Index to Mathematical Games

This is an index of Martin Gardner's 297 monthly columns in Scientific American from 1957 thru 1981. Martin also wrote four (4) regular articles for SciAm, indexed here by author 'MGA', the first in 1952 and the last in 1998!

After Martin 'retired' to focus on writing more books, the column was carried on for two more decades by various others, whose columns are also indexed here.


A Note from the Compiler

This index was compiled by me, John Miller of Portland, Oregon. Read about the compilation and my relationship with Martin [HERE].

I am making every attempt to ensure that these titles are as published in Scientific American. Corrections can be sent to John, via john at timehaven dot us.


JSTOR

JSTOR references were added in September 2024 by Arthur O'Dwyer.

The general public can click on the JSTOR number to see a preview (first page) of any given MG column! Follow the prompt to use credentials for your Library to view the full article. Or, if you are student or faculty, you can Register and Login.

Wikipedia editors can login into JSTOR via Wikipedia. Instructions for that, here some day.

The Authors

MG Martin Gardner Mathematical Games 297
MGA Martin Gardner Scientific American articles 4
DRH Douglas R. Hofstadter Metamagical Themas 25
BH Brian Hayes Computer Recreations 6
FG Fred Gruenberger Computer Recreations (Apr 1984) 1
AKD A. K. Dewdney Mathematical Recreations or Computer Recreations 78
IAN Ian Stewart Mathematical Recreations 96

The Categories (in progress)

A gAmes
B ProBaBility
C Computer Topic == No... use C for Dissection
D Dominoes, Polynominoes, Soma Cubes, Rep-Tiles, Polyiamonds
F Fractal
G Geometry
H Hexaflexagons, etc
I OrigamI
K Magic tricKs
L Logic, Philosophy, Paradox
M Miscellaneous?
N Number Theory
O TopolOgy
P Collections of Problems
Q Magic sQuares
R Randomness
S Symmetry
T Mathematics of the Transfinite (define)
V TaVern puzzles and other physical puzzles, e.g. Rubik's Cube
W Wordplay
X Dr Matrix (often containing several problems)
Y Graph TheorY
Z PuZZles and Tiling (Sliding Block puzzles, etc)
-----
Unused codes: E, J, U, 0-9

More categories? eg Cellular Automata, (2D,3D,4D). Pseudoscience. Suggestions?


The Keywords and Phrases

Keywords are given in places where the subject line doesn't clearly indicate what the column was about. (Need more, forever in progress!)

