Dennis E. Shasha

Aimed at both working programmers who are applying for a job where puzzles are an integral part of the interview, as well as techies who just love a good puzzle, this book offers a cache of exciting puzzles Features a new series of puzzles, never before published, called elimination puzzles that have a pedagogical aim of helping the reader solve an entire class of Sudoku-like puzzles Provides the tools to solve the puzzles by hand and computer The first part of each chapter presents a puzzle; the second part shows readers how to solve several classes of puzzles algorithmically; the third part asks the reader to solve a mystery involving codes, puzzles, and geography Comes with a unique bonus: if readers actually solve the mystery, they have a chance to win a prize, which will be promoted on wrox.com!

Puzzles for Programmers and Pros

Safecracking, bullying, marital infidelity, and gambling have never before been explored with the mathematical acuity and whimsy of Puzzling Adventures. Collected and enhanced from Dennis Shasha's popular Scientific American column, they are the most innovative and emotive mathematical puzzles ever to appear in its pages. Edgy, challenging, and representing the ultimate in recreational math games, Puzzling Adventures will dare you to figure out the logic underlying venture fund investments, escape a Minotaur, negotiate an arbitration, catch a polar bear, play power politics, figure out if a witness is lying, spy on contraband traders, and verify DNA. An encrypted set of stories and commentary float above the puzzles. Decrypt them to find out their hints. The hints lead to a surprise'f you can figure them out... 43 illustrations.

Puzzling Adventures: Tales of Strategy, Logic, and Mathematical Skill

"Dennis Shasha is the absolute best puzzle writer alive."—David Gelernter, professor of computer science, Yale University In the tradition of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Ecco is one of the greatest sleuths of our time, a mathematical wizard who uses logic and computer programming to solve crimes, find treasures, and explore space. Join his team, expand the frontiers of your knowledge, and match wits with him on intriguing cases like "The Virus from the Spy" and "The Secrets of Space" and "The Caribou and the Gas." The puzzles collected here require no formal background beyond arithmetic and elementary algebra—just lively curiosity and keen intelligence. With thirty-six illustrated cases organized around eight major mathematical themes (from Combinatorial Geometry and Geography to Ciphers and Secrecy) this book will encourage you to use your mind and your computer in ways you never previously imagined.

Dennis E. Shasha

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