MacHale D. Lateral Solutions to Mathematical Problems 2023

Textbook in PDF format

Lateral Solutions to Mathematical Problems offers a fresh approach to mathematical problem solving via lateral thinking. Lateral thinking has long been used informally by good mathematics teachers and lecturers to spice up their material and interest their students in the more artistic aspects of mathematical problem solving. In this book, the author attempts to carry out this process formally, with reference to specific, non-technical problems that are easily understood and explained at an intermediate level. This book is appropriate for interested high school students, undergraduates and postgraduates, looking for relief from technical material and also looking for insight into the methodology of mathematics; for teachers and lecturers looking for a novel approach to course material; and anyone interested in both mathematics and lateral thinking.
About the Author.
Introduction.
Number Theory.
Primes and Divisibility.
Geometry.
Trigonometry.
Probability.
Combinatorics.
Dissections.
Matchsticks and Coins.
Logic.
MAXIMA and Minima.
Calculus and Analysis.
A Mixed Bag