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Mathematical puzzle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mathematical puzzle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mathematical puzzles make up an integral part of recreational mathematics. They have specific rules as do multiplayer games, but they do not usually involve competition between two or more players. Instead, to solve such a puzzle, the solver must find a solution that satisfies the given conditions. Mathematical puzzles require mathematics to solve them. Logic puzzles are a common type of mathematical puzzle. Conway's Game of Life and fractals, as two examples, may also be considered mathematical puzzles even though the solver interacts with them only at the beginning by providing a set of initial conditions. After these conditions are set, the rules of the puzzle determine all subsequent changes and moves. Many of the puzzles are well known because they were discussed by Martin Gardner in his "Mathematical Games" column in Scientific American. Mathematical puzzles are sometimes used to motivate students in teaching elementary school math problem solving techniques.[1] This list is not complete.

Contents
1 List of mathematical puzzles 1.1 Numbers, arithmetic, and algebra 1.2 Combinatorial 1.3 Analytical or differential 1.4 Probability 1.5 Tiling, packing, and dissection 1.6 Involves a board 1.6.1 Chessboard tasks 1.7 Topology, knots, graph theory 1.8 Mechanical 1.9 0-player puzzles 2 References 3 External links

List of mathematical puzzles

The following categories are not disjoint;

Numbers, arithmetic, and algebra

Cross-figures or Cross number Puzzle Dyson numbers Four fours KenKen
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Mathematical puzzle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Feynman Long Division Puzzles Pirate loot problem Verbal arithmetics 24 Game

Combinatorial
Cryptograms Fifteen Puzzle Kakuro Rubik's Cube and other sequential movement puzzles Str8ts a number puzzle based on sequences Sudoku Think-a-Dot Tower of Hanoi

Analytical or differential
Ant on a rubber rope See also: Zeno's paradoxes

Probability
Monty Hall problem

Tiling, packing, and dissection

Bedlam cube Conway puzzle Mutilated chessboard problem Packing problem Pentominoes tiling SlothouberGraatsma puzzle Soma cube T puzzle Tangram

Involves a board
Conway's Game of Life Mutilated chessboard problem Peg solitaire Sudoku

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Mathematical puzzle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chessboard tasks Eight queens puzzle Knight's Tour No-three-in-line problem

Topology, knots, graph theory

The fields of knot theory and topology, especially their non-intuitive conclusions, are often seen as a part of recreational mathematics. Disentanglement puzzles Seven Bridges of Knigsberg Water, gas, and electricity

Mechanical
Main article: Mechanical puzzle Rubik's Cube Think-a-Dot

0-player puzzles
Conway's Game of Life Flexagon Polyominoes

References
1. ^ Kulkarni, D. Enjoying Math: Learning Problem Solving With KenKen Puzzles (http://www.matholympiad.info/Documents/TeachingWithKenKen.pdf), A textbook for teaching with KenKen Puzzles.

External links
Historical Math Problems/Puzzles (http://mathdl.maa.org/convergence/1/? pa=content&sa=browseNode&categoryId=9) at Mathematical Association of America Convergence Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mathematical_puzzle&oldid=576644036" Categories: Recreational mathematics Puzzles This page was last modified on 10 November 2013 at 05:23. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
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Mathematical puzzle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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