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Chapter
Publicly Available
Contents
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Contents v
- Foreword vii
- Preface and Acknowledgments xv
-
PART I. Puzzles and Brainteasers
- 1. Probability in Your Head 3
- 2. Solving Puzzles Backward 11
- 3. Spiral Galaxies Font 24
- 4. Kings, Sages, Hats, and Codes 31
- 5. How to Predict the Flip of a Coin 42
- 6. Coins and Logic 55
-
PART II. Games
- 7. Bingo Paradoxes 77
- 8. Wiggly Games and Burnside’s Lemma 91
- 9. Losing at Checkers Is Hard 103
- 10. Chutes and Ladders without Chutes or Ladders 119
- 11. Bugs, Braids, and Batching 139
-
PART III. Algebra and Number Theory
- 12. The Magic of Charles Sanders Peirce 161
- 13. Can You Win Khalou in Five Moves? 204
- 14. On Partitions into Squares of Distinct Integers Whose Reciprocals Sum to 1 213
- 15. Puzzles, Parity Maps, and Plenty of Solutions 222
-
PART IV. Geometry and Topology
- 16. Should We Call Them Flexa-Bands? 249
- 17. The Shortest Connection Problem on Triangular Grids 262
- 18. Entropy of Lego Jumper Plates 287
- About the Editors 313
- About the Contributors 315
- Index 323
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Contents v
- Foreword vii
- Preface and Acknowledgments xv
-
PART I. Puzzles and Brainteasers
- 1. Probability in Your Head 3
- 2. Solving Puzzles Backward 11
- 3. Spiral Galaxies Font 24
- 4. Kings, Sages, Hats, and Codes 31
- 5. How to Predict the Flip of a Coin 42
- 6. Coins and Logic 55
-
PART II. Games
- 7. Bingo Paradoxes 77
- 8. Wiggly Games and Burnside’s Lemma 91
- 9. Losing at Checkers Is Hard 103
- 10. Chutes and Ladders without Chutes or Ladders 119
- 11. Bugs, Braids, and Batching 139
-
PART III. Algebra and Number Theory
- 12. The Magic of Charles Sanders Peirce 161
- 13. Can You Win Khalou in Five Moves? 204
- 14. On Partitions into Squares of Distinct Integers Whose Reciprocals Sum to 1 213
- 15. Puzzles, Parity Maps, and Plenty of Solutions 222
-
PART IV. Geometry and Topology
- 16. Should We Call Them Flexa-Bands? 249
- 17. The Shortest Connection Problem on Triangular Grids 262
- 18. Entropy of Lego Jumper Plates 287
- About the Editors 313
- About the Contributors 315
- Index 323