complex Fraction 7. Recurring Decimals 8. Is Zero an Even or Odd Integer? 9. Casting Out Nines 10. Be a Calculator Expert 11. Division by 9 12. Number Riddles 13. Ten Steps to be Math Smart 14. Shortcuts a la Trachtenberg 15. Geometrical Quickies 1 16. Geometrical Quickies 2 17. Geometrical Quickies 3 18. (Sugar + Coffee) + Milk = Sugar + (Coffee + Milk) 19. Applications of Number Laws 20. Law of One 21. Distributive Law 22. More Applications of Distributive Law 23. The Joy of Guesstimation 24. Are You a Fermi Disciple? 25. Bravo Singapore 26. Lightning Calculators 27. Geometrical Quickies 4 28. Some Calculator Quickies Answers & Solutions Bibliography & References Type of e-book: Nonfiction, problem solving, recreational, Singapore math, trick questions Audiences: Suitable for Grades 4-7 (or Primary 4-7 levels)

Are you bored or unchallenged by drill-and-kill geometry questions in your textbooks and workbooks? Are you half-prepared for your coming math contests and competitions? Some benefits of Geometrical Quickies & Trickies are: * Over 200 non-routine geometry questions to separate the nerd of mathletes from the herd of drill-and-kill specialists; * Trick and tricky questions to meet the mathematical needs and wants of students- and teachers-problem solvers; * Twenty enrichment geometry units to promote an appreciation for recreational mathematics; * Hints and solutions, and a reference list for more practice on quickies and tricks. Geometrical Quickies & Trickies is suitable for grades 6-9 problem solvers and mathletes, and for teachers and tutors who desire to challenge (or torture) their students mathematically. Contents 1. What is a Circle? 2. Three Famous (or Notorious) Geometrical Problems 3. Non-Euclidean Geometry for Goondus 4. How Many Regions? 5. That Holy Little Geometry Book 6. Fun with Areas and Perimeters 7. Always a Parallelogram! 8. The Malfatti's Problem 9. The Beauty of Pi 10. The Zero Option 11. The Golden Ratio by Paper Folding 12. The Ubiquity of Phi 13. Matchstick Mathematics 14. The Rolling Circle Question 15. Two Useful Circle Properties 16. Proving the Obvious 17. Sanguku—Japanese Temple Geometry 18. Applications of Pythagorean Theorem 19. Visualizing Infinity 20. Geometrical Idiosyncrasies Answers/Hints/Solutions Bibliography & References

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.

The Singapore Mathematics Calendar is a three-book series (Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced) that provides an informal yet creative way for both parents and homeschoolers to support their child succeed in math. This math calendar is designed so that the answer to the problem on each day is the date on which the problem appears. The daily dose of both routine and nonroutine questions aims to develop the child’s problem-solving and guesstimation skills, while exposing them to valuable mathematical information that goes beyond their textbook. Hints and solutions are also provided for nonroutine or brain-unfriendly questions. Moreover, each month begins with some elements of enrichment or recreational math to challenge or enrich the child. Through math activities, puzzles, and games, The Singapore Mathematics Calendar seeks to complement and supplement what the child is doing in school or at home, by making math fun and educational. The Singapore Mathematics Calendar hopes to convey the message that mathematics needn’t be drill-and-kill exercises—it can be fun, yet challenging for students to be exposed to the beauty and joy of mathematics.

A recreational-and-problem-solving math book, CHRISTmaths: A Creative Problem Solving Math Book attempts to bring together the joy (or spirit) of Christmas and the spirit (or joy) of mathematics. Looking at topics linking Mathematics and Christmas—what the queen of the sciences and the king of the public holidays have in common—CHRISTmaths will not only appeal to a Christmas or Christian audience, but also to any problem solvers who enjoy mathematics recreationally. CHRISTmaths should appeal to • creative problem solvers who are bored by drill-and-kill math titles, and who desire to get an intellectual kick out of solving non-routine questions; • mathletes who long for some creative mathematical problem solving to tickle their mathematical bones. CHRISTmaths hopes to give readers the opportunity to experience the Ah, Aha! and Ha Ha of Mathematics. Contents Preface Biodata of 25 B.C. and A.D. Are You Christmas-Literate? The 12 Puzzles of Christmas Santa’s Itinerary 12 Daffynitions of CHRISTMAS A CHRISTMAS Spell Guesstimation on Christmas Day 7 Beautiful Xmas Series 12 Challenges @ Christmastime A Mathematician’s Musings on Xmas Day Mathematical Graphiti I Xmas Philamath 12 Myths about Christ and Christmas Mathematical Graphiti II Mathematical Graphiti III 25 No-Frills Christmas Crackers Did You Know…. The Mathematics of Christmas 25 Mathematical Quickies & Trickies Was Pythagoras a pre-Christian Christian? A Formula for Christmas Day Q&A about Christmas Clausophobia and the Rest Mathematical Graphiti III Mathematical Graphiti IV Number of Zeros in 1 × 2 × 3 ×⋯× 24 × 25 25 Math Things You Can Do on Christmas 1 × 2 × 3 ×⋯× (n − 1) × n ends in 25 zeros Taking Up Your Cross Mathematicians Christened Number of Digits in 2525 Christmas Tangrams CHRISTMAS By Numbers What day Is Christmas in 2025? The Mathematical Fathers The Answer Is Not 25 Christmas Countdown A Christmas Potpourri CHRISTMAS Alphametics Mathematical Graphiti IV Celebrate Father Christmas Week 25 Illegal Things You May Want to Do on Xmas The Twelve Days of Christmas A Green Christmas Answers/Hints/Solutions Bibliography & References Type of e-book: Nonfiction, problem solving, recreational, Singapore math, trick questions Audiences: Suitable for Grades 5-10