The Liar Paradox and the Towers of Hanoi
The Ten Greatest Math Puzzles of All Time
Chapter One
The Riddle of the Sphinx
Let us consider that we are all partially insane.
It will explain us to each other; it will unriddle many
riddles; it will make clear and simple many things
which are involved in haunting and harassing
difficulties and obscurities now.
MARK TWAIN (1835-1910)
If we visit the city of Giza in Egypt today, we cannot help but be overwhelmed
by the massive sculpture known as the Great Sphinx, a creature
with the head and the breasts of a woman, the body of a lion, the tail of a
serpent, and the wings of a bird. Dating from before 2500 B.C., the Great
Sphinx magnificently stretches 240 feet (73 meters) in length and rises
about 66 feet (20 meters) above us. The width of its face measures an
astounding 13 feet, 8 inches (4.17 meters).
Legend has it that a similarly enormous sphinx guarded the entrance to
the ancient city of Thebes. The first recorded puzzle in human history
comes out of that very legend. The Riddle of the Sphinx, as it came to be
known, constitutes not only the poi ... read full excerpt from The Liar Paradox and the Towers of Hanoi: The Ten Greatest Math Puzzles of All Time ebook
