Overview

Delve into the mechanics behind math’s greatest achievements with this engaging course on brain teasers and logic puzzles. “Mathematical Brain Teasers and Logic Puzzles” offers a fun way to sharpen your reasoning skills while exploring a variety of mathematical concepts through challenging puzzles.

Course Instructor

Award-winning teacher and mathematician Professor Jason Rosenhouse introduces his favorite puzzles, providing insights into mathematical strategies and problem-solving techniques.

Video Lessons

1. Why We Love Puzzles
   • Duration: 25 min
   • Description: Explore the reasons behind our fascination with puzzles and how they contribute to mathematical thinking.

2. Thinking Outside the Box
   • Duration: 24 min
   • Description: Tackle a classic puzzle that challenges conventional thinking and apply this skill to various brain teasers.

3. You Don’t Need No Algebra!
   • Duration: 25 min
   • Description: Discover how cleverness can solve problems without relying on algebraic methods and understand when too much information complicates a solution.

4. Knights, Knaves, and Normals
   • Duration: 26 min
   • Description: Dive into logic puzzles that involve knights (truth-tellers) and knaves (liars), introducing various statement types.

5. Lewis Carroll’s Game
   • Duration: 27 min
   • Description: Attempt logic exercises designed by Lewis Carroll to illustrate Aristotelian principles.

6. Question Puzzles and Coercive Logic
   • Duration: 23 min
   • Description: Engage with puzzles where asking the right questions is key to problem-solving, including the heaven or hell puzzle.

7. The Saga of the Hardest Logic Puzzle Ever
   • Duration: 26 min
   • Description: Analyze biconditional statements and try to solve Boolos’s challenging logic puzzle.

8. The Muddy Children Puzzle
   • Duration: 26 min
   • Description: Solve a logic puzzle involving muddy children and draw conclusions based on inferred information.

• The Perils of Probability
  • Duration: 26 min
  • Description: Ponder intriguing probability scenarios and discover surprising insights into chance.

10. A New Look at the Monty Hall Problem
    • Duration: 28 min
    • Description: Examine the Monty Hall problem and understand why switching doors increases your chances of winning.

11. Arithmetic Amusements
    • Duration: 29 min
    • Description: Enjoy fun arithmetic challenges and discover the interplay of number theory and logic.

12. Algorithmic Puzzles
    • Duration: 24 min
    • Description: Explore puzzles that rely on algorithms, highlighting their applications in various scenarios.