The Index

MON YR Title Auth n Notes, Keywords, and Phrases Cat vol n
JSTOR
Mar 52 Logic Machines MGA 1 Sci Am Article, pre-dates column C v186 n3 24950629
Dec 56 Flexagons MGA 2 The 0th column, See on MAA.org H v195 n6 24941843
Jan 57 A new kind of magic square with remarkable properties MG 1 ? Q v196 n1 24941872
Feb 57 An assortment of maddening puzzles. Warning: The solutions will not be given until March MG 2 ? P v196 n2 24941903
Mar 57 Some old and new versions of ticktacktoe, plus the answers to last month's puzzles MG 3 ? A v196 n3 24940785
Apr 57 Paradoxes dealing with birthdays, playing cards, coins, crows and red-haired typists MG 4 ? L v196 n4 24940814
May 57 About the remarkable similarity between the Icosian Game and the Tower of Hanoi MG 5 ? ? v196 n5 24940862
Jun 57 Curious figures descended from the Moebius band, which has only one side and one edge MG 6 ? O v196 n6 24940872
Jul 57 Concerning the game of Hex, which may be played on the tiles of the bathroom floor MG 7 ? A v197 n1 24940891
Aug 57 The life and work of Sam Loyd, a mighty inventor of puzzles MG 8 ? Z v197 n2 24940920
Sep 57 Concerning various card tricks with a mathematical message MG 9 ? ? v197 n3 24941922
Oct 57 How to remember numbers by mnemonic devices such as cuff links and red zebras MG 10 ? ? v197 n4 24941949
Nov 57 Nine titillating puzzles, the answers to which will be given next month MG 11 ? P v197 n5 24941976
Dec 57 More about complex dominoes, plus the answers to last month's puzzles MG 12 Pentominoes, hexominoes... D v197 n6 24942002
Jan 58 A collection of tantalizing fallacies of mathematics MG 13 ? ? v198 n1 24942039
Feb 58 Concerning the game of nim and its mathematical analysis MG 14 Tac Tix A v198 n2 24942066
Mar 58 About left- and right-handedness, mirror images and kindred matters MG 15 ? S v198 n3 24940948
Apr 58 Concerning the celebrated puzzle of five sailors, a monkey and a pile of coconuts MG 16 ? ? v198 n4 24940976
May 58 About tetraflexagons and tetraflexigation MG 17 ? H v198 n5 24941006
Jun 58 About Henry Ernest Dudeney, a brilliant creator of puzzles MG 18 ? Z v198 n6 24941034
Jul 58 Some diverting tricks which involve the concept of numerical congruence MG 19 ? N v199 n1 24941062
Aug 58 A third collection of brain-teasers MG 20 ? P v199 n2 24941086
Sep 58 A game in which standard pieces composed of cubes are assembled into larger forms MG 21 Soma H v199 n3 24941116
Oct 58 Four mathematical diversions involving concepts of topology MG 22 ? O v199 n4 24944798
Nov 58 How rectangles, including squares, can be divided into squares of unequal size MG 23 See covers C v199 n5 24944827
Dec 58 Diversions which involve the five Platonic solids MG 24 ? ? v199 n6 24944855
Jan 59 About mazes and how they can be traversed MG 25 ? ? v200 n1 24944894
Feb 59 Brain-teasers that involve formal logic MG 26 ? L v200 n2 24944923
Mar 59 Concerning the properties of various magic squares MG 27 ? Q v200 n3 24944951
Apr 59 The mathematical diversions of a fictitious carnival man MG 28 ? ? v200 n4 26172036
May 59 Another collection of brain-teasers MG 29 ? P v200 n5 24940308
Jun 59 An inductive card game, and the answers to the brain-teasers in the May issue MG 30 Eleusis L v200 n6 26309515
Jul 59 About Origami, the Japanese art of folding objects out of paper MG 31 ? I v201 n1 24940336
Aug 59 About phi, an irrational number that has some remarkable geometrical expressions MG 32 ? G v201 n2 24940366
Sep 59 Concerning mechanical puzzles, and how an enthusiast has collected 2,000 of them MG 33 Grimes Z v201 n3 24940396
Oct 59 Problems involving questions of probability and ambiguity MG 34 ? ? v201 n4 24940425
Nov 59 How three modern mathematicians disproved a celebrated conjecture of Leonhard Euler MG 35 See covers ? v201 n5 24941158
Dec 59 Diversions that clarify group theory, particularly by the weaving of braids MG 36 ? ? v201 n6 24941191
Jan 60 A fanciful dialog about the wonders of numerology MG 37 ? X v202 n1 24941233
Feb 60 A fifth collection of brain-teasers MG 38 See on MAA.org P v202 n2 24941266
Mar 60 The games and puzzles of Lewis Carroll, and the answers to February's problems MG 39 ? AZ v202 n3 24941299
Apr 60 About mathematical games that are played on boards MG 40 ? A v202 n4 24940455
May 60 Reflections on the packing of spheres MG 41 ? G v202 n5 24940486
Jun 60 Recreations involving folding and cutting sheets of paper MG 42 ? O v202 n6 24940520
Jul 60 Incidental information about the extraordinary number pi MG 43 ? ? v203 n1 24940552
Aug 60 An imaginary dialog on mathemagic: tricks based on mathematical principles MG 44 ? K v203 n2 24940583
Sep 60 The celebrated four-color map problem of topology MG 45 ? O v203 n3 24940625
Oct 60 A new collection of brain-teasers MG 46 ? ? v203 n4 24940666
Nov 60 More about the shapes that can be made with complex dominoes MG 47 Polyominoes D v203 n5 24940703
Dec 60 Some recreations involving the binary number system MG 48 ? ? v203 n6 24940728
Jan 61 In which the author chats again with Dr. Matrix, numerologist extraordinary MG 49 ? X v204 n1 24940748
Feb 61 Diversions that involve one of the classic conic sections: the ellipse MG 50 ? G v204 n2 24937358
Mar 61 How to play dominoes in two and three dimensions MG 51 ? D v204 n3 24937399
Apr 61 Concerning the diversions in a new book on geometry MG 52 Coxeter's Intro to Geometry, See covers G v204 n4 24937431
May 61 In which the editor of this department meets the legendary Bertrand Apollinax MG 53 ? ? v204 n5 24937466
Jun 61 A new collection of brain teasers MG 54 ? P v204 n6 24937497
Jul 61 Some diverting mathematical board games, and the answers to last month's problems MG 55 ? A v205 n1 24937013
Aug 61 Some entertainments that involve the calculus of finite differences MG 56 ? ? v205 n2 24937043
Sep 61 Surfaces with edges linked in the same way as the three rings of a well-known design MG 57 Borromean O v205 n3 24937077
Oct 61 Diversions that involve the mathematical constant e MG 58 ? ? v205 n4 24937111
Nov 61 Wherein geometrical figures are dissected to make other figures MG 59 ? C v205 n5 24937137
Dec 61 On the theory of probability and the practice of gambling MG 60 Scarne's Complete Guide to Gambling B v205 n6 24937170
Jan 62 An adventure in hyperspace at the Church of the Fourth Dimension MG 61 ? KO v206 n1 24937202
Feb 62 A clutch of diverting problems, and the answers to those of last month MG 62 ? P v206 n2 24937234
Mar 62 How to build a game-learning machine and then teach it to play and to win MG 63 Michie's matchbox MENACE, tic-tac-toe A v206 n3 24937263
Apr 62 About three types of spiral and how to construct them MG 64 involute, Archimedean, logarithmic or equiangular G v206 n4 24937295
May 62 Symmetry and asymmetry and the strange world of upside-down art MG 65 ? S v206 n5 24937325
Jun 62 The game of solitaire and some variations and transformations MG 66 Peg solitaire A v206 n6 24936577
Jul 62 Fiction about life in two dimensions MG 67 Abbott's Flatland and Hinton's Astria ? v207 n1 24936613
Aug 62 A variety of diverting tricks collected at a fictitious convention of magicians MG 68 ? K v207 n2 24936642
Sep 62 Tests that show whether a large number can be divided by a number from 2 to 12 MG 69 ? N v207 n3 24936675
Oct 62 A collection of puzzles involving numbers, logic and probabilities MG 70 ? P v207 n4 24936722
Nov 62 Some puzzles based on checkerboards, and answers to last month's problems MG 71 ? Z v207 n5 24936358
Dec 62 Some simple tricks and manipulations from the ancient lore of string play MG 72 ? ? v207 n6 24936392
Jan 63 The author pays his annual visit to Dr. Matrix, the numerologist MG 73 ? X v208 n1 24936434
Feb 63 Curves of constant width, one of which makes it possible to drill square holes MG 74 ? G v208 n2 24936472
Mar 63 A new paradox, and variations on it, about a man condemned to be hanged MG 75 The Unexpected Hanging L v208 n3 24936506
