NUMBER MOSAICS
Journeys in Search of Universals
by Adi R Kanga
Number Mosaics has little in common with most other books of recreational mathematics. Though it contains much for the reader to marvel at and wonder about, it is far from being just another book of mind bending puzzles. It is more in the nature of a story of discovery and adventure in hitherto unexplored regions of the fascinating universe of numbers and patterns. As the story unfolds, the reader is drawn into it and soon becomes a member of the exploring party.
The problems which feature in the book are intriguing in themselves, but the focus is not so much on obtaining the right answers as on the numerous and ingenious ways of arriving at the solutions.
The approach adopted is similar to that often used in the past by old masters like Fermat, Euler and Gauss, to name a few. The critical examination of raw data initially invokes a response in the form of a conjecture which is then refined and tested in wider and wider fields.
The book abounds with illustrative examples and illuminating diagrams, and throughout it the search for universals continues like a powerful undercurrent, as master keys are forged which work under all manner of changing conditions for solving a variety of problems, often without the need for calculations. This is a book which lovers of number lore will surely relish.
|
