Mathematical Miniatures by Svetoslav Savchev and Titu Andreescu, The Mathematical Association of America, $28.50, ISBN 088385645X Reviewed by Victor Bryant
THERE are many books about the mathematical problems aired during competitions such as the Olympiads, but Mathematical Miniatures has a wider remit and is more readable than most. Svetoslav Savchev and Titu Andreescu aim to extend individual problems into 鈥渁uthentic mathematical experiences鈥�, making this much more than just a toolbox of problem-solving techniques.
To achieve this they include 50 short articles (more or less at a first-year undergraduate mathematics level) about entertaining aspects of mathematics, interspersed with 鈥渃offee break鈥� problems. Two neat applications of some advanced work on convex sets 鈥� one for sleeping students and another for a worm eating its way through an apple 鈥� give a flavour of the variety in this book, which is sure to appeal both to the amateur mathematician and advanced puzzle-solver.
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