Apr 63 A bit of foolishness for April Fools' Day MG 76 ? ? v208 n4 24936540
May 63 On rep-tiles, polygons that can make larger and smaller copies of themselves MG 77 ? D v208 n5 24936155
Jun 63 A discussion of helical structures, from corkscrews to DNA molecules MG 78 ? S v208 n6 24936191
Jul 63 Topological diversions, including a bottle with no inside or outside MG 79 Klein bottle O v209 n1 24936224
Aug 63 Permutations and paradoxes in combinatorial mathematics MG 80 ? ? v209 n2 24936257
Sep 63 How to solve puzzles by graphing the rebounds of a bouncing ball MG 81 ? ? v209 n3 24936296
Oct 63 About two new and two old mathematical board games MG 82 Military Game, Black (similar to Tsuro), Hnefatafl, Sid Sackson's Focus A v209 n4 24936325
Nov 63 A mixed bag of problems, and answers to last month's board-game questions MG 83 ? P v209 n5 24935942
Dec 63 How to use the odd-even check for tricks and problem-solving MG 84 ? ? v209 n6 24935971
Jan 64 Presenting the one and only Dr. Matrix, numerologist, in his annual performance MG 85 ? X v210 n1 24935991
Feb 64 The hypnotic fascination of sliding block puzzles MG 86 Sam Loyd Z v210 n2 24936022
Mar 64 The remarkable lore of the prime numbers MG 87 See covers N v210 n3 24936050
Apr 64 Various problems based on planar graphs, or sets of vertices connected by edges MG 88 ? Y v210 n4 24936084
May 64 The tyranny of 10 overthrown with the ternary number system MG 89 ? N v210 n5 24936120
Jun 64 A collection of short problems and more talk of prime numbers MG 90 ? P v210 n6 24931532
Jul 64 Curious properties of a cycloid curve MG 91 ? G v211 n1 24931566
Aug 64 Concerning several magic tricks based on mathematical principles MG 92 ? KP v211 n2 24931601
Sep 64 Puns, palindromes and other word games that partake of the mathematical spirit MG 93 Finnegan's Wake P v211 n3 24931635
Oct 64 Simple proofs of the Pythagorean theorem, and sundry other matters MG 94 ? G v211 n4 24931667
Nov 64 Some paradoxes and puzzles involving infinite series and the concept of limit MG 95 ? G v211 n5 24931698
Dec 64 On polyiamonds: shapes that are made out of equilateral triangles MG 96 ? D v211 n6 24931733
Jan 65 Some comments by Dr. Matrix on symmetries and reversals MG 97 ? X v212 n1 24931753
Feb 65 Tetrahedrons in nature and architecture, and puzzles involving this simplest polyhedron MG 98 ? G v212 n2 24931783
Mar 65 A new group of short problems and answers to last month's questions MG 99 ? P v212 n3 24931817
Apr 65 The infinite regress in philosophy, literature and mathematical proof MG 100 ? L v212 n4 24931846
May 65 The lattice of integers considered as an orchard or a billiard table MG 101 ? T v212 n5 24931882
Jun 65 Some diversions and problems from Mr. O'Gara, the postman MG 102 ? MP v212 n6 24931914
Jul 65 On the relation between mathematics and the ordered patterns of Op art MG 103 See covers, Four bug problem P v213 n1 24931944
Aug 65 Thoughts on the task of communication with intelligent organisms on other worlds MG 104 ? L v213 n2 24931975
Sep 65 The superellipse: a curve that lies between the ellipse and the rectangle MG 105 Piet Hein G v213 n3 24931123
Oct 65 Pentominoes and polyominoes: five games and a sampling of problems MG 106 ? D v213 n4 24931159
Nov 65 A selection of elementary word and number problems MG 107 ? P v213 n5 24931188
Dec 65 Magic stars, graphs and polyhedrons, and answers to last month's problems MG 108 ? Y v213 n6 24931221
Jan 66 Dr. Matrix returns, now in the guise of a neo-Freudian psychonumeranalyst MG 109 ? X v214 n1 24931241
Feb 66 Recreational numismatics, or a purse of coin puzzles MG 110 ? P v214 n2 24931273
Mar 66 The hierarchy of infinities and the problems it spawns MG 111 ? L v214 n3 24931303
Apr 66 The eerie mathematical art of Maurits C. Escher MG 112 ? P v214 n4 24930915
May 66 How to cook a puzzle, or mathematical one-uppery MG 113 ? P v214 n5 24930942
Jun 66 The persistence (and futility) of efforts to trisect the angle MG 114 ? T v214 n6 24930970
Jul 66 Freud's friend Wilhelm Fliess and his theory of male and female life cycles MG 115 ? M v215 n1 24930996
Aug 66 Puzzles that can be solved by reasoning based on elementary physical principles MG 116 ? L v215 n2 24931027
Sep 66 The problem of Mrs. Perkins' quilt, and answers to last month's puzzles MG 117 ? M v215 n3 24931059
Oct 66 Can the shuffling of cards (and other apparently random events) be reversed? MG 118 ? R v215 n4 24931087
Nov 66 Is it possible to visualize a four-dimensional figure? MG 119 ? T v215 n5 24931332
Dec 66 The multiple charms of Pascal's triangle MG 120 ? T v215 n6 24931360
Jan 67 Can time go backward? MGA 3 Scientific American article S v216 n1 24931378
Jan 67 Dr. Matrix delivers a talk on acrostics MG 121 ? X v216 n1 24931380
Feb 67 Mathematical strategies for two-person contests MG 122 ? A v216 n2 24931410
Mar 67 An array of problems that can be solved with elementary mathematical techniques MG 123 Heighway's dragon curve P v216 n3 24931439
Apr 67 The amazing feats of professional mental calculators, and some tricks of the trade MG 124 ? P v216 n4 24931474
May 67 Cube-root extraction and the calendar trick, or how to cheat in mathematics MG 125 142,857,143 M v216 n5 24931502
Jun 67 The polyhex and the polyabolo, polygonal jigsaw puzzle pieces MG 126 ? DZ v216 n6 24926033
Jul 67 Of sprouts and Brussels sprouts, games with a topological flavor MG 127 Conway's Sprouts AO v217 n1 24926062
Aug 67 In which a computer prints out mammoth polygonal factorials MG 128 ? M v217 n2 24926090
Sep 67 Double acrostics, stylized Victorian ancestors of today's crossword puzzle MG 129 ? Z v217 n3 24926125
Oct 67 Problems that are built on the knight's move in chess MG 130 ? P v217 n4 24926152
Nov 67 A mixed bag of logical and illogical problems to solve MG 131 Langford's Problem P v217 n5 24926180
Dec 67 Game theory is applied (for a change) to games MG 132 ? A v217 n6 24925926
Jan 68 The beauties of the square, as expounded by Dr. Matrix to rehabilitate the hippie MG 133 ? X v218 n1 24925947
Feb 68 Combinatorial problems involving tree graphs and forests of trees MG 134 ? Y v218 n2 24925976
Mar 68 A short treatise on the useless elegance of perfect numbers and amicable pairs MG 135 Mersenne primes T v218 n3 24926005
Apr 68 Puzzles and tricks with a dollar bill MG 136 ? Z v218 n4 24926206
May 68 Circles and spheres, and how they kiss and pack MG 137 ? O v218 n5 24926234
Jun 68 Combinatorial possibilities in a pack of shuffled cards MG 138 ? R v218 n6 24926260
Jul 68 On the meaning of randomness and some ways of achieving it MG 139 ? R v219 n1 24927461
Aug 68 An array of puzzles and tricks, with a few traps for the unwary MG 140 ? P v219 n2 24927487
Sep 68 Counting systems and the relationship between numbers and the real world MG 141 ? T v219 n3 24927514
Oct 68 MacMahon's color triangles and the joys of fitting them together MG 142 Instant Insanity Z v219 n4 24927542
Nov 68 On the ancient lore of dice and the odds against making a point MG 143 ? R v219 n5 24927569
Dec 68 The world of the Möbius strip: endless, edgeless and one-sided MG 144 ? O v219 n6 24927595
Jan 69 Dr. Matrix gives his explanation of why Mr. Nixon was elected President MG 145 ? X v220 n1 24927615
Feb 69 Boolean algebra, Venn diagrams and the propositional calculus MG 146 ? L v220 n2 24926287
Mar 69 The multiple fascinations of the Fibonacci sequence MG 147 ? T v220 n3 24926314
Apr 69 An octet of problems that emphasize gamesmanship, logic and probability MG 148 ? P v220 n4 24926339
May 69 The rambling random walk and its gambling equivalent MG 149 Gambler's ruin R v220 n5 24926364
Jun 69 Random walks, by semidrunk bugs and others, on the square and on the cube MG 150 ? R v220 n6 24926390
Jul 69 Tricks, games and puzzles that employ matches as counters and line segments MG 151 ? Z v221 n1 24926415
