7 quotes
Mathemagical mathematics combines the beauty of mathematical structure with the entertainment value of a trick.
A surprising proportion of mathematicians are accomplished musicians. Is it because music and mathematics share patterns that are beautiful?
Mathematical magic combines the beauty of mathematical structure with the entertainment value of a trick.
This confusion of the certainty of mathematics within a formal system and the uncertainty of its applications to the world is a common mistake often made by ignorant sociologists.
Did Adam and Eve Have Navels?: Debunking Pseudoscience (2001)
I've always felt that a teacher can introduce recreational math; and I'm defining it in the very broad sense to include anything that has a spirit of play about it. I don't know of any better way to hook the interests of the students.
The element of play, which makes recreational mathematics recreational, may take many forms: a puzzle to be solved, a competitive game, a magic trick, paradox, fallacy, or simply mathematics with any sort of curious or amusing fillip.
The Scientific American Book of Mathematical Puzzles & Diversions (1959)
There is not much difference between the delight a novice experiences in cracking a clever brain teaser and the delight a mathematician experiences in mastering a more advanced problem. Both look on beauty bare -- that clean, sharply defined, mysterious, entrancing order that underlies all structure.
The Scientific American Book of Mathematical Puzzles & Diversions (1959)