Sign-In
Cart
Mage Merlin's Unsolved Mathematical Mysteries
Hardcover
Currently unavailable to order
Please enter your email and a message will be sent to you when this product becomes available on our website.
ISBN13: 9780262044080
Publisher: MIT Press
Published: Jul 28 2020
Pages: 120
Weight: 0.97
Height: 0.60 Width: 6.10 Depth: 9.10
Language: English
Most people think of mathematics as a set of useful tools designed to answer analytical questions, beginning with simple arithmetic and ending with advanced calculus. But, as Mage Merlin's Unsolved Mathematical Mysteries shows, mathematics is filled with intriguing mysteries that take us to the edge of the unknown. This richly illustrated, story-driven volume presents sixteen of today's greatest unsolved mathematical puzzles, all understandable by anyone with elementary math skills. These intriguing mysteries are presented to readers as puzzles that have time-traveled from Camelot, preserved in the notebook of Merlin, the wise magician in King Arthur's court.
Our guide is Mage Maryam (named in honor of the brilliant young mathematician, the late Maryam Mirzakhani), a distant descendant of Merlin. Maryam introduces the mysteries--each of which is presented across two beautifully illustrated pages--and provides mathematical and historical context afterward. We find Merlin confronting mathematical puzzles involving tinker toys (a present for Camelot's princesses from the sorceress Morgana), cake-slicing at a festival, Lancelot's labyrinth, a vault for the Holy Grail, and more. Each mystery is a sword awaiting removal from its stone, capturing the beauty and power of mathematics.
Also in
Fiction
100 Years of Legends: The Official Celebration of the Le Mans 24 Hours
Holtz, Julien
Davoine, Basile
Holtz, Gerard
Hardcover
Pardon My Book: Ten Years of the Best (and Worst) in Sports from Pardon My Take
Big Cat
Commenter, Pft
Hardcover
The W: A History of the WNBA: How the WNBA Survived, Evolved, and Changed Professional Sports
Spruill, Tamryn
Hardcover
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
Brown, Daniel James
Paperback
Soccernomics (2026 World Cup Edition): Why European Men and American Women Usually Win--And American Men Don't (Yet)
Szymanski, Stefan
Kuper, Simon
Paperback
The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon
Fedarko, Kevin
Paperback
The Bosses of the Bronx: The Endless Drama of the Yankees Under the House of Steinbrenner
Vaccaro, Mike
Hardcover
The Shortest History of Soccer: From Ancient Kicking Games to the World's Most Popular Sport
Bunk, Brian D.
Paperback
The Girls Who Beat the Odds: Stories of Women Who Changed the Course of Sports History
Eder, Mari K.
Hardcover
Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf
Penick, Harvey
Hardcover
Making Camp: A Visual History of Camping's Most Essential Items and Activities
Hogue, Martin
Hardcover
The World Cup: A History of the Planet's Biggest Sporting Event, 2026 Edition
Lisi, Clemente A.
Paperback
A Beginner's Guide to the Roots of Yoga: How to Create a More Authentic Practice
Desai, Nikita
Paperback
Urban Trails: San Francisco: Coastal Bluffs/ The Presidio/ Hilltop Parks & Stairways
Kenin, Alexandra
Paperback
Cinderella Man: James J. Braddock, Max Baer, and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History
Schaap, Jeremy
Paperback
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
Brown, Daniel James
Hardcover
Carlisle vs. Army: Jim Thorpe, Dwight Eisenhower, Pop Warner, and the Forgotten Story of Football'sGreatest Battle
Anderson, Lars
Paperback
Lambeau Ladies: The Boundary-Breaking Women Behind Lombardi's Packers
Kostelnik Biskupic, Laura
Biskupic, Katherine
Paperback
When the Garden Was Eden: Clyde, the Captain, Dollar Bill, and the Glory Days of the New York Knicks
Araton, Harvey
Paperback
La Historia del Fã°tbol En 500 Partidos / The History of Soccer in 500 Matches
Wernicke, Luciano
Paperback
Da Bears!: How the 1985 Monsters of the Midway Became the Greatest Team in NFL History
Delsohn, Steve
Paperback
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics (Large Print Edition)
Brown, Daniel James
Paperback
A People's History of Sports in the United States: 250 Years of Politics, Protest, People, and Play
Zirin, Dave
Paperback
The Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World's Greatest Racehorse
Scanlan, Lawrence
Paperback
Sports Illustrated the Stanley Cup: A History of Hockey's Greatest Prize from the Pages of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Hardcover
The Club: How the English Premier League Became the Wildest, Richest, Most Disruptive Force in Sports
Clegg, Jonathan
Robinson, Joshua
Paperback
Integration at Second Base: Jackie Robinson and the Quest for Black Citizenship
Eisenstadt, Peter
Hardcover
Mastering Logical Fallacies: The Definitive Guide to Flawless Rhetoric and Bulletproof Logic
Withey, Michael
Paperback
American Soccer Nation: The Remarkable 150-Year History of Yanks on a Roll, from Mob Football to the Modern Game
Franek, Mark C.