Aug 69 Simplicity as a scientific concept: Does nature keep her accounts on a thumbnail? MG 152 ? L v221 n2 24926443
Sep 69 Geometric constructions with a compass and a straightedge, and also with a compass alone MG 153 ? G v221 n3 26069618
Oct 69 A numeranalysis by Dr. Matrix of the lunar flight of Apollo 11 MG 154 ? X v221 n4 24964307
Nov 69 A new pencil-and-paper game based on inductive reasoning MG 155 See covers. Sid Sackson's Patterns A v221 n5 24964352
Dec 69 A handful of combinatorial problems based on dominoes MG 156 ? Z v221 n6 24964399
Jan 70 The abacus: primitive but effective digital computer MG 157 ? C v222 n1 24964462
Feb 70 Nine new puzzles to solve, some answers and addenda MG 158 ? P v222 n2 24964501
Mar 70 Cyclic numbers and their properties, and answers to last month's problems MG 159 ? T v222 n3 24925760
Apr 70 Some mathematical curiosities embedded in the solar system MG 160 ? M v222 n4 24925783
May 70 Of optical illusions, from figures that are undecidable to hot dogs that float MG 161 ? L v222 n5 24925808
Jun 70 Elegant triangle theorems not to be found in Euclid MG 162 ? G v222 n6 24925832
Jul 70 Diophantine analysis and the problem of Fermat's legendary last theorem MG 163 ? T v223 n1 24925855
Aug 70 Backward run numbers, letters, words and sentences until boggles the mind MG 164 Palindromes P v223 n2 24925878
Sep 70 On the cyclical curves generated by wheels that roll along wheels MG 165 Aristotle's wheel, hypocycloid, epicycloid, cardioid, nephroid G v223 n3 24925904
Oct 70 The fantastic combinations of John Conway's new solitaire game life MG 166 Conway's Game of Life, See on MAA.org A v223 n4 24927642
Nov 70 A new collection of short problems and the answers to some of life's MG 167 ? P v223 n5 24927664
Dec 70 The paradox of the nontransitive dice and the elusive principle of indifference MG 168 ? L v223 n6 24927686
Jan 71 Lessons from Dr. Matrix in chess and numerology MG 169 Martin starts reporting on Life X v224 n1 24927706
Feb 71 On cellular automata, self-reproduction, the Garden of Eden and the game life MG 170 See covers C v224 n2 24927730
Mar 71 The orders of infinity, the topological nature of dimension and supertasks MG 171 ? L v224 n3 24927753
Apr 71 Geometric fallacies: hidden errors pave the road to absurd conclusions MG 172 ? G v224 n4 24927776
May 71 The combinatorial richness of folding a piece of paper MG 173 ? O v224 n5 24927800
Jun 71 The Turing game and the question it presents: Can a computer think? MG 174 Turing test C v224 n6 24922758
Jul 71 Quickie problems: not hard, but look out for the curves MG 175 ? P v225 n1 24922782
Aug 71 Ticktacktoe and its complications, and answers to the quickie puzzles MG 176 ? P v225 n2 24922805
Sep 71 The plaiting of Plato's polyhedrons and the asymmetrical yin-yang-lee MG 177 ? M v225 n3 24923127
Oct 71 New puzzles from the game of Halma, the noble ancestor of Chinese checkers MG 178 ? A v225 n4 24922828
Nov 71 Advertising premiums to beguile the mind; classics by Sam Loyd, master puzzle-poser MG 179 ? Z v225 n5 24922852
Dec 71 Further encounters with touching cubes, and the paradoxes of Zeno as supertasks MG 180 ? O v225 n6 24922876
Jan 72 How to triumph at nim by playing safe, and John Horton Conway's game Hackenbush MG 181 ? A v226 n1 24923100
Feb 72 Dr. Matrix poses some heteroliteral puzzles while peddling perpetual motion in Houston MG 182 Names with no repeated letters X v226 n2 24927274
Mar 72 The graceful graphs of Solomon Golomb, or how to number a graph parsimoniously MG 183 ? Y v226 n3 24927298
Apr 72 A topological problem with a fresh twist, and eight other new recreational puzzles MG 184 ? O v226 n4 24927321
May 72 Challenging chess tasks for puzzle buffs and answers to the recreational problems MG 185 ? P v226 n5 24927343
Jun 72 A miscellany of transcendental problems: simple to state but not at all easy to solve MG 186 ? T v226 n6 24927366
Jul 72 Amazing mathematical card tricks that do not require prestidigitation MG 187 ? P v227 n1 24927389
Aug 72 The curious properties of the Gray code and how it can be used to solve puzzles MG 188 ? C v227 n2 24927411
Sep 72 Pleasurable problems with polycubes, and the winning strategy for Slither MG 189 Soma cube, Diabolical cube, Mikusiński's cube DP v227 n3 24927437
Oct 72 Why the long arm of coincidence is usually not as long as it seems MG 190 Kruskal R v227 n4 24922896
Nov 72 On the practical uses and bizarre abuses of Sir Francis Bacon's biliteral cipher MG 191 ? C v227 n5 24922919
Dec 72 Knotty problems with a two-hole torus, and solutions for last month's ciphers MG 192 ? O v227 n6 24922941
Jan 73 Sim, Chomp and Race Track: new games for the intellect (and not for Lady Luck) MG 193 ? A v228 n1 24922961
Feb 73 Up-and-down elevator games and Piet Hein's mechanical puzzles MG 194 ? A v228 n2 24922985
Mar 73 The calculating rods of John Napier, the eccentric father of the logarithm MG 195 Napier's bones C v228 n3 24923007
Apr 73 How to turn a chessboard into a computer and to calculate with negabinary MG 196 ? C v228 n4 24923030
May 73 A new miscellany of problems, and encores for Race Track, Sim, Chomp and elevators MG 197 ? AP v228 n5 24923053
Jun 73 Plotting the crossing number of graphs, and answers to last month's miscellany MG 198 ? Y v228 n6 24923077
Jul 73 Free will revisited, with a mind-bending prediction paradox by William Newcomb MG 199 Two-envelope paradox L v229 n1 24923152
Aug 73 An astounding self-test of clairvoyance by Dr. Matrix MG 200 ? X v229 n2 24923174
Sep 73 Problems on the surface of a sphere offer an entertaining introduction to point sets MG 201 ? O v229 n3 24923202
Oct 73 Look-see diagrams that offer visual proof of complex algebraic formulas MG 202 ? M v229 n4 24923225
Nov 73 Fantastic patterns traced by programmed worms MG 203 Turtle graphics, Paterson's worm C v229 n5 24923248
Dec 73 On expressing integers as the sum of cubes and other unsolved number-theory problems MG 204 ? T v229 n6 24923271
Jan 74 The combinatorial basis of the I Ching, the Chinese book of divination and wisdom MG 205 See covers M v230 n1 24949988
Feb 74 Cram, crosscram and quadraphage: new games having elusive winning strategies MG 206 ? A v230 n2 24950011
Mar 74 Reflections on Newcomb's problem: a prediction and free-will dilemma MG 207 ? L v230 n3 24950033
Apr 74 Nine challenging problems, some rational and some not MG 208 ? P v230 n4 24950057
May 74 On the contradictions of time travel, and answers to last month's problems MG 209 ? L v230 n5 24950081
Jun 74 Dr. Matrix brings his numerological science to bear on the occult powers of the pyramid MG 210 ? X v230 n6 24950103
Jul 74 On the patterns and the unusual properties of figurate numbers MG 211 ? T v231 n1 24950125
Aug 74 On the fanciful history and the creative challenges of the puzzle game of tangrams MG 212 ? Z v231 n2 24950148
Sep 74 More on tangrams: combinatorial problems and the game possibilities of snug tangrams MG 213 ? AZ v231 n3 24950175
Oct 74 On the paradoxical situations that arise from nontransitive relations MG 214 ? L v231 n4 24950199
Nov 74 Dramatic demonstrations of number theorems with playing cards MG 215 ? P v231 n5 24950222
Dec 74 The arts as combinatorial mathematics, or how to compose like Mozart with dice MG 216 ? R v231 n6 24950245
Jan 75 The curious magic of anamorphic art MG 217 See covers P v232 n1 24949711
Feb 75 How the absence of anything leads to thoughts of nothing MG 218 ? L v232 n2 24949734
Mar 75 From rubber ropes to rolling cubes, a miscellany of refreshing problems MG 219 ? P v232 n3 24949757
Apr 75 Six sensational discoveries that somehow or another have escaped public attention MG 220 April Fool, McGregor's five-color map M v232 n4 24949779
May 75 On the remarkable Császár polyhedron and its applications in problem solving MG 221 Room square, Hadamard matrices Y v232 n5 24949803
