This book is the third in a series devoted to Martin Gardner. Each book is
a collection of articles written by a handful of the many mathematicians,
puzzlers, and magicians that Gardner inspired. Most of these articles were
presented at the Gathering for Gardner (G^G) meetings, a regular
gathering of enthusiasts who share some of Gardner's many interests. This
volume draws on the many excellent presentations at the last such
meeting, G4G5, held in Atlanta on April 5-7, 2004. The previous volume in the
series, Puzzlers' Tribute: A Feast for the Mind B002), is based on three
of the Gatherings—G4G2, G4G3, and G4G4. The first volume, The Math-
emagician and Pied Puzzler A999), is based on the first Gathering,
G4G1. At the back of this book, you will find an index to all three books
in the series.
One of the running traditions of the Gatherings is to have a theme
related to the number of the conference. The theme for G4G5 was "penta"—
Greek for the number five, as in "pentagon" and "pentagram." This theme
shows up in several of the articles in this book.
Martin Gardner is the father of recreational mathematics, an avid