Fantastic Book of Logic Puzzles.pdf

By Muriel Mandell

Illustrated by

Elise Chanowitz

Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Mandell, Muriel.

Fantastic book of logic puzzles.

Includes index.

Summary: A collection of seventy illustrated logic

puzzles set in fantastic locales such as outer space or

mythical kingdoms, with explanations of the logical

reasoning needed to solve them. Includes charts, grids,

diagrams, and a section of clues to consult before

resorting to the answer section.

1. Puzzles—Juvenile literature. 2. Logic—

Juvenile literature. [1. Puzzles. 2. Logic]

I. Chanowitz, Elise, ill. II. Title.

GV1493.M25 1986

For Horace

793.73

86-5980

ISBN 0-8069-4754-3

ISBN 0-8069-4756-X (pbk.)

ISBN 0-8069-4755-1 (lib. bdg.)

7 9 10 8

Published by Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

387 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. 10016

Distributed in Canada by Sterling Publishing

% Canadian Manda Group, P.O. Box 920, Station U

Toronto, Ontario, Canada M8Z 5P9

Distributed in Great Britain and Europe by Cassell PLC

Artillery House, Artillery Row, London SW1P 1RT, England

Distributed in Australia by Capricorn Ltd.

P.O. Box 665, Lane Cove, NSW 2066

Manufactured in the United States of America

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to acknowledge my debt to Irving M.

Copi's Introduction to Logic, to master puzzlemaker

Henry Ernest Dudeney, to Martin Gardner, and to

Fred. Schuh. The following looked over the manuscript

and offered suggestions: mathematician and puzzle-en-

thusiast Dr. David Greenwald; Dr. Arnold Scheiman of

Park West High School; Dr. Ira Ewen, Director of Think-

ing Skills of the New York City Public Schools; and

Edith Novod, Arline Beitler, Stanley Beitler, Jonathan

Mandell, and Horace Mandell. The book would never

have been written without the encouragement and

editorial guidance of my editor at Sterling, Sheila Barry.

Before You Begin

Would Martians Lie?

Planetary Crossings

Martian Mischief

Matching Wits

In the Ogre's Dungeon

The Genie's Revenge

Genie Devilment

The Dragon Montagne

Wizards of Odds

Magic Forces

Clues

Answers

Index

128

Puzzles are a time-honored fun-filled way of learning

to reason logically, to develop thinking skills. They

serve the same function for the mind as exercise does

for the body. And they've been doing it for centuries.

Puzzles have provided intellectual pleasure for the

thinkers of every age, from the early Egyptians, the

legendary Oriental philosophers, the ancient Greeks,

and such renowned medieval scholars as Alcuin and

Rabbi Ben Ezra.

But logic puzzles are no mere entertainment. Many

practical disciplines, including geometry, developed—

at least in part—from the concepts and ideas in these

mathematical games. The highly useful theory of prob-

ability, on which so much of our modern life is based,

supposedly stemmed from an attempt by the 17th cen-

tury mathematician Pascal to solve a gambling dispute!

(This is the self-same Pascal, by the way, who at 19

invented one of the early calculating machines.) And

the formulas in the "Wizards of Odds" are used by

handicappers and economists alike.

You'll find examples of many popular types of logic

puzzles in this book. It's not necessary to start with any

particular chapter, but it is a good idea to concentrate

on one chapter at a time and complete most of the

puzzles in it—preferably in order—before you go on to

the next.

Each chapter starts with the simplest puzzles of a

particular type, so that you build up your understand-

ing and skills step by step. If you get stuck, you'll find

help in the "Clues" section of the book, which starts on

page 83. Sometimes the hint will point out a tricky bit of

language, sometimes it will reveal the particular ap-

proach to take. Occasionally, it will give a simple for-

mula, the mathematical shorthand for the logical think-

ing involved.

But with these logic puzzles, getting the correct an-

swer isn't nearly as important as figuring out how to

find it. Therefore, for each puzzle, no matter how easy

or difficult it is, a detailed explanation is provided at the

back of the book. If you come up with different meth-

ods of solving any of the puzzles—techniques you

think are better, easier or quicker than the methods

described in the answer section—do send them on so

that we can share them with other puzzles fans in sub-

sequent editions.

Why are all the puzzles set in "fantastic" situations?

Strictly for fun. Because imaginative and humorous set-

tings stimulate the imagination and make it more inter-

esting to master the verbal and mathematical skills

needed. What's more, they are much more fun to write!

So—off to interplanetary space, to mythic kingdoms,

to Arabian nights and to medieval magic. Have a mind-

bending trip!

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