Paperback
The Long Red Line: Cornell Lacrosse and the Forty-Eight-Year Quest for Glory
Swezey, Christian
Hardcover
Ignorance: What We Do Not Know, Cannot Know, Must Not Know, and Refuse to Know
Szpiro, George G.
Hardcover
The Secret Game: A Wartime Story of Courage, Change, and Basketball's Lost Triumph
Ellsworth, Scott
Paperback
Hail to the Redskins: Gibbs, the Diesel, the Hogs, and the Glory Days of D.C.'s Football Dynasty
Lazarus, Adam
Paperback
Norwegian Method: The Culture, Science, and Humans Behind the Groundbreaking Approach to Elite Endurance Performance
Culp, Brad
Paperback
Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die: Golf Experts Share the World's Greatest Destinations
Santella, Chris
Hardcover
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Firsts: The Players, Moments, and Records That Were First in Team History
Bourret, Timothy
Heisler, John
Paperback
A Big Mess in Texas: The Miraculous, Disastrous 1952 Dallas Texans and the Craziest Untold Story in NFL History
Fleming, David
Hardcover
No Advantage Given: The Incomplete History of U.S. Women's Rugby, 1972-2026
United States Women's Rugby Foundation
Paperback
La Apasionante Historia de Los Mundiales / The Exciting History of the World Cups
Lati, Alberto
Paperback
That First Season: How Vince Lombardi Took the Worst Team in the NFL and Set It on the Path to Glory
Eisenberg, John
Paperback
The Three-Year Swim Club: The Untold Story of Maui's Sugar Ditch Kids and Their Quest for Olympic Glory
Checkoway, Julie
Paperback
The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon
Fedarko, Kevin
Hardcover
1000 Football Shirts Revised and Updated: From Vintage Classics to the Latest Releases
Lions, Bernard
Paperback
A Home on the Field: How One Championship Team Inspires Hope for the Revival of Small Town America
Cuadros, Paul
Paperback
Shattering the Glass: The Remarkable History of Women's Basketball
Grundy, Pamela
Shackelford, Susan
Paperback
The Game That Saved the NHL: The Broad Street Bullies, the Soviet Red Machine, and Super Series '76
Gruver, Ed
Hardcover
The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It
Ritter, Lawrence S.
Paperback
The Game of Their Lives: The Untold Story of the World Cup's Biggest Upset
Douglas, Geoffrey
Paperback
Angels with Dirty Faces: How Argentinian Soccer Defined a Nation and Changed the Game Forever
Wilson, Jonathan
Paperback
The Lions Finally Roar: The Detroit Lions and the Road to Redemption in the NFL
Morris, Bill
Paperback
To Mock a Mockingbird: And Other Logic Puzzles Including an Amazing Adventure in Combinatory Logic
Smullyan, Raymond M.
Paperback
Wheelmen: Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France, and the Greatest Sports Conspiracy Ever
O'Connell, Vanessa
Albergotti, Reed
Paperback
Ironmania: The 1984 Hawaii Ironman Triathlon World Championship and the making of an Iconic Event
Evans, David
Paperback
Battles at Annapolis: Two Remarkable Football Games in the Army-Navy Rivalry
Gendell, David
Paperback
If These Walls Could Talk: Pittsburgh Steelers: Stories from the Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box
Wexell, Jim
Wolfley, Craig
Paperback
The Official History of the Tour de France: Revised and Updated
McGrath, Andy
Edwardes-Evans, Luke
Laget, Serge
Hardcover
Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty
Pearlman, Jeff
Paperback
The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It
Bascomb, Neal
Paperback
So Many Ways to Lose: The Amazin' True Story of the New York Mets--The Best Worst Team in Sports
Gordon, Devin
Hardcover