April 03, 2004

Puzzles + Math = Magic [A] small mahogany coffee cup is firmly attached to a polished wooden saucer. A wooden spoon sits on the plate. So do two white sugar cubes, also made of wood. But can the cup be lifted off the saucer? It seems locked in place.

Gatherings for Gardner presents an array of puzzles and recreational math. See also Arthur Ganson: He ...shows a film clip of a wiry contraption, whose sole function is to make a wishbone seem to walk says the New York Times.

posted by jjray 20 years ago
  • Wow. This is very cool, and as a math nerd, i must say that the hyper cube applet on the Gatherings for Gardiner site is just straight up hypnotic.
  • Second the "very cool" comment. I grew up on Gardner's columns, which gave me a life-long fondness for puzzles and magic and weird math. The NYT article link to Puzzle World is well worth exploring. Many of these puzzle-sculptures are displayed, and some are for sale.
  • Great post! I have the "Amateur Scientist" archive on CD-ROM that SA put out a few years back. I'd love to see all of Gardner's columns available online or on CD-ROM.
  • this is neato mosquito! thank ye. (or: [banana])