Around the world in eighty games : from tarot to tic-tac-toe, catan to snakes and ladders, a mathematician unlocks the secrets of the world's greatest games

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First Title Value for Searching:

Around the world in eighty games : from tarot to tic-tac-toe, catan to snakes and ladders, a mathematician unlocks the secrets of the world's greatest games

Personal Author:

Du Sautoy, Marcus

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

viii, 369 pages : illustrations (black and white) ; 25 cm.

Summary:

"Do you know where you should always move first in Tic Tac Toe? Understand the betting cube in backgammon? Want to know the best property in Monopoly? Did you know that the African game Mancala might have led one of its players to make an early approximation of the number pi? Or that the nigh-magical Golden Ratio can help you win at Rock Paper Scissors? Around the World in Eighty Games is a gleeful exploration of games and math, spanning centuries and millennia, oceans and continents, countries and cultures. Renowned mathematician Marcus du Sautoy shows how mathematics and games have always been deeply intertwined: how games provided some of the first opportunities for deep mathematical insight into the universe; how understanding math can help us play games better; and how the knowledge and enjoyment of both math and games are integral to human psychology and cultures. But du Sautoy doesn't just look at the games we play; he asks why we play them. For as long as there has been human culture, there have been games. If you look, you can find 12,000-year-old dice, game boards carved in church pews and chiseled into the stones of temples, monuments, and tombs. And for nearly as long, humans have been exploring and discovering mathematics. Taken together, math and games tell us the story of ourselves"--

Subject Term:

Games -- Mathematics.

Games -- Psychological aspects.

Mathematical analysis

Problem solving -- Mathematical models.

Publication Info:

New York : Basic Books, 2023.

Subject:

Games -- Mathematics.

Games -- Psychological aspects.

Mathematical analysis

Problem solving -- Mathematical models.

Children -- Recreation

Children's games

Games, Primitive

Games for children

Pastimes

Primitive games

Recreations

Advanced calculus

Analysis (Mathematics)

SAILS ISBN:

9781541601284

Available:

Library	Shelf Number	Shelf Location	Status
Searching... Mansfield Public Library	790.021 DUSA	NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Mattapoisett Free Public Library	793 DUS 2023	NEW NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Seekonk Public Library	790.021 DU SAUTOY	NEW NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Wareham Free Library	790.021 DUSAUTOY 2023	NONFICTION	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

A "fun" and "unexpected" ( The Economist ) global tour of the world's greatest games and the mathematics that underlies them

Where should you move first in Connect 4? What is the best property in Monopoly? And how can pi help you win rock paper scissors?

Spanning millennia, oceans and continents, countries and cultures, Around the World in Eighty Games gleefully explores how mathematics and games have always been deeply intertwined. Renowned mathematician Marcus du Sautoy investigates how games provided the first opportunities for deep mathematical insight into the world, how understanding math can help us play games better, and how both math and games are integral to human psychology and culture.

For as long as there have been people, there have been games, and for nearly as long, we have been exploring and discovering mathematics. A grand adventure, Around the World in Eighty Games teaches us not just how games are won, but how they, and their math, shape who we are.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Mathematician Du Sautoy (Thinking Better) contends in this entertaining study that such classic games as pick-up sticks, Scrabble, and Dungeons & Dragons all have one thing in common: they center around complex math. Du Sautoy tours the globe, introducing readers to 80 games both familiar and obscure, and describing how each is governed by probabilities, algorithms, geometry, and algebra. Positing games as "a living archaeology capturing the passions and pursuits of the people of the past," Du Sautoy also delves into their history to reveal the cultural and political values behind their creation. For example, the Chinese strategy game Go, which evolved in the sixth century BCE, emphasizes the acquisition and holding of territory (Du Sautoy contrasts this with the more aggressive war game of chess that emerged in India around the same time), while Monopoly teaches the capitalistic values of 20th-century America. Each section details how to "solve" the math behind the game and come out ahead, while throughout Du Sautoy touches on such issues as the need for more female game creators and the possibly addictive properties of computer games. This meticulous and deeply researched survey will appeal to math-lovers and history buffs alike. (Nov.)

Kirkus Review

According to one of the world's most respected mathematicians, the games we play have made us who we are. Du Sautoy, an Oxford academic and author of The Music of the Primes, Symmetry, How To Count to Infinity, and other acclaimed works, admits to a fascination with games. When he has travelled to attend conferences and meetings around the world, he has tried to find out how the locals amuse themselves. In his latest book, the author examines the mechanics and history of each game (he does not include sports) as well as the underlying math. "Tell me the game you play," he writes, "and I'll tell you who you are." While he has great affection for rational, strategic games like chess, his main interest is games that require both skill and luck. The games that have endured are those with simple rules that give rise to near-infinite complexity. Some games, like backgammon and bridge, transcend national borders, while others, such as mancala (mostly in Africa) and truco (South America) are played mainly in their culture of origin. The author acknowledges that his list is somewhat arbitrary, but he thoroughly knows his subject, and he writes with self-effacing charm. He discusses the odds that apply to dice games, cards, and even roulette, although he emphasizes that the most that math study can give you is a slight edge, not an unbeatable advantage. In fact, many regular game players have an intuitive grasp of the odds, which leads du Sautoy to speculate that games played a crucial part in the brain development of early humans. "Both games and mathematics combine the creativity and imagination of the artist with the logic and practicality of the scientist," he writes, adding that "we will keep on inventing new games"--a fitting conclusion to an engrossing tour. A complex package delivered in refreshingly simple and consistently entertaining terms. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Chapter 0 Opening Moves	1
Chapter 1 The Middle East	7
1 Backgammon	8
2 The Royal Game of Ur	11
3 Senet	17
4 Rolling Bones	20
5 Symmetrical Dice	24
6 The Doubling Cube	29
Chapter 2 The Arabian Sea: What is a Game and Why Do We Play?	34
7 Homo Ludens	34
8 Animal Games	40
9 Language Games	42
10 The Grasshopper's Games	45
Chapter 3 India	48
11 Chess	48
12 Carrom	56
13 Ludo	60
14 Snakes and Ladders	64
15 Ganjifa Cards	69
16 The Buddha's Banned Games	73
17 Hopscotch	75
Chapter 4 The South China Sea: The Math of Games and Games of Math	78
18 Chocolate Chili Roulette	79
19 Nim	81
20 The Ultimatum Game	87
21 The Prisoner's Dilemma	91
Chapter 5 China	98
22 Go	99
23 Chinese Chess	105
24 Pick-Up Sticks	107
25 Dominoes	112
26 Mah-jong	118
27 Zi Pai, Khanhoo, and the Origins of Playing Cards	124
Chapter 6 The East China Sea: Cards	127
28 Whist	128
29 Bridge	130
30 Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs	136
31 Lady Charlotte and the Game of Parliament	139
32 Tarot	142
Chapter 7 Japan	147
33 Hanafuda	147
34 Pokémon Cards	150
Chapter 8 The North Pacific Ocean: The Psychology of Games	155
35 Dungeons & Dragons	156
36 MangaHigh.com	162
37 Cranium	165
Chapter 9 Australasia	168
38 Mu Torere	169
Chapter 10 The South Pacific Ocean: Games in the Arts	173
39 Cluedo	173
40 Azad and the Player of Games	179
41 Games and Riddles	181
42 Theater Games	183
43 Mozart's Dice Game	186
Chapter 11 South and Central America	189
44 Mexican Bingo	189
45 Jogodo Bicho	193
46 Adugo and Komikan	197
47 Sapo	198
48 Truco	199
49 Perudo or Dudo or Liar's Dice	204
50 Pitz, the Mayan Ball Game	209
Chapter 12 The United States	212
51 The Casino	212
52 The Mansion of Happiness	217
53 Monopoly	220
54 Scrabble	227
55 Wordle	232
56 Rock Paper Scissors	236
57 Ticket to Ride	241
Chapter 13 The Atlantic Ocean: Computer Games	247
58 Prince of Persia	248
59 Spacewar!	250
60 Tetris	254
61 The Game of Life	258
62 Tic-Tac-Toe or Noughts and Crosses	266
Chapter 14 Africa	273
63 Mancala	273
64 Gulugufe and Fanorona	280
65 Achi	283
66 Bolotoudou	284
67 Nine Men's Morris	285
68 Agram	288
Chapter 15 Europe	290
69 Spiel des Jahres	290
70 Pandemic	293
71 The Best Board Game Ever	296
72 Ludus Latrunculorum	301
73 Risk	303
74 L'Attaque and Women in the Gaming Industry	307
75 Pipopipette or Dots and Boxes	312
76 Dobble	315
77 SET	322
78 Mornington Crescent and Nongames	325
79 Infinite Games	330
80 The Glass Bead Game	333
Chapter 16 Endgame	337
Appendix How to Play Around the World in Eighty Games	343
Acknowledgments	347
Bibliography	349
Index	355

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Kirkus Review

Table of Contents