Jun 75 Games of strategy for two players: star nim, meander, dodgem and rex MG 222 ? A v232 n6 24949825
Jul 75 On tessellating the plane with convex polygon tiles MG 223 ? Z v233 n1 24949848
Aug 75 More about tiling the plane: the possibilities of polyominoes, polyiamonds and polyhexes MG 224 ? Z v233 n2 24949870
Sep 75 Dr. Matrix finds numerological wonders in the King James Bible MG 225 ? X v233 n3 24949897
Oct 75 Concerning an effort to demonstrate extrasensory perception by machine MG 226 Targ & Puthoff; see also Letters to the Editor, Jan 1976 M v233 n4 24949922
Nov 75 On map projections (with special reference to some inspired ones) MG 227 See covers O v233 n5 24949944
Dec 75 A random assortment of puzzles, together with reader responses to earlier problems MG 228 ? P v233 n6 24949967
Jan 76 A breakthrough in magic squares, and the first perfect magic cube MG 229 ? P v234 n1 24950266
Feb 76 Some elegant brick-packing problems, and a new order-7 perfect magic cube MG 230 ? P v234 n2 24950288
Mar 76 On the fabric of inductive logic, and some probability paradoxes MG 231 ? L v234 n3 24950311
Apr 76 Snarks, Boojums and other conjectures related to the four-color-map theorem MG 232 ? Y v234 n4 24950334
May 76 A few words about everything there was, is and ever will be MG 233 ? L v234 n5 24950356
Jun 76 Catalan numbers: an integer sequence that materializes in unexpected places MG 234 ? T v234 n6 24950377
Jul 76 Fun and serious business with the small electronic calculator MG 235 ? C v235 n1 24950399
Aug 76 The symmetrical arrangement of the stars on the American flag and related matters MG 236 Tree-planting puzzles M v235 n2 24950421
Sep 76 John Horton Conway's book covers an infinity of games MG 237 ? A v235 n3 24950446
Oct 76 Combinatorial problems, some old, some new and all newly attacked by computer MG 238 ? C v235 n4 24950467
Nov 76 In which DM (Dr. Matrix) is revealed as the guru of PM (Pentagonal Meditation) MG 239 ? X v235 n5 24950489
Dec 76 In which monster curves force redefinition of the word curve MG 240 Mandelbrot, Fractal, See on MAA.org F v235 n6 24950510
Jan 77 Extraordinary nonperiodic tiling that enriches the theory of tiles MG 241 First appearance of Penrose's kites and darts. See covers, See on MAA.org Z v236 n1 24953856
Feb 77 The flip-strip sonnet, the lipogram and other mad modes of wordplay MG 242 ? PW v236 n2 24953898
Mar 77 Cornering a queen leads unexpectedly into corners of the theory of numbers MG 243 ? T v236 n3 24953943
Apr 77 The pool-table triangle, a limerick paradox and divers other challenges MG 244 Tetrads P v236 n4 24953987
May 77 The jump proof and its similarity to the toppling of a row of dominoes MG 245 inductive logic M v236 n5 24954031
Jun 77 The concept of negative numbers and the difficulty of grasping it MG 246 ? T v236 n6 24954076
Jul 77 Cutting things into equal parts leads into significant areas of mathematics MG 247 ? T v237 n1 24954053
Aug 77 A new kind of cipher that would take millions of years to break MG 248 See on MAA.org C v237 n2 24954008
Sep 77 On conic sections, ruled surfaces and other manifestations of the hyperbola MG 249 ? G v237 n3 24920314
Oct 77 On playing New Eleusis, the game that simulates the search for truth MG 250 ? A v237 n4 24953955
Nov 77 In which joining sets of points by lines leads into diverse (and diverting) paths MG 251 ? Y v237 n5 24953911
Dec 77 Dr. Matrix goes to California to apply punk to rock study MG 252 ? X v237 n6 24953869
Jan 78 The sculpture of Miguel Berrocal can be taken apart like an interlocking mechanical puzzle MG 253 ? P v238 n1 24955606
Feb 78 On checker jumping, the amazon game, weird dice, card tricks and other playful pastimes MG 254 Sichermann dice; Kruskal's principle KP v238 n2 24955629
Mar 78 Count Dracula, Alice, Portia and many others consider various twists of logic MG 255 Raymond Smullyan L v238 n3 24955652
Apr 78 White and brown music, fractal curves and one-over-f fluctuations MG 256 See covers R v238 n4 24955701
May 78 The Bells: versatile numbers that can count partitions of a set, primes and even rhymes MG 257 Bell numbers T v238 n5 24955724
Jun 78 A mathematical zoo of astounding critters, imaginary and otherwise MG 258 ? P v238 n6 24955747
Jul 78 On Charles Sanders Peirce: philosopher and gamesman MG 259 pragmatism L v239 n1 24955769
Aug 78 A Möbius band has finite thickness, and so it is actually a twisted prism MG 260 ? O v239 n2 24960346
Sep 78 Puzzling over a problem-solving matrix, cubes of many colors and three-dimensional dominoes MG 261 Percy Alexander MacMahon DP v239 n3 24955792
Oct 78 Puzzles and number-theory problems arising from the curious fractions of ancient Egypt MG 262 ? ? v239 n4 24955816
Nov 78 In which a mathematical aesthetic is applied to modern minimal art MG 263 ? ? v239 n5 24955839
Dec 78 Is it a superintelligent robot or does Dr. Matrix ride again? MG 264 ? X v239 n6 24955862
Jan 79 The diverse pleasures of circles that are tangent to one another MG 265 ? G v240 n1 24965060
Feb 79 About rectangling rectangles, parodying Poe and many another pleasing problem MG 266 ? PW v240 n2 24965105
Mar 79 On altering the past, delaying the future and other ways of tampering with time MG 267 ? ? v240 n3 24965144
Apr 79 In which players of ticktacktoe are taught to hunt bigger game MG 268 Harary ticktacktoe, names of the tetrominoes A v240 n4 24965167
May 79 How to be a psychic, even if you are a horse or some other animal MG 269 Steiner triple systems ? v240 n5 24965189
Jun 79 Chess problems on a higher plane, including mirror images, rotations and the superqueen MG 270 ? ? v240 n6 24965212
Jul 79 Douglas R. Hofstadter's Gödel, Escher, Bach MG 271 ? ? v241 n1 24965235
Aug 79 The imaginableness of the imaginary numbers MG 272 ? ? v241 n2 24965257
Sep 79 In some patterns of numbers or words there may be less than meets the eye MG 273 ? ? v241 n3 24965280
Oct 79 Some packing problems that cannot be solved by sitting on the suitcase MG 274 ? ? v241 n4 24965306
Nov 79 The random number omega bids fair to hold the mysteries of the universe MG 275 Chaitin's omega ? v241 n5 24965329
Dec 79 A pride of problems, including one that is virtually impossible MG 276 ? ? v241 n6 24965352
Jan 80 Checkers, a game that can be more interesting than one might think MG 277 ? A v242 n1 24966226
Feb 80 The coloring of unusual maps leads into uncharted territory MG 278 ? ? v242 n2 24966248
Mar 80 Graphs that can help cannibals, missionaries, wolves, goats and cabbages get there from here MG 279 ? ? v242 n3 24966272
Apr 80 Fun with eggs: uncooked, cooked and mathematical MG 280 ? ? v242 n4 24966294
May 80 What unifies dinner guests, strolling schoolgirls and handcuffed prisoners? MG 281 Steiner triple systems ? v242 n5 24966317
Jun 80 The capture of the monster: a mathematical group with a ridiculous number of elements MG 282 Monster group ? v242 n6 24966339
Jul 80 The pleasures of doing science and technology in the planiverse MG 283 A K Dewdney's "Two-Dimensional Science and Technology"; See on MAA.org ? v243 n1 24966361
Aug 80 On the fine art of putting players, pills and points into their proper pigeonholes MG 284 Pigeonhole principle ? v243 n2 24966383
Sep 80 Dr. Matrix, like Mr. Holmes, comes to an untimely and mysterious end MG 285 Emirps X v243 n3 24966405
Oct 80 From counting votes to making votes count: the mathematics of elections MG 286 ? ? v243 n4 24966428
Nov 80 Taxicab geometry offers a free ride to a non-Euclidean locale MG 287 ? ? v243 n5 24966450
Dec 80 Patterns in primes are a clue to the strong law of small numbers MG 288 ? ? v243 n6 24966473
Jan 81 An anagrammatic title introduces a new contributor to this column DRH 1 self-rep ? v244 n1 24964252
Feb 81 Gauss's congruence theory was mod as early as 1801 MG 289 ? ? v244 n2 24964275
Mar 81 The Magic Cube's cubies are twiddled by cubists and solved by cubemeisters DRH 2 Rubik's cube V v244 n3 24964321
