What a maddening book this is. Which Way did the Bicycle Go? by Joseph
Konhauser et al (Mathematical Association of America, $24.95, ISBN 0
88385 325 6) is a collection of puzzles selected from 25 years’ worth of
Problems of the Week that confronted and confounded students at Macalester
College in St Paul, Minnesota. They are not easy, so teeth need to be gritted
and impatience reined in. The book’s first surprise is to prove Sherlock Holmes
wrong, with a cry of “Balderdash!”, hence the title. You will need good maths
knowledge, so be warned. If you haven’t, the solutions will be just as taxing as
the problems.
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