Today is the 101st anniversary
of Martin Gardner’s birth. Martin is one
of the most famous mathematicians – even though he was not a mathematician.
Martin was a writer. He was probably most well known for is “Mathematical
Games” column in Scientific American columns from 1956 to 1981. Many mathematicians actually got interested
in mathematics through his articles and books about what we call “recreational
mathematics” – and absolutely no textbooks.
I highly recommend his books to young
students and adults alike. You won’t
need much background in math because he does a good job of explaining what you
need to know – and it does not look, or sound, or feel like the math you
learned in school.
As a Navy Veteran myself I have to also
mention that he served in the Navy through World War II.
Many groups with gather this month for “Celebration
of the Mind” events in many parts of the world, in memory of Martin Gardner. If you would like to know more about “Celebration
of the Mind” visit: http://www.celebrationofmind.org/wordpress_site/
I’ll stop here – if I get started on more
stories I may never find a place to stop.
David
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