Apr 81 How Lavina finds a room on University Avenue, and other geometric problems MG 290 ? GP v244 n4 24964367
May 81 A coffeehouse conversation on the Turing test to determine if a machine can think DRH 3 ? ? v244 n5 24964411
Jun 81 The inspired geometrical symmetries of Scott Kim MG 291 Ambigrams S v244 n6 24964433
Jul 81 Pitfalls of the uncertainty principle and paradoxes of quantum mechanics DRH 4 ? ? v245 n1 24964488
Aug 81 The abstract parabola fits the concrete world MG 292 ? ? v245 n2 24964530
Sep 81 How might analogy, the core of human thinking, be understood by computers? DRH 5 ? ? v245 n3 24964552
Oct 81 Euclid's parallel postulate and its modern offspring MG 293 ? ? v245 n4 24964574
Nov 81 Strange attractors: mathematical patterns delicately poised between order and chaos DRH 6 Chaos theory ? v245 n5 24964595
Dec 81 The Laffer curve and other laughs in current economics MG 294 Supply-side economics ? v245 n6 24964617
Jan 82 A self-referential column about last January's column about self-reference DRH 7 ? ? v246 n1 24966493
Feb 82 About two kinds of inquiry: National Enquirer and The Skeptical Inquirer DRH 8 ? ? v246 n2 24966515
Mar 82 Is the genetic code an arbitrary one, or would another code work as well? DRH 9 ? ? v246 n3 24966538
Apr 82 The music of Frédéric Chopin: startling aural patterns that also startle the eye DRH 10 ? ? v246 n4 24966561
May 82 Number numbness, or why innumeracy may be just as dangerous as illiteracy DRH 11 reckoning ? v246 n5 24966584
Jun 82 About Nomic: a heroic game that explores the reflexivity of the law DRH 12 Rules for Peter Suber's Nomic A v246 n6 24966607
Jul 82 Beyond Rubik's Cube: spheres, pyramids, dodecahedrons and God knows what else DRH 13 ? V v247 n1 24966629
Aug 82 Undercut, Flaunt, Hruska, behavioral evolution and other games of strategy DRH 14 ? A v247 n2 24966651
Sep 82 Can inspiration be mechanized? DRH 15 ? ? v247 n3 24966674
Oct 82 Variations on a theme as the essence of imagination DRH 16 ? ? v247 n4 24966697
Nov 82 Default assumptions and their effects on writing and thinking DRH 17 Gendered language ? v247 n5 24966719
Dec 82 Sense makes more sense than nonsense, but nonsense may still have its purposes DRH 18 ? ? v247 n6 24966742
Jan 83 Virus-like sentences and self-replicating structures DRH 19 Meme complexes; English-language quines; Sallows' pangrams W v248 n1 24968799
Feb 83 The pleasures of Lisp: the chosen language of artificial intelligence DRH 20 ? ? v248 n2 24968822
Mar 83 Tripping the light recursive in Lisp, the language of artificial intelligence DRH 21 ? ? v248 n3 24968844
Apr 83 In which a discourse on the language Lisp concludes with a gargantuan Italian feast DRH 22 ? ? v248 n4 24968867
May 83 Computer tournaments of the Prisoner's Dilemma suggest how cooperation evolves DRH 23 ? A v248 n5 24968890
Jun 83 The calculus of cooperation is tested through a lottery DRH 24 ? ? v248 n6 24968913
Jul 83 Parquet deformations: patterns of tiles that shift gradually in one dimension DRH 25 ? ? v249 n1 24968935
Aug 83 Tasks you cannot help finishing no matter how hard you try to block finishing them MG 295 Smullyan's Trees and Ball Games; Hercules and the hydra; Bulgarian solitaire ? v249 n2 24968957
Sep 83 The topology of knots, plus the results of Douglas Hofstadter's Luring Lottery MG 296 ? ? v249 n3 24968979
Oct 83 Introducing a department concerned with the pleasures of computation BH 1 Spreadsheets, Life ? v249 n4 24969001
Nov 83 A progress report on the fine art of turning literature into drivel BH 2 Monkeys at typewriters; Markov chains ? v249 n5 24969024
Dec 83 On the finite-state machine, a minimal model of mousetraps, ribosomes and the human soul BH 3 Turing, Chomsky ? v249 n6 24969047
Jan 84 On the ups and downs of hailstone numbers BH 4 Collatz conjecture ? v250 n1 24969271
Feb 84 Turning turtle gives one a view of geometry from the inside out BH 5 Turtle graphics G v250 n2 24969293
Mar 84 The cellular automaton offers a model of the world and a world unto itself BH 6 Life, Toffoli, Stephen Wolfram, Fredkin & Margolus's billiard-ball computing ? v250 n3 24969315
Apr 84 How to handle numbers with thousands of digits, and why one might want to FG 1 ? ? v250 n4 24969338
May 84 In the game called Core War hostile programs engage in a battle of bits AKD 1 ? C v250 n5 24969361
Jun 84 On the spaghetti computer and other analog gadgets for problem solving AKD 2 Analog computing C v250 n6 24969383
Jul 84 A program that plays checkers can often stay one jump ahead AKD 3 Minimax game-tree search A v251 n1 24969405
Aug 84 A computer trap for the busy beaver, the hardest-working Turing machine AKD 4 Variants of busy beaver; updates on Core War ? v251 n2 24969427
Sep 84 The failings of a digital eye suggest there can be no sight without insight AKD 5 Perceptrons; updates on analog computing ? v251 n3 24920339
Oct 84 A computational garden sprouting anagrams, pangrams and a few weeds AKD 6 Byline "Yank D. Weed." Sallows' pangrams W v251 n4 24969449
Nov 84 Yin and yang: recursion and iteration, the Tower of Hanoi and the Chinese rings AKD 7 ? ? v251 n5 24969471
Dec 84 Sharks and fish wage an ecological war on the toroidal planet Wa-Tor AKD 8 ? ? v251 n6 24969495
Jan 85 Artificial Insanity: when a schizophrenic program meets a computerized analyst AKD 9 Chatbots; Racter meets Eliza (DOCTOR); SHRDLU; updates on self-inventorying pangrams CW v252 n1 24967539
Feb 85 An expert system outperforms mere mortals as it conquers the feared Dungeons of Doom AKD 10 Rogue and Rog-O-Matic C v252 n2 24967561
Mar 85 A Core War bestiary of viruses, worms and other threats to computer memories AKD 11 ? C v252 n3 24967583
Apr 85 Five easy pieces for a do loop and a random-number generator AKD 12 Plinko; the voting game (VOTER) C v252 n4 24967607
May 85 Building computers in one dimension sheds light on irreducibly complicated phenomena AKD 13 Life, automata C v252 n5 24967629
Jun 85 Analog gadgets that solve a diversity of problem and raise an array of questions AKD 14 Analog computing; Vergis & Steiglitz's analog 3-SAT solver; user groups for Core War and Wa-Tor C v252 n6 24967665
Jul 85 A circuitous odyssey from Robotropolis to the electronic gates of Silicon Valley AKD 15 Robot Odyssey C v253 n1 24967716
Aug 85 A computer microscope zooms in for a look at the most complex object in mathematics AKD 16 Attractors, Mandelbrot set F v253 n2 24967758
Sep 85 At Bell Labs work is play and terminal diseases are benign AKD 17 Crabs on the Blit terminal ? v253 n3 24967780
Oct 85 Bill's baffling burrs, Coffin's cornucopia, Engel's enigma AKD 18 Computer-designed puzzles; multilingual pi mnemonics CDVW v253 n4 24967803
Nov 85 Exploring the field of genetic algorithms in a primordial computer sea full of flibs AKD 19 Finite living blobs C v253 n5 24967834
Dec 85 The search for an invisible ruler that will help radio astronomers to measure the earth AKD 20 Golumb rulers ? v253 n6 24967868
Jan 86 How close encounters with star clusters are achieved with a computer telescope AKD 21 n-body gravity simulation ? v254 n1 24975866
Feb 86 The king (a chess program) is dead, long live the king (a chess machine) AKD 22 HITECH wins the 1985 North American Computer Chess Championship; update on flibs ? v254 n2 24975885
Mar 86 How a pair of dull-witted programs can look like geniuses on I.Q. tests AKD 23 ? ? v254 n3 24975904
Apr 86 A program for rotating hypercubes induces four-dimensional dementia AKD 24 ? ? v254 n4 24975926
May 86 Branching phylogenies of the Paleozoic and the fortunes of English family names AKD 25 PALEOTREE and NEOTREE ? v254 n5 24975945
Jun 86 Casting a net on a checkerboard and other puzzles of the forest MG 297 Steiner trees A v254 n6 24975967
Jul 86 A sublime flight of fancy over a deserted data base AKD 26 flight simulator ? v255 n1 24975988
Aug 86 Digital prestidigitation: the fine art of magic and illusion by computer AKD 27 ? C v255 n2 24976010
