Handbook of Cubik Math
by Alexander H. Jr Frey and David Singmaster
Paperback (No longer our product)
(July 2010)
ISBN: 9780718892098
6.1 x 9.17 inches
Price: $30.00
In stock
A clear explanation of the mathematics that underlies comprehension of Rubik’s Cube, and how the cube itself can be used to grasp the fundamentals of group theory.
The Handbook of Cubic Math unveils the theory involved in Rubik’s Cube’s solution, the potential applications of that theory to other similar puzzles, and how the cube provides a physical example for many concepts in mathematics where such examples are difficult to find. Nonetheless, the authors have been able to cover and explain these topics in a way which is easily understandable to the layman, suitable for a junior-high-school or high-school course in math, and appropriate for a college course in modern algebra. This manual will satisfy the experts’ curiosity about the moves that lead to the solution of the cube and will offer a useful supplementary teaching aid to the beginners.
Dr Alexander H. Frey, Jr., received his PhD in Mathematics in 1960. He worked for over thirty years for IBM, and then for fifteen years on distributed file system technology. Now retired, he pursues his interest in the mathematical properties of many puzzles, including Sudoku and four and five dimensional Rubik’s cubes. David Singmaster is recognised as the world’s leading authority on the mathematics of Rubik’s Cube. An American by birth and citizenship he was until his retirement a Lecturer in Mathematical Sciences at South Bank University, London, England. His earlier Notes on Rubik’s Magic Cube was described by Scientific American as ‘the definitive treatise’
- By (author) Alexander H. Frey Jr.
- By (author) David Singmaster
"The best book yet written - or likely to be written - on the wonders and the dark, unsolved mysteries of the cube"Martin Gardiner"Frey and Singmaster give a nicely blended discussion of specific algorithms for the cube together with some underlying theoretical concepts from group theory. Thus, cubists will be able to cure their insomnia by reading Chapter 3, and then perhaps satisfy their aroused curiosity about what is really going on by reading further"David M. Goldschmidt, Professor of Mathematics, University of California, Berkeley"Frey and Singmaster masterfully use the Rubik's cube to give a very tangible and tactile feel to the abstract concept of a group ... the book remains the definitive source for cube mathematics and presents an interesting and accessible introduction to group theory."David A. Reimann, in Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2012d
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