The Mathematical Gardner

In this course we will have an “orgy of right-brain tomfoolery” as inspired by the writings of Martin Gardner. For several decades Gardner's contributions to Scientific American, in the form of his column “Mathematical Games,” bridged the divide between professional mathematicians and the general public. He shared with us like no other, introducing or popularizing topics such as paper-folding, Hex, polyominoes, four-dimensional ticktacktoe, Conway’s Game of Life, the Soma cube --- the list goes on seemingly forever. We will examine these mathematical curiosities for pure pleasure. 3 hrs. sem.