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Satan, Cantor, and Infinity and Other Mind-Boggling Puzzles
The author of What Is the Name of This Book? presents a compilation of more than two hundred challenging new logic puzzles--ranging from simple brainteasers to complex mathematical paradoxes.
270 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1992
26 people are currently reading
546 people want to read
About the author
Raymond M. Smullyan
78Ìýbooks269ÌýfollowersRaymond M. Smullyan was a logician, musician, Zen master, puzzle master, and writer.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 19, 2015
I absolutely loved this book. It was so fun to read even though it took a while to get through all of the puzzles. It isn’t your average puzzle-book -- it has chapters, and parts, but the plot is very loose and is absolutely filled with great logic problems. Not only is it entertaining but it exercises your mind a lot. It teaches you new ways of thinking using logical deduction.
The problems start off quite easy, and aren’t too far out of your comfort zone. But soon, there are more difficult reasonings to make. I found it tough when the problems got harder, but I got used to the strange way of completely rational thinking. By the end of the book, I felt like I had transformed my brain just by sitting down and thinking all the way through all of the problems. Yes, I had to look at plenty of the solutions before I understood the answer, but that just helped me move on to harder problems. Towards the end of the book, the problems become a little abstract and quite difficult, but I found that it’s okay if you don’t comprehend all of the problems. You can always come back to sections of the book after you’ve read parts you can understand.
Unlike a book with a puzzle on every page, each numbered and with a solution at the back of the book, Satan, Cantor, and Infinity had an actual plot to it. It’s not one that has suspense and a climax, as in most fiction books (and some non-fiction), but you do follow three characters: the Sorcerer, Prince Alexander, and Princess Annabelle. At the beginning of the book you must solve a few problems to introduce the Sorcerer and unite the two lovers, which is really neat in my opinion.
After reading this book, I went on to read many other fascinating books by mathematician Raymond Smullyan. All the ones that I have read are also amazing, so check them out as well. Also, the name Satan, Cantor, and Infinity may seem a little strange to you. However, you have to read until the end to figure out why it’s named that.
The problems start off quite easy, and aren’t too far out of your comfort zone. But soon, there are more difficult reasonings to make. I found it tough when the problems got harder, but I got used to the strange way of completely rational thinking. By the end of the book, I felt like I had transformed my brain just by sitting down and thinking all the way through all of the problems. Yes, I had to look at plenty of the solutions before I understood the answer, but that just helped me move on to harder problems. Towards the end of the book, the problems become a little abstract and quite difficult, but I found that it’s okay if you don’t comprehend all of the problems. You can always come back to sections of the book after you’ve read parts you can understand.
Unlike a book with a puzzle on every page, each numbered and with a solution at the back of the book, Satan, Cantor, and Infinity had an actual plot to it. It’s not one that has suspense and a climax, as in most fiction books (and some non-fiction), but you do follow three characters: the Sorcerer, Prince Alexander, and Princess Annabelle. At the beginning of the book you must solve a few problems to introduce the Sorcerer and unite the two lovers, which is really neat in my opinion.
After reading this book, I went on to read many other fascinating books by mathematician Raymond Smullyan. All the ones that I have read are also amazing, so check them out as well. Also, the name Satan, Cantor, and Infinity may seem a little strange to you. However, you have to read until the end to figure out why it’s named that.
October 29, 2018
I'm fonder of Smullyan's other books, although the discussions of set theory in the latter half of the book are pretty good.
May 19, 2021
This made my head hurt when i was trying to (and failed to) grasp its later chapters but it would definitely recommend it to everyone
December 9, 2021
Dazzling and thought-provoking.
June 25, 2015
My supervisor reccomended it. And I agree with him, it's a great book. There are funny puzzles and interesting looks on Gödel's incompletenest theorems. I reccomend it to read "Forever Undecided" too, to make your knowledhe of incompletenes more complete.
Last parts are about Set theory, for me it was uninteresting, becouse I knew this before, but I believe, that someone who has no knowledge about problematic, will enjoy it.
Last parts are about Set theory, for me it was uninteresting, becouse I knew this before, but I believe, that someone who has no knowledge about problematic, will enjoy it.
January 7, 2011
Raymond Smullyan is my Logician Dumbledore. I own and read every book of his I can get my hands on. Which is well over a dozen.
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May 25, 2011non è indicato il nome del traduttore
June 17, 2008
Logic puzzles: They're not just for the GRE.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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