Headscratchers

'A fantastic and varied collection of problems authored by some of the best puzzle setters around' - Alex Bellos 'A book of delightful puzzles. It's just as good as you'd expect.' - Tim Harford 'A marvellous miscellany of mysteries' - Simon Singh 'Hours of arguing and puzzling. I loved it.' - Matt Parker This highly engaging collection of 70 puzzles comes from the popular weekly column in New Scientist magazine. You'll find puzzles that are great for sharing with friends at a pub, problems drawn from real-life situations, games with intriguing strategies, and puzzles with such creative and whimsical storylines that they need to be explained to be believed. With the solutions you'll read the untold back stories behind the puzzles, and a fascinating exploration of related puzzles and mathematical ideas. You'll learn why a particular puzzle adaptation involved talking to an expert in sheep genetics, which solution was thought up by the BBC Radio 5 Drive team, and outside-the-box solutions to apparently straightforward challenges. This book is a must for any lover of puzzles or recreational mathematics.

Rob Eastaway has written or co-written twelve books, including the bestselling Why Do Buses Come in Threes? and Maths for Mums and Dads as well as What Is a Googly?, the acclaimed beginner's guide to cricket. He is the Director of Maths Inspiration, a national programme of theatre-based lecture shows for 15-17 year olds that has reached over 150,000 teenagers since it began in 2004. Rob regularly gives talks to all age groups in primary and secondary schools, appears on BBC Radio 4's current affairs/ numbers programme More or Less, and works closely with National Numeracy, the national charity that campaigns for better adult numeracy. In 2017, Rob received the Zeeman medal for excellence in communication of maths to the general public.