Grab a pencil. Relax. Then take off on a mind-boggling journey to the ultimate frontier of math, mind, and meaning as acclaimed author Clifford Pickover, Dorothy, and Dr. Oz explore some of the oddest and quirkiest highways and byways of the numerically obsessed. The thought-provoking mysteries, puzzles, and problems range from zebra numbers and circular primes to Legion's number--a number so big that it makes a trillion pale in comparison. The strange mazes, bizarre consequences, and dizzying arrays of logic problems entertain readers at all levels of mathematical sophistication. The tests devised by enigmatic Dr. Oz to assess human intelligence will tease the brain of even the most avid puzzle fan. They feature a host of mathematical topics: geometry and mazes, sequences, series, sets, arrangements, probability and misdirection, number theory, arithmetic, and even several problems dealing with the physical world. With numerous illustrations, this is an original, fun-filled, and unusual introduction to numbers and their role in creativity, computers, games, practical research, and absurd adventures that teeter on the edge of logic and insanity. Clifford A. Pickover is the author of over twenty highly acclaimed books on such topics as computers and creativity, art, mathematics, black holes, human behavior and intelligence, time travel, alien life, and science fiction. Among his books are Computers, Pattern, Chaos, and Beauty (St. Martin's Press, 1990), Wonders of Numbers (Oxford University Press, 2000), Dreaming the Future (Prometheus, 2001), The Zen of Magic Squares, Circles, and Stars (Princeton University Press, 2001), The Stars of Heaven (Oxford University Press, 2001), The Paradox of God and the Science of Omniscience (Palgrave, 2002). A Ph.D. graduate of Yale University, he is a prolific inventor with dozens of patents, the associate editor for several journals, the author of colorful puzzle calendars, and puzzle contributor to adult and children's magazines. Pickover's computer graphics have been featured on the cover of many popular magazines and on T.V. shows.
Industry Reviews
'... this book is an excellent one ... anyone wishing to open it for the first time should be warned about the danger of becoming addicted to reading it on a regular basis.' Yuri V. Rogovchenko, Zentralblatt MATH 'A perpetual idea machine, Clifford Pickover is one of the most creative, original thinkers in the world today.' Journal of Recreational Mathematics 'Run, leap, scurry and scoot to your nearest bookstore and get his books.' BYTE 'Pickover inspires a new generation of da Vincis to build unknown flying machines and create new Mona Lisas.' Christian Science Monitor 'Pickover is van Leeuwenhoek's twentieth century equivalent.' OMNI 'The Mathematics of Oz stands out from the crowd. There are enough challenges here to keep you away from the TV all Christmas.' New Scientist '... the material in the book is not duplicated in other collections, and some of it is even new, a real rarity in recreational mathematics.' Underwood Dudley, author of Mathematical Cranks 'Readers cannot deny the wit, humor, and intelligent challenges Pickover demands of them. those who love solving puzzles will surely appreciate the whimsy and the sport.' Leonardo 'This is an excellent collection of mathematical problems and puzzles at all levels of mathematical sophistication ... The reader is guided to think about many interesting areas, and various methods are exploited and presented in a non-traditional way.' European Mathematical Society '... [an] astounding collection of more than 100 puzzles ... Mathematics of Oz is a stimulating romp through often mind-bending terrain.' Science News '... an excellent collection of mathematical problems and puzzles at all levels of mathematical sophistication.' EMS Newsletter '... the problems themselves - more than a hundred in total - amaze, challenge and delight in equal proportion.' The Mathematical Gazette 'Beside being a pleasant reading, this book is capable of endearing its readers to mathematics. ...useful reading for not only mathematics-orientated people, but laymen interested in thinking can find exciting riddles and thinking methods as well. ...This book is a recommended reading for each Homo sapiens who likes thinking.' Acta Scientiarum Mathematicarum
