One of the most interesting, and oldest, recreations in Mathematics is the magic square.
Michael D. Hirschhorn
The famous Fibonacci numbers are a sequence of numbers defined by , and for
While I was overseas last year, I was able to see a harmonograph (as described in Vol. 7 No. 3) at the British Science Museum in Kensington, London.
G. P. Monro
Last year we presented you with mazes which are not strictly a game, and similarly in this issue we are presenting you with a method for constructing mathematical patterns.
For almost the last five years, Parabola has reviewed books on mathematical topics.
Q.297 A man has 3 bottles which hold exactly 8 litres, 5 litres, and 3 litres.
Q.285 C.F.Gauss was given the problem of summing the numbers from 1 to 100 when he was a student. He did it this way:
Problem 297 in the last issue of Parabola is an example of a very popular type of mathematical puzzle in which you are asked to measure a certain quantity of liquid using only a set of jugs.
G. Bosson
Most people who are interested in mathematics are aware that the topic of recurring decimals has been, for a long time, a happy hunting ground for mathematical oddities.
S. J. Prokhovnik
Everyone sees the stars, the sky, the universe from a different standpoint.
Other readers of Parabola might be interested in the following mathematical trick:
Solitaire is a game for one person. It is played with pegs or marbles on a board with holes in it, in the following pattern:
Alan owes Bruce 45c, and Charles owes Alan 25c. Alan has only a $1 note, Bruce has only a 5c coin, and Charles has only a 50c coin and four 10c coins.
For almost the last five years, Parabola has reviewed books on mathematical topics.
Q.309 In a family with 6 children, the five elder children are respectively 2,6,8, 12 and 14 years older than the youngest.
Q.297 A man has 3 bottles which hold exactly 8 litres, 5 litres, and 3 litres.
Everyone knows how to count the number of elements of a finite set. But what are we actually doing when we count?
Philip J. Stott
A number is prime if it has exactly two factors - itself and unity (one).
Peter J. Hannan
What is similar between a drunk staggering along a narrow alley and an electron moving along a wire under a potential difference?
I was recently reading your article on Magic Squares (Vol. 12 No. 1) and I started doing a few.
The game "Life", invented by British mathematician John Conway, is, like Solitaire, a game you can play by yourself.
Your results were, I think, better this year than last. There was a greater willingness to tackle all the questions.
Q.321 The following factorisations of numbers are true:
12=3.4;1122=34.33;111222=334.333;1111222=334.3333
Q.309 In a family with 6 children, the five elder children are respectively 2,6,8, 12 and 14 years older than the youngest.