Can You Solve My Problems?: A casebook of ingenious, perplexing and totally satisfying puzzles

For daring puzzlers—a book of mind-bending conundrums handpicked by the pied piper of popular math

Long before Sudoku swept the world, the Victorians puzzled over relationships (If two men each marry the other’s widowed mother, what is the relationship between their sons?), and the ancient Chinese favored counting challenges (If a cock costs 5 pieces, a hen 4 pieces, and a chick ¼ of a piece, how can you buy 100 total cocks, hens, and chicks with 100 pieces?). Some people may claim to “hate math”—but history is proof that everybody loves a good puzzle!

From Alex Bellos, math writer extraordinaire and official puzzler to the Guardian, this is the ultimate compendium of math and logic brainteasers—packed with 125 questions, fun trivia, and (naturally!) answers in the back. Can you solve his problems?

Alex Bellos is brilliant on all things mathematical. He has a degree in Mathematics and Philosophy from Oxford University. His bestselling books Alex's Adventures in Numberland and Alex Through the Looking-Glass have been translated into more than 20 languages. He is the co-author of a mathematical colouring book, Snowflake, Seashell, Star, and he has launched an elliptical pool table, LOOP. He writes a popular maths blog and a puzzle blog for the Guardian.