Half a Century of Pythagoras Magazine

Half a Century of Pythagoras Magazine is a selection of the best and most inspiring articles from this Dutch magazine for recreational mathematics. Founded in 1961 and still thriving today, Pythagoras has given generations of high school students in the Netherlands a perspective on the many branches of mathematics that are not taught in schools.
The book contains a mix of easy and more challenging problems, as well as playful introductions to a plethora of subjects in algebra, geometry, topology, number theory and more. One of the first editors was a personal friend of world famous Dutch graphic artist Maurits Escher, whose ‘impossible objects’ have been a recurring subject over the years. Articles about his work are part of a special section on ‘Mathematics and Art’.
While many books on recreational mathematics rely heavily on ‘folklore’, a reservoir of ancient riddles and games that are being recycled over and over again, most of the puzzles and problems in Half a Century of Pythagoras Magazine are original, invented for this magazine by Pythagoras’ many editors and authors over the years.
Smart high school students and anyone else with a sharp and inquisitive mind will find in this book a treasure trove which is rich enough to keep his or her mind engaged for many weeks and months.

Ook leuk voor Nederlanders
Half a Century of Pythagoras Magazine is niet zomaar een vertaling van De Pythagoras Code: de Engelse editie bevat extra artikelen over getaltheorie en meetkunde uit zowel oudere als recente jaargangen van Pythagoras, veel 'Denkertjes' zijn vervangen door andere puzzels uit het rijke oeuvre van Pythagoras, en het hoofdstuk ‘Geschiedenis van de wiskunde’ is geschrapt.

Alex van den Brandhof, Jan Guichelaar en Arnout Jaspers (editors)
Half a Century of Pythagoras Magazine (October 2015)
MAA Press - Spectrum Series
302 pages
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