Search MAA Online MAA Home Read This! The MAA Online book review column The Mathematical Explorer by Stan Wagon and Wolfram Research Reviewed by Marvin Schaefer Readers of Read This! are probably familiar with Stan Wagon as a prolific author and educator. Many of his papers have appeared in the Monthly and Mathematics Magazine , and the MAA has published two of his seven books: Which Way Did the Bicycle Go? (with J. D. E. Konhauser and Dan Velleman) and Old and New Unsolved Problems in Plane Geometry and Number Theory (with Victor Klee). The Mathematical Explorer is an electronic book divided into 15 chapters: Prime Numbers, Calculus, Formulas for Computing Pi, Square Wheels, The Power of Check Digits, Secret Codes, Recreational Mathematics, Exploring Escher Patterns, Varieties of Roses, Turtle Fractalization, Patterns in Chaos, Fermat's Last Theorem, Riemann Hypothesis, Unusual Number Systems, and The Four Color Theorem. Each chapter has several subchapters. Far more mathematical topics are covered than is suggested by the chapter titles, including: continued fractions, Diophantine equations, modular arithmetic, the Buffon Needle Problem, Fibonacci numbers, the Brachistochrone Problem, etc. The purpose of The Mathematical Explorer is explained in its Introduction: The Mathematical Explorer The treatment of each topic is designed to be educational as well as entertaining; it includes a clear explanation of the important concepts along with fascinating cultural and historical details. Many topics have a strong computational thread, while still others are best understood through graphical visualization. Integrated with | |
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