The Magical Maze: Seeing the World Through Mathematical Eyes

Math is fun? It is in Ian Stewart's romp through a labyrinth of possibilities and logic. Although some of the delightful puzzles, problems and teasers will give your brain a workout, you will be glad you followed the path to the end. Stewart uses the maze metaphor (the book has an "entrance," "passages," and an "exit" rather than an introduction, chapters, and an end) to illustrate the mental journeys we take when solving everything from bar tricks to problems of artificial intelligence. Difficult points are illustrated with an imaginary journey and lots of fun games. Real-life examples of mathematical "magic" abound, including the trails of slime-molds and the dimples in golf balls. Great walk through the jungle of probability. --Therese Littleton