A Mathematical Mosaic: Patterns & Problem Solving - Softcover

Ravi Vakil, described in the San Francisco Chronicle as “a legend in the world of math competitions” has finally released his long-awaited second edition of A Mathematical Mosaic: Patterns & Problem Solving. Regarded by many as a seminal book in the field of mathematics competitions, the first edition of A Mathematical Mosaic has received wide acclaim from mathematics teachers, professors and the mathematics community at large. In a review in The Mathematics Teacher, high school teacher John Cocharo wrote, “Without a doubt, this book is a must for any library, teacher's reference or student's amusement.” André Toom in his review in the Mathematical Monthly observed, “[A Mathematical Mosaic] speaks in an interesting and understandable way about number theory, combinatorics, game theory, geometry, and calculus, to say nothing about magic tricks, puzzles and other digressions. What is most important is that whenever Vakil starts to discuss something, he never leaves the reader without a piece of exact, rigorous knowledge.”

In the pages of this book, Ravi shares what mathematics is really about: beauty, elegance, and the discovery of deep and interconnected patterns. These patterns of nature are often best understood through puzzles and problems, both easy and hard. He also profiles eleven other Olympiad winners including Noam Elkies, the youngest professor to receive tenure at Harvard.This book is a must for teachers seeking to challenge their best students, and for students preparing for mathematics competitions.