Puzzles, Paradoxes and Problem Solving ─ An Introduction to Mathematical Thinking

Taking an alternative approach to related math texts for liberal arts students, this classroom-tested book emphasizes mathematical representations, strategies, and solution methods that address both engaging puzzles and important societal problems. Students learn effective ways to decipher, manipulate, and decompose problems; reframe paradoxes; control complexity; and team with others to find creative, if only approximate, solutions. The book helps students discover that mathematical thinking in the age of algorithms, optimization, and probabilistic inference extends beyond traditional algebra and calculus.

Marilyn A. Reba is a senior lecturer and Douglas R. Shier is a professor emeritus, both in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Clemson University. The logical underpinnings of this textbook were developed and refined throughout many years of classroom feedback and in response to commentary from presentations at national conferences. Selected material from this book is currently being used in the Department of Mathematical Sciences’ liberal arts mathematics course and in a problem-solving course in the Honors College.