Adventures in Group Theory: Rubik's Cube, Merlin's Machine, and Other Mathematical Toys

Joyner, David

ISBN 10: 0801869471 / ISBN 13: 9780801869471

Published by Johns Hopkins Univ Pr, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A., 2002

About this Item

Excellent like new condition-tight binding-spine not broken-covers and text are clean and clear-no marks or names or shading.

Seller Inventory # 003764

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Adventures in Group Theory: Rubik's Cube, Merlin's Machine, and Other Mathematical Toys
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0801869471
• ISBN 13: 9780801869471
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

Group theory deals with symmetry, in the most abstract form possible. It is a core part of the undergraduate math curriculum, and forms part of the training of theoretical physicists and chemical crystallographers. In this book, David Joyner uses mathematical toys (primarily the Rubik's Cube and its more modern cousins, the Megaminx, the Pyraminx, and so on) as well as other mathematical examples (for example, bell-ringing) to breathe new life into a time-honoured, and usually dry, subject. "Why," asks the author, "should two such different topics, mechanical puzzles and abstract group theory, be related? This book takes the reader on an intellectual trip to answer this curiosity". The book should not only appeal to maths enthusiasts and interested general readers but should also find use in the classroom as a supplementary text in any abstract algebra or group theory course.

About the Author

David Joyner is a professor of mathematics at the U.S. Naval Academy. He is coauthor of Linear Algebra with Applications and editor of Coding Theory and Cryptography: From Enigma and Geheimschreiber to Quantum Theory.