Sep 86 Wallpaper for the mind: computer images that are almost, but not quite, repetitive AKD 28 Fredkin's automaton; see Oct 1983 column C v255 n3 24976032
Oct 86 The compleat computer caricaturist and a whimsical tour of face space AKD 29 FACEBENDER ? v255 n4 24976051
Nov 86 Star Trek emerges from the underground to a place in the home-computer arcade AKD 30 ? ? v255 n5 24976078
Dec 86 Of fractal mountains, graftal plants and other computer graphics at Pixar AKD 31 Computer graphics F v255 n6 24976099
Jan 87 A program called MICE nibbles its way to victory at the first Core War tournament AKD 32 ? C v256 n1 24979289
Feb 87 The game Life acquires some successors in three dimensions AKD 33 ? ? v256 n2 24979311
Mar 87 Braitenberg memoirs: vehicles for probing behavior roam a dark plain marked by lights AKD 34 Braitenberg's Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology ? v256 n3 24979333
Apr 87 The sound of computing is music to the ears of some AKD 35 ? ? v256 n4 24979355
May 87 Of bulls, bears and programs in the pit AKD 36 Stock Market ? v256 n5 24979377
Jun 87 Algopuzzles: wherein trains of thought follow algorithmic tracks to solutions AKD 37 Train-track shunting puzzles; Desert Fox puzzles; user group for Vehicles ? v256 n6 24979409
Jul 87 Probing the strange attractions of chaos AKD 38 ? F v257 n1 24979428
Aug 87 Word ladders and a tower of Babel lead to computational heights defying assault AKD 39 Synonym ladders W v257 n2 24979450
Sep 87 Diverse personalities search for social equilibrium at a computer party AKD 40 Rich Gold's PARTY PLANNER C v257 n3 24979485
Oct 87 After MAD: a computer game of nuclear strategy that ends in a Prisoner's Dilemma AKD 41 Hayward Alker; update on algopuzzles A v257 n4 24979522
Nov 87 Beauty and profundity: the Mandelbrot set and a flock of its cousins called Julia AKD 42 ? F v257 n5 24979555
Dec 87 Simple special effects illustrate the art of converting algorithms into programs AKD 43 Worms CW v257 n6 24979588
Jan 88 Nanotechnology: wherein molecular computers control tiny circulatory submarines AKD 44 ? C v258 n1 24988952
Feb 88 A blind watchmaker surveys the land of biomorphs AKD 45 WATCHMAKER; genetic algorithms C v258 n2 24988989
Mar 88 A home computer laboratory in which balls become gases, liquids and critical masses AKD 46 ? v258 n3 24989024
Apr 88 An ancient rope-and-pulley computer is unearthed in the jungle of Apraphul AKD 47 April Fool; rope computer ? v258 n4 24989059
May 88 The invisible professor holds a chalk-talk session on the display monitor AKD 48 Curve-drawing programs ? v258 n5 24989094
Jun 88 Imagination meets geometry in the crystalline realm of latticeworks AKD 49 Islamic art G v258 n6 24989134
Jul 88 How to pan for primes in numerical gravel AKD 50 Trial division; Ulam's spiral ? v259 n1 24989170
Aug 88 The hodgepodge machine makes waves AKD 51 cellular automata ? v259 n2 24989205
Sep 88 Old and new three-dimensional mazes AKD 52 ? ? v259 n3 24989241
Oct 88 On making and breaking codes: Part I AKD 53 Enigma machine ? v259 n4 24987967
Nov 88 On making and breaking codes: Part II AKD 54 DES, Diffie-Hellman ? v259 n5 24989275
Dec 88 Random walks that lead to fractal crowds AKD 55 ? F v259 n6 24989313
Jan 89 People puzzles: theme and variations AKD 56 Colored hats; islanders with blue eyes L v260 n1 24987117
Feb 89 A tour of the Mandelbrot set aboard the Mandelbus AKD 57 ? F v260 n2 24987149
Mar 89 Of worms, viruses and Core War AKD 58 ? C v260 n3 24987184
Apr 89 A matter fabricator provides matter for thought AKD 59 Banach-Tarski paradox ? v260 n4 24987222
May 89 Simulated Evolution: wherein bugs learn to hunt bacteria AKD 60 Genetic algorithms, artificial life ? v260 n5 24987259
Jun 89 A potpourri of programmed prose and prosody AKD 61 Mark V. Shaney; Markov chains ? v260 n6 24987295
Jul 89 Catch of the day: biomorphs on Truchet tiles, served with popcorn and snails AKD 62 ? F v261 n1 24987330
Aug 89 A cellular universe of debris, droplets, defects and demons AKD 63 cellular automaton ? v261 n2 24987368
Sep 89 Two dimensional Turing Machines and tur-mites make tracks on a plane AKD 64 Greg Turk, Langton's ant ? v261 n3 24987410
Oct 89 A Tinkertoy computer that plays tic-tac-toe AKD 65 Analog computing ? v261 n4 24987448
Nov 89 A microgolf game gives professionals and amateurs an equal chance for a hole in one AKD 66 reflections ? v261 n5 24987485
Dec 89 A Pandora's box of minds, machines and metaphysics AKD 67 Roger Penrose's The Emperor's New Mind ? v261 n6 24987524
Jan 90 The cellular automata programs that create wireworld, rugworld and other diversions AKD 68 Silverman's Phantom Fish Tank ? v262 n1 24996654
Feb 90  
Mar 90 Lunar infants, lotteries and meteorites expose the dangers of math abuse AKD 69 John Allen Paulos' Innumeracy ? v262 n3 24996797
Apr 90  
May 90 How to transform flights of fancy into fractal flora or fauna AKD 70 ? F v262 n5 24996761
Jun 90  
Jul 90 An odd journey along even roads lead to home in Golygon City AKD 71 ? ? v263 n1 24996874
Aug 90  
Sep 90 How to resurrect a cat from its grin AKD 72 Catscanner puzzles (similar to Simon Tatham's Pattern puzzle) ? v263 n3 24996948
Oct 90  
Nov 90 A compendium of math abuse from around the world AKD 73 Innumeracy; compound interest ? v263 n5 24996987
Dec 90 Fermat's Christmas Theorem is explained in one dickens of a tale IAN 1 ? ? v263 n6 24997025
Jan 91 Tools for computer graphics make an invisible world seem less alien AKD 74 ? ? v264 n1 24936767
Feb 91 The true story of how Theseus found his way out of the labyrinth IAN 2 depth first search puzzles P v264 n2 24936805
Mar 91 A menu of mathematical morsels, topological tidbits and puzzling plums AKD 75 combinatorics P v264 n3 24936840
Apr 91 Why Tarzan and Jane can walk in step with the animals that roam the jungle IAN 3 gaits S v264 n4 24936881
May 91 The theory of rigidity, or how to brace youself against unlikely accidents AKD 76 ? ? v264 n5 24936915
Jun 91 A Swift Trip over Rugged Terrain IAN 4 Gulliver's Theorem about surfaces O v264 n6 24936954
Jul 91 Insectoids Invade a Field of Robots AKD 77 Rodney Brooks' legged robots; subsumption architecture ? v265 n1 24936993
Aug 91 What in Heaven Is a Digital Sundial? IAN 5 fractal, shadows F v265 n2 24938692
Sep 91 Leaping into Lyapunov Space AKD 78 ? ? v265 n3 24938733
Oct 91 Concentration: A Winning Strategy IAN 6 card game, matching A v265 n4 24938773
Nov 91  
Dec 91 A Short Trek to Infinity IAN 7 n-body gravity simulation, singularity v265 n6 24938845
Jan 92  
Feb 92 The Kissing Number IAN 8 disks, spheres G v266 n2 24938952
Mar 92  
Apr 92 All Paths Lead Away from Rome IAN 9 Squirals, pursuit, lion and gladiator G v266 n4 24939033
May 92  
Jun 92 The Riddle of the Vanishing Camel IAN 10 dividing herd fairly Y v266 n6 24939113
Jul 92  
Aug 92 The Interplanetary Olympics IAN 11 gravity v267 n2 24939190
Sep 92  
Oct 92 Murder at Ghastleigh Grange IAN 12 Holmes, Hamiltonian circuits Y v267 n4 24939267
Nov 92  
Dec 92 Christmas in the House of Chaos IAN 13 kaleidoscope, strange attractors S v267 n6 24939340
Jan 93  
Feb 93 A Partly True Story IAN 14 fuzzy self-reference; logical attractor L v268 n2 24941387
Mar 93  
Apr 93 The Rise and Fall of the Lunar M-pire IAN 15 map coloring Y v268 n4 24941454
May 93  
Jun 93 A Bundling Fool Beats the Wrap IAN 16 sphere packing v268 n6 24941525
Jul 93 The Topological Dressmaker IAN 17 Turning things inside-out O v269 n1 24941559
Aug 93  
Sep 93 A Shepherd Takes a Sheep Shot IAN 18 Pente; a variant involving polyominoes A v269 n3 24941627
Oct 93  
Nov 93 Fermat's Last Time-Trip IAN 19 350 years of math progress v269 n5 24941696
Dec 93  
Jan 94 Knots, Links and Videotape IAN 20 Borromean Rings G v270 n1 24942566
Feb 94  
Mar 94 The New Merology of Beastly Numbers IAN 21 numerology, cryptarithmetic, Sallows v270 n3 24942638
