science · 22 May 2010 · 15 years ago
death
Died 22 May 2010 at age 95 (born 21 Oct 1914).
American science writer who, for 25 years, wrote the highly popular “Mathematical Games” column for Scientific American. Though not an academic, nor having ever formally studied maths or science, he wrote widely and prolifically on both subjects, in such popular books as The Ambidextrous Universe and The Relativity Explosion. Since childhood, he was fascinated by magic, so one of his first books was Mathematics, Magic and Mystery (1956), about the maths of popular magic tricks. His interests grew wider and deeper. By age 42, he wrote his first column for Scientific American, and for many years thereafter popularized mathematics by highlighting puzzles that were elegantly understandable. He both inspired professionals and enchanted young readers to take an interest in mathematics.
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