Recreational

Problems Using
Mathematics
 What is Recreational Mathematics?
• Recreational Mathematics is an umbrella term,
referring to Mathematical puzzles and
Mathematical games.
• Not all problems in this field require a knowledge
of advanced Mathematics, and thus, recreational
Mathematics often attracts the curiosity of non-
Mathematicians, and inspires their further study of
Mathematics.
 This genre of mathematics
includes logic puzzles and
other puzzles that require
deductive reasoning, the
aesthetics of mathematics, and
peculiar or amusing stories
and coincidences about
mathematics and
mathematicians. Some of the
more well known topics in
recreational mathematics are
 Mathematical Games
• Mathematical games are multiplayer
games whose rules, strategies, and
outcomes can be studied and
explained by mathematics. The players
of the game may not need to use
mathematics in order to play
mathematical games.
For example …
 Mathematics Puzzles
• Mathematical puzzles require
mathematics in order to solve them.
They have specific rules, as do
multiplayer games, but mathematical
puzzles don't usually involve
competition between two or more players. Instead, in order
to solve such a puzzle, the solver must find a solution that
satisfies the given conditions.
• Logic puzzles are a common type of mathematical puzzle.
Conway's Game of Life and fractals are also considered
mathematical puzzles, even though the solver only interacts
with them by providing a set of initial conditions.
Common and Famous Topics of
Recreational Mathematics

•Tangrams
•Palindrome
•Rubik’s Cube
 Tangrams
• The tangram is a dissection puzzle consisting of seven
flat shapes, called tans, which are put together to form
shapes. The objective of the puzzle is to form a specific
shape (given only in outline or silhouette) using all
seven pieces, which may not overlap.
 Palindrome
• A palindromic number or numeral palindrome
is a 'symmetrical' number like 16461, that
remains the same when its digits are reversed.
The first palindromic numbers (in decimal) are:
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 22, 33, 44, 55,
66, 77, 88, 99, 101, 111, …
• Palindromic numbers receive most attention in
the realm of recreational mathematics.
A typical problem asks for numbers that possess
a certain property and are palindromic.
• For instance, the palindromic primes
are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 101, 131, 151,…
• The palindromic square numbers are 0, 1, 4, 9, 121, 484,
676 , 10201, …
 Rubik’s Cube
• The most famous of recent puzzles is the Rubik's cube invented by the Hungarian Ernö
Rubik. Its fame is incredible. Invented in 1974, patented in 1975 it was put on the market in
Hungary in 1977. However it did not really begin as a craze until 1981. By 1982 10 million
cubes had been sold in Hungary, more than the population of the country. It is estimated
that 100 million were sold world-wide.

• The cube consists of 3 × 3 × 3 smaller cubes which, in the initial configuration, are
colored so that the 6 faces of the large cube are coloured in 6 distinct colors. The 9
cubes forming one face can be rotated through 45°. There are
43,252,003,274,489,856,000 different arrangements of the small cubes, only one of these
arrangements being the initial position. Solving the cube shows the importance of
conjugates and commutator in a group.
 MAGIC SQUARE
• In recreational mathematics, a magic square is a square
which is divided into smaller squares and each smaller
square usually contains distinct integers. In a magic
square, the sum of all the integers in every horizontal,
vertical and diagonal line is the same.