How to Solve It: A New Aspect of Mathematical Method

George Polya wanted to put the fun back into functions with "How to Solve It: A New Aspect of Mathematical Method." Don't take our word for it-he explicitly said so in the prefaces to both the first and second editions of this book. In the first, he addresses the poor college student who faces the chore of taking a required math course after a lifetime of learning math only from drills. But if taught correctly, as if there is "a grain of discovery in the solution of any problem," that same student "may manage to find out.that a mathematics problem may be as much fun as a crossword puzzle, or that vigorous mental work may be an exercise as desirable as a fast game of tennis." Polya was more explicit in the preface to this, the second edition: "I hope that the present edition.will convince some of its readers that mathematics, besides being a necessary avenue to engineering jobs and scientific knowledge, may be fun and may open up a vista of mental activity on the highest level." Polya (he was an immigrant from Hungary who spelled his name György Pólya in his native language but anglicized it to George Pólya or Polya in America; it appears as G. Polya on this book) was such an expert in advanced mathematics that numerous academic prizes are named for him. However, later in his career, he became interested in heuristics, or pragmatic approaches to problem solving, particularly with regards to mathematics but as it applied to all sorts of problems. "How To Solve It" was his first book about heuristics and was so popular it has sold over a million copies in multiple languages. It was particularly addressed to math teachers, introducing them to the field in an effort to help them teach more imaginatively, but still written so students and other laypeople could get much out of it as well. The second edition was written with an even wider audience in mind and contains a new section titled "Problems, Hints, Solutions" at the end. Along the way, Polya introduces the reader to a host of heuristic terms and the approaches different philosophers and mathematicians have taken over the years. It takes the reader, step by step, through the questions they should ask in attacking problems ranging from geometry and algebra through figuring out the answer to crossword clues. It's nowhere near as difficult as a geometric proof but does get the reader to what heuristics promises: a "good enough" answer. It also makes getting there-dare we say it?-fun. This is a fine copy, with no marks or tears to the interior. The book has no shelfwear. It is bound in a nice green cloth and is tight and square. The spine has bright silver stamped lettering and an interesting crenelated decoration. In fact, the only flaw in the book is from the binding process: The lower corner of page 224 appears to have been folded in when the textblock was cut. The dust jacket is near fine. There is a small crease on the back flap, and the back panel shows some rubbing. Interestingly, there is no text on either flaps or the back panel-they are completely blank. Photos are forthcoming or immediately available upon request.…