Brianna gardner biography of martin

American mathematics and science essayist (–)

Martin Gardner
Born	()October 21, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	May 22, () (aged&#;95) Norman, Oklahoma, U.S.
Occupation	Author
Alma&#;mater	University of Chicago
Genre	Recreational mathematics, puzzles, close-up magic, annotated literary works, debunking
Literary movement	Scientific skepticism
Notable works	Fads and Fallacies in honesty Name of Science, "Mathematical Games" (Scientific American column), The Annotated Alice, The Whys of splendid Philosophical Scrivener, The Ambidextrous Universe
Notable awards	Leroy P. Steele Prize aspire Mathematical Exposition ()[1] George Pólya Trophy haul ()[2][3] Allendoerfer Award () Trevor Evans Accord ()
Spouse	Charlotte Greenwald &#; (m.&#;)&#;
Children	2

Martin Gardner (October 21, &#;&#; May 22, ) was an American popular mathematics focus on popular science writer with interests also encompassing magic, scientific agnosticism, micromagic, philosophy, religion, and literature&#;&#; especially the writings of Lewis Dodgson, L.

Frank Baum, and G.&#;K. Chesterton.^[4][5] He was a foremost authority on Lewis Carroll;^[6]The Annotated Alice, which incorporated the words of Carroll's two Alice books, was his most successful pointless and sold over a brand-new copies.^[7] He had a long-standing interest in magic and error and in , MAGIC armoury named him as one cosy up the " Most Influential Magicians of the Twentieth Century".^[8] Unquestionable was considered the doyen look up to American puzzlers.^[9] He was fastidious prolific and versatile author, publication more than books.^[10][11]

Gardner was principal known for creating and aspect interest in recreational mathematics—and make wet extension, mathematics in general—throughout rank latter half of the Ordinal century, principally through his "Mathematical Games" columns.^[12][13] These appeared sales rep twenty-five years in Scientific American, and his subsequent books collection them.^[14][15]

Gardner was one of representation foremost anti-pseudoscience polemicists of interpretation 20th century.^[16] His book Fads and Fallacies in the Designation of Science^[17] is a essentials work of the skeptical movement.^[18] In , he joined pick up fellow skeptics to found CSICOP, an organization promoting scientific interrogation and the use of endeavour in examining extraordinary claims.^[19]

Biography

Youth talented education

Martin Gardner was born look at a prosperous family in Metropolis, Oklahoma, to James Henry Gatherer, a petroleum geologist,^[20] and culminate wife, Willie Wilkerson Spiers, unadorned Montessori-trained teacher.

His mother tutored civilized Martin to read before why not? started school, reading him The Wizard of Oz, and that began a lifelong interest mosquito the Oz books of L.&#;Frank Baum.^[21][22] His fascination with sums started in his boyhood conj at the time that his father gave him boss copy of Sam Loyd's Cyclopedia of Puzzles, Tricks and Conundrums.^[23][24]

He attended the University of City where he studied history, belles-lettres and sciences under their intellectually-stimulating Great Books curriculum and deserved his bachelor's degree in thinking in ^[7] Early jobs make-believe reporter on the Tulsa Tribune, writer at the University pay Chicago Office of Press Contact, and case worker in Chicago's Black Belt for the city's Relief Administration.

During World Enmity II, he served for duo years in the U.S. Merchant marine as a yeoman on plank the destroyer escort USS Pope in the Atlantic. His main was still in the Ocean when the war came fulfil an end with the concede of Japan in August

After the war, Gardner returned nurse the University of Chicago.^[25] Noteworthy attended graduate school for well-organized year there, but he blunt not earn an advanced degree.^[1]

Early career

In the late s, Writer moved to New York Realization and became a writer bear editor at Humpty Dumpty quarterly, where for eight years, sharp-tasting wrote features and stories supporting it and several other beginner magazines.^[26] His paper-folding puzzles take into account that magazine led to her majesty first work at Scientific American.^[27] For many decades, Gardner, government wife Charlotte, and their bend over sons, Jim and Tom, ephemeral in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, circle he earned his living reorganization a freelance author, publishing books with several different publishers, courier also publishing hundreds of publication and newspaper articles.^[28]

Middle age

In , he wrote an article instructions the Antioch Review entitled "The Hermit Scientist".^[29] It was given of Gardner's earliest articles study junk science, and in spick much-expanded version became his foremost published book: In the Designation of Science: An Entertaining Take the measure of of the High Priests most important Cultists of Science, Past challenging Present.

The year saw say publicly original edition of the booming book of his career, The Annotated Alice.^[30]

In Gardner started handwriting a column for Scientific American called "Mathematical Games". It ran for over a quarter 100 and dealt with the topic of recreational mathematics. The "Mathematical Games" column became the nigh popular feature of the arsenal and was the first shape that many readers turned to.^[31] In September Scientific American sure the prestige and popularity unscrew Gardner's column by moving monotonous from the back to excellence very front of the magazine.^[32]

Retirement and death

In , Gardner formerly larboard Scientific American.

He and wife Charlotte moved to Hendersonville, North Carolina. He continued traverse write math articles, sending them to The Mathematical Intelligencer, Math Horizons, The College Mathematics Journal, and Scientific American. He too revised some of his elder books such as Origami, Eleusis, and the Soma Cube.^[33] Metropolis died in and in Writer returned to Oklahoma,^[34] where king son, James Gardner, was grand professor of education at honesty University of Oklahoma^[1] in Frenchwoman.

He died there on Possibly will 22, ^[4] An autobiography&#;&#; Undiluted Hocus-Pocus: The Autobiography of Martin Gardner&#;&#; was published posthumously.^[28]

Mathematical Games column

Further information: List arrive at Martin Gardner Mathematical Games columns

The "Mathematical Games" column began arrange a deal a free-standing article on hexaflexagons which ran in the Dec issue of Scientific American.^[35][36]Flexagons became a bit of a freak and soon people all transmission New York City were construction them.

Gerry Piel, the SA publisher at the time, gratis Gardner, "Is there enough in agreement material to this to regard a regular feature?" Gardner voiced articulate he thought so. The Jan issue contained his first joist, entitled "Mathematical Games".^[28] Almost many columns were to follow.^[1]

It ran from to with sporadic columns afterwards and was the control introduction of many subjects class a wider audience, notably:^[37]

Gardner abstruse problems learning calculus and not till hell freezes over took a mathematics course tail high school.

While editing Humpty Dumpty Magazine he constructed distinct paper folding puzzles. At graceful magic show in fellow illusionist Royal Vale Heath introduced Author to the intricately folded pro forma shapes known as flexagons skull steered him to the twosome Princeton University professors who difficult invented and investigated their exact properties.

The subsequent article Collector wrote on hexaflexagons led discursively to the column.^[28]

Gardner's son Jim once asked him what was his favorite puzzle, and Writer answered almost immediately: "The simian and the coconuts".^[38] It abstruse been the subject of consummate April Games column and stress he chose to make excite the first chapter of climax "best of" collection, The Ginormous Book of Mathematics.^[39]

In the unrelenting "Mathematical Games" began to shallow only irregularly.

Other authors began to share the column, allow the June issue saw goodness final installment under that designation. In , on Gardner's reclusiveness from Scientific American, the cheer on was replaced by Douglas Hofstadter's "Metamagical Themas", a name drift is an anagram of "Mathematical Games".

Virtually all of glory games columns were collected throw in book form starting in narrow The Scientific American Book acquire Mathematical Puzzles & Diversions.^[40] Study the next four decades xiv more books followed.^[22]Donald Knuth labelled them the canonical books.^[41][42]

Influence

Martin Collector had a major impact tad mathematics in the second division of the 20th century.^[44][45] Cap column ran for 25 grow older and was read avidly rough the generation of mathematicians instruction physicists who grew up pull off the years to ^[46][47] Her highness writing inspired, directly or circumlocutorily, many who would go count on to careers in mathematics, information, and other related endeavors.^{[48][a][49][50][51][52][53]}

Gardner's admirers included such diverse individuals monkey W.

H. Auden, Arthur Catchword. Clarke, Carl Sagan, Isaac Writer, Richard Dawkins, Stephen Jay Paleontologist, and the entire French mythical group known as the Oulipo.^{[54][55][36][56]}Salvador Dalí once sought him withdraw to discuss four-dimensional hypercubes.^[57]David Auerbach wrote: "A case can exist made, in purely practical damage, for Martin Gardner as sole of the most influential writers of the 20th century.

Potentate popularizations of science and accurate games in Scientific American, peek at the 25 years he wrote for them, might have helped create more young mathematicians additional computer scientists than any thought single factor prior to leadership advent of the personal computer."^[58]Colm Mulcahy described him as "without doubt the best friend science ever had."^[59]

Gardner's column introduced loftiness public to books such likewise A K Dewdney’s Planiverse forward Douglas Hofstadter’s Gödel, Escher, Bach.^{[60][b][61][c][62][d][59]} His writing was credited considerably both broad and deep.^[63][64][65]Noam Linguist once wrote, "Martin Gardner's customs to contemporary intellectual culture testing unique&#;&#; in its range, its intelligence, and understanding of hard questions that matter."^[55][66] Gardner repeatedly alerted the public (and other mathematicians) to recent discoveries in mathematics–recreational and otherwise.

In addition afflict introducing many first-rate puzzles abide topics such as Penrose tiles^[67] and Conway's Game of Life,^[68] he was equally adept uncertain writing columns about traditional exact topics such as knot speculation, Fibonacci numbers, Pascal's triangle, high-mindedness Möbius strip, transfinite numbers, 4-dimensional space, Zeno's paradoxes, Fermat's Most recent Theorem, and the four-color problem.^[58][69]

Gardner set a new high lacking for writing about mathematics.^{[70][71][72][73][74]} Put over a interview he said, "I go up to calculus, take beyond that I don't appreciate any of the papers lapse are being written.

I idiom that that was an plus point for the type of pillar I was doing because Raving had to understand what Frenzied was writing about, and delay enabled me to write execute such a way that eminence average reader could understand what I was saying. If order around are writing popularly about reckoning, I think it's good whine to know too much math."^[1]John Horton Conway called him "the most learned man I accept ever met."^[54]

Gardner's mathematical grapevine

Gardner maintained an extensive network replicate experts and amateurs with whom he regularly exchanged information extremity ideas.^[75]Doris Schattschneider would later fleeting this circle of collaborators "Gardner's mathematical grapevine" or "MG^2".^[76][77]

Gardner's cut up as a hub of that network helped facilitate several introductions that led to further general-purpose collaborations.^[e][78] Mathematicians Conway, Berlekamp, endure Guy, who met as simple result of Gardner's influence, would go on to write Winning Ways for your Mathematical Plays, a foundational book in combinatory game theory that Gardner in a few words championed.^[79][80] Gardner also introduced Conway to Benoit Mandelbrot because blooper knew of their mutual scrutiny in Penrose tiles.^[35][81] Gardner's way was also responsible for onus Doris Schattschneider and Marjorie Hurried, who worked together to folder the newly discovered pentagon tilings.^[75][82]

Gardner credited his network with generating further material for his columns: "When I first started justness column, I was not take away touch with any mathematicians, champion gradually mathematicians who were artistic in the field found seep about the column and began corresponding with me.

So empty most interesting columns were columns based on the material Irrational got from them, so Uncontrollable owe them a big encumbrance under obligation of gratitude."^[76]

Gardner prepared each type his columns in a careful and scholarly fashion and conducted copious correspondence to be thoughtfully that everything was fact-checked funds mathematical accuracy.^[83] Communication was frequently by postcard or telephone boss Gardner kept meticulous notes mock everything, typically on index cards.^[84] Archives of some of her majesty correspondence stored at Stanford Home occupy some 63 linear periphery of shelf space.^[85] This proportion led to columns about class rep-tiles and pentominos of Commonsensical W.

Golomb; the space volume curves of Bill Gosper;^[86] excellence aperiodic tiles of Roger Penrose; the Game of Life concocted by John H. Conway; class superellipse and the Soma block of Piet Hein; the trapdoor functions of Diffie, Hellman, add-on Merkle; the flexagons of Chum, Tuckerman, Feynman, and Tukey; primacy geometrical delights in a tome by H.

S. M. Coxeter; the game of Hex cooked-up by Piet Hein and Gents Nash; Tutte's account of squaring the square; and many another topics.

The wide array line of attack mathematicians, physicists, computer scientists, philosophers, magicians, artists, writers, and in relation to influential thinkers who can superiority counted as part of Gardner's mathematical grapevine includes:^{[76][87][69][88][89][54][90][51][75]}

Public key cryptography

In his August structure, "A new kind of integer that would take millions contribution years to break", Gardner dubious a new cryptographic system cooked-up by Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir and Leonard Adleman.^[92][93] The road, based on trapdoor functions, was known as RSA (after leadership three researchers) and has make a component of the largest part of secure data transmission schemes.^[87] Since RSA is a rather slow algorithm it is troupe widely used to directly jus naturale \'natural law\' data.^[94]&#;More often, it is worn to transmit shared keys for&#;symmetric-key&#;cryptography.^[95]

Gardner identified the memorandum that reward column was based on unthinkable invited readers to write imagine Rivest to request a mock-up of it.^[91] Over seven sum up requests came pouring in, violently of them from other countries.

This caused significant consternation strike home the US defense agencies instruction possible legal problems for Collector himself.^[96] The National Security Instrumentality (NSA) asked the RSA group to stop distributing the reverberation and one letter to rectitude IEEE suggested that disseminating specified information might be violating birth Arms Export Control Act pointer the International Traffic in Combat Regulations.^[91] In the end prestige defense establishment could provide ham-fisted legal basis for suppressing distinction new technology, and when unmixed detailed paper about RSA was published in Communications of interpretation ACM,^[97] the NSA’s crypto tantamount to was effectively terminated.^[95]

Pseudoscience and skepticism

Gardner was a commentator of fringe science.

His soft-cover Fads and Fallacies in birth Name of Science (, revised ) launched the modern doubting movement.^[25] It debunked dubious movements and theories^[98] including Fletcherism, Lamarckism, food faddism, Dowsing Rods, Physicist Fort, Rudolf Steiner, Dianetics, nobleness Bates method for improving observation, Einstein deniers, the Flat Faithful theory, the lost continents point toward Atlantis and Lemuria, Immanuel Velikovsky's Worlds in Collision, the transmigration of souls of Bridey Murphy, Wilhelm Reich's orgone theory, the spontaneous interval of life, extra-sensory perception careful psychokinesis, homeopathy, phrenology, palmistry, graphology, and numerology.

This book extort his subsequent efforts (Science: Trade event, Bad and Bogus, ; Order and Surprise, , Gardner's Whys & Wherefores, , etc.) aggravated a lot of criticism stick up the advocates of alternative body of knowledge and New Age philosophy.^[99] Recognized kept up running dialogues (both public and private) with hang around of them for decades.^[25]

In neat as a pin review of Science: Good, Wick and Bogus, Stephen Jay Financier called Gardner "The Quack Detector", a writer who "expunge[d] nonsense" and in so doing difficult "become a priceless national resource."^[f][] In Gardner joined with gentleman skeptics philosopher Paul Kurtz, linguist Ray Hyman, sociologist Marcello Truzzi, and stage magician James Randi to found the Committee meditate the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (now entitled the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry).

Intellectuals including astronomer Carl Sagan, author and biochemist Isaac Writer, psychologist B. F. Skinner, fairy story journalist Philip J. Klass became fellows of the program. Getaway to he wrote a publication column called "Notes of swell Fringe Watcher" (originally "Notes prime a Psi-Watcher") for Skeptical Inquirer, that organization's monthly magazine.^[] These columns have been collected cloudless five books starting with The New Age: Notes of uncut Fringe Watcher in ^[]

Gardner was a critic of self-proclaimed Asiatic psychicUri Geller and wrote figure satirical booklets about him place in the s using the instigate name "Uriah Fuller" in which he explained how such professed psychics do their seemingly unattainable feats such as mentally ready spoons and reading minds.^[]

Martin Gatherer continued to criticize junk technique throughout his life.

His targets included not just safe subjects like astrology and UFO sightings, but more vigorously defended topics such as chiropractic, vegetarianism, creationism, Scientology, the Laffer Curve, stream Christian Science.^[58] His final have an effect, written just a month previously his death in , was an article excoriating the "dubious medical opinions and bogus science" of Oprah Winfrey&#;&#; particularly her benefaction for the thoroughly discredited suspicion that vaccinations cause autism; opinion went on to bemoan authority "needless deaths of children" put off such notions are likely connection cause.^[]

Skeptical Inquirer named him way of being of the Ten Outstanding Skeptics of the Twentieth Century.^[] Captive he was posthumously honored peer an award for his alms-giving in the skeptical field shake off the Independent Investigations Group.^[] Importance the Committee for Skeptical Query awarded Gardner its In Call upon of Reason Award for government "heroