Description
Book SynopsisPacked with more than a hundred color illustrations and a wide variety of puzzles and brainteasers, Taking Sudoku 2eriously uses this popular craze as the starting point for a fun-filled introduction to higher mathematics. How many Sudoku solution squares are there? What shapes other than three-by-three blocks can serve as acceptable Sudoku regions? What is the fewest number of starting clues a sound Sudoku puzzle can have? Does solving Sudoku require mathematics? Jason Rosenhouse and Laura Taalman show that answering these questions opens the door to a wealth of interesting mathematics. Indeed, they show that Sudoku puzzles and their variants are a gateway into mathematical thinking generally. Among many topics, the authors look at the notion of a Latin square--an object of long-standing interest to mathematicians--of which Sudoku squares are a special case; discuss how one finds interesting Sudoku puzzles; explore the connections between Sudoku, graph theory, and polynomials; and c
Trade ReviewThis well-written book would be of interest to anyone, mathematician or not, who likes solving Sudoku puzzles. * Donald Keedwell, Mathematical Gazette *
This is an interesting book. The style is conversational and east to read ... * John Sykes, Mathematics in School *
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and do not have any criticisms to make. The authors have produced a lovely addition to any budding or practiced mathematicians bookcase. Well-presented and readable for both the novice and the maths expert, which is an admirable feat, this book is for anyone with an interest, no matter how vague or intense, in Sudoku. * Angie Wade, Significance *
A beautiful book. * Paul Levrie, Karel de Grote University College *
Table of Contents1. Playing the Game ; Mathematics as Applied Puzzle-Solving ; 2. Latin Squares ; What Do Mathematicians Do? ; 3. Greco-Latin Squares ; The Problem of the Thirty-Six Officers ; 4. Counting ; It's Harder Than it Looks ; 5. Equivalence Classes ; The Importance of Being Essentially Identical ; 6. Searching ; The Art of Finding Needles in Haystacks ; 7. Graphs ; Dots, Lines and Sudoku ; 8. Polynomials ; We Finally Found a Use For Algebra ; 9. Extremes ; Sudoku Pushed to its Limits ; 10. Epilogue ; You Can Never Have Too Many Puzzles ; Solutions to Puzzles