Apr 94  
May 94 How Many Guards in the Gallery? IAN 22 illumination walls v270 n5 24942710
Jun 94  
Jul 94 The Ultimate in Anty-Particles IAN 23 Langton's Ant; rule-based systems v271 n1 24942779
Aug 94  
Sep 94 A Subway Named Turing IAN 24 Turing machine C v271 n3 24942848
Oct 94  
Nov 94 Playing Chess on a Go Board IAN 25 Gess A v271 n5 24942919
Dec 94  
Jan 95 Daisy, Daisy, Give Me Your Answer, Do IAN 26 Fibonacci spirals, sunflowers v272 n1 24980151
Feb 95  
Mar 95 Turning the Tables Around IAN 27 sliding block puzzle Z v272 n3 24980381
Apr 95  
May 95 Fibonacci Forgeries IAN 28 Richard K. Guy's Strong Law of Small Numbers; integer sequences v272 n5 24980800
Jun 95  
Jul 95 Election Fever in Blockvotia IAN 29 voting, lattice v273 n1 24981457
Aug 95  
Sep 95 The Great Drain Robbery IAN 30 Sherlock Holmes, trenches G v273 n3 24981805
Oct 95 The Never-Ending Chess Game IAN 31 v275 n4 24981974
Nov 95 Ways to tile space with knots IAN 32 Errata on tur-mites (July 1994) v273 n5 24982091
Dec 95 The Anthropomurphic principle IAN 33 Murphy's Law, toast, update on Drain Robbery v273 n6 24985602
Jan 96 Mother Worm's Blanket IAN 34 covering curves v274 n1 24989362
Feb 96 Proof of Purchase on the Internet IAN 35 zero-knowledge protocols, encryption, three color map v274 n2 24989405
Mar 96 Playing with Quads and Quazars IAN 36 game, grid A v274 n3 24989448
Apr 96 How Fair Is Monopoly? IAN 37 probability, markov A v274 n4 24989488
May 96 The Sculptures of Alan St. George IAN 38 fractal F v274 n5 24989532
Jun 96 Tales of a Neglected Number IAN 39 Perrin numbers; Richard Padovan's plastic number v274 n6 24989576
Jul 96 Arithmetic and Old Lace IAN 40 shoe lacings v275 n1 24993276
Aug 96 Shedding a Little Darkness IAN 41 illuminating, polygon, rooms v275 n2 24993318
Sep 96 The Interrogator's Fallacy IAN 42 probability, confessions v275 n3 24993371
Oct 96 Monopoly Revisited IAN 43 Go To Jail! A v275 n4 24993413
Nov 96 A Guide to Computer Dating IAN 44 calendrical computations v275 n5 24993455
Dec 96 Cows in the Maze IAN 45 Robert Abbott, supermazes v275 n6 24993499
Jan 97 Alphamagic Squares IAN 46 Sallows, logorithm [sic] QW v276 n1 24993572
Feb 97 Crystallography of a Golf Ball IAN 47 dimple patterns, icosahedron S v276 n2 24993617
Mar 97 Juniper Green IAN 48 Richard Porteous' number game, primality, factoring A v276 n3 24993666
Apr 97 Knight's Tours IAN 49 chess v276 n4 24993710
May 97 Big Game Hunting in Primeland IAN 50 primality, factoring v276 n5 24993749
Jun 97 The Sifting Sands of Factorland IAN 51 Sieve of Eratosthenes v276 n6 24993791
Jul 97 Squaring the Square IAN 52 tiling v277 n1 24995837
Aug 97 Empires on the Moon IAN 53 map coloring, m-pire Y v277 n2 24995877
Sep 97 Empires and Electronics IAN 54 PCB short circuits Y v277 n3 24995917
Oct 97 Two-Way Jigsaw Puzzles IAN 55 dissections, Bolyas-Gerwein theorem v277 n4 24995970
Nov 97 The Lore and Lure of Dice IAN 56 transitivity, probability A v277 n5 24996010
Dec 97 Cat's Cradle Calculus Challenge IAN 57 String figures v277 n6 24996053
Jan 98 Double Bubble, Toil and Trouble IAN 58 Plateau's Rule, least surface area, bubbles v278 n1 26057632
Feb 98 Tight Tins for Round Sardines IAN 59 packing, combinatorial geometry G v278 n2 26057671
Mar 98 Glass Klein Bottles IAN 60 Alan Bennett's glassworking O v278 n3 26057713
Apr 98 Repealing the Law of Averages IAN 61 coin flipping, random walk R v278 n4 26057752
May 98 Cementing Relationships IAN 62 Jonathan Callan's sculpture; Voronoi cells G v278 n5 26057790
Jun 98 What a Coincidence! IAN 63 birthday coincidences, probability v278 n6 26057867
Jul 98 The Bellows Conjecture IAN 64 polygons, polyhedron, flexible, volume v279 n1 26057874
Aug 98 A Quarter Century of Recreational Mathematics MGA 4 Retrospective ? v279 n2 26070600
Aug 98 Monks, Blobs and Common Knowledge IAN 65 Colored hats, two player games AL v279 n2 26070605
Sep 98 Counting the Pyramid Builders IAN 66 schedule, manpower v279 n3 26057949
Oct 98 Playing with chocolate IAN 67 Yucky Chocolate, chomp A v279 n4 26057997
Nov 98 Resurrection Shuffle IAN 68 shuffling cards v279 n5 26058170
Dec 98 Your Half's Bigger Than My Half! IAN 69 fairness, sharing, cake division v279 n6 26058251
Jan 99 Division without Envy IAN 70 fairness, sharing, cake division v280 n1 26058026
Feb 99 Origami Tessellations IAN 71 buckling, dimples v280 n2 26058064
Mar 99 The Synchronicity of Firefly Flashing IAN 72 absorption, oscillation v280 n3 26058103
Apr 99 Tangling with Topology IAN 73 telephone cord, DNA, elastic energy O v280 n4 26058184
May 99 A Puzzle for Pirates IAN 74 fair division, fierceness Z v280 n5 26058254
Jun 99 Crossed Lines in the Brick Factory IAN 75 topology too? Y v280 n6 26058294
Jul 99 The Art of Elegant Tiling IAN 76 Grazebrook's pentagonal tiles Z v281 n1 26058333
Aug 99 Sierpinski's Ubiquitous Gasket IAN 77 ? F v281 n2 26058372
Sep 99 Dances with Dodecahedra IAN 78 string figures ? v281 n3 26058411
Oct 99 Cone with a Twist IAN 79 ? ? v281 n4 26058451
Nov 99 Most-Perfect Magic Squares IAN 80 ? ? v281 n5 26058494
Dec 99 Defend the Roman Empire! IAN 81 Zero-one programming; set covering ? v281 n6 26058532
Jan 00 Impossibility Theorems IAN 82 ? ? v282 n1 26058571
Feb 00 Real and Virtual Sculptures IAN 83 ? ? v282 n2 26058607
Mar 00 A Strategy for Subsets IAN 84 ? A v282 n3 26058646
Apr 00 Counting the Cattle of the Sun — Some problems are too big to solve by trial and error, says IAN IAN 85 Pell equations ? v282 n4 26058681
May 00 Rep-Tiling the Plane — A new method makes it easy to generate intricate designs, explains IAN IAN 86 ? ? v282 n5 26058715
Jun 00 Paradox Lost — Careful analysis can untangle some logical conundrums, says IAN IAN 87 ? ? v282 n6 26058754
Jul 00 Knotting Ventured... — IAN shows how pieces of string can illustrate the principles of symmetry IAN 88 ? ? v283 n1 26058797
Aug 00 A Fractal Guide to Tic-Tac-Toe — IAN finds a familiar shape in unexpected places IAN 89 ? ? v283 n2 26058833
Sep 00 Hex Marks the Spot — IAN shows how to make some winning connections IAN 90 Piet Hein's Hex; Hex on a sphere A v283 n3 26058867
Oct 00 Million-Dollar Minesweeper — IAN explains how a computer game can make you rich IAN 91 Minesweeper is NP-complete ? v283 n4 26058904
Nov 00 Spiral Slime — IAN finds mathematics in creatures great and small IAN 92 Turing patterns; biology ? v283 n5 26058943
Dec 00 Jumping Champions — IAN leaps over the gaps between prime numbers IAN 93 ? ? v283 n6 26058978
Jan 01 Dots-and-Boxes for Experts — IAN reveals the secret subtleties of a children's game IAN 94 ? ? v284 n1 26059020
Feb 01 Pursuing Polygonal Privacy — IAN proves that good fences make good neighbors IAN 95 Shortest opaque fence G v284 n2 26059059
Mar 01 Easter is a Quasicrystal — IAN reveals the divine mathematics of a holiday IAN 96 Ian Stewart's 96th and final column ? v284 n3 26059135

Progression of these Columns Summarized in Words

After two initial articles (Logic Machines and Hexaflexagons) in Scientific American, Martin wrote 288 consecutive monthly Mathematical Games columns.

Then DRH and MG alternated for one year.
Then DRH continued solo, running his count up to 25 articles.
Then MG supplied two columns (#295 and #296).
Then Brian Hayes did six columns.
Then Fred Gruenberger did a column!
Then AK Dewdney did 73 (interrupted by #297 from MG).
Then AKD and IAN alternated during ~1991, bringing AKD total to 78.
IAN went on to complete a total of 96 columns.

If you count {MAR52, DEC56, JAN67, JUN86}, Martin had 301 articles and columns in SciAm. If you count Mathematical Games only, that would be 297.


Books based on MG

The MG columns have been repackaged variously into many books. Since the book chapter titles often differ from original MG column titles, we'd like to cross-reference MG columns with MG books. Here are two good book chapter indexes, and one assortment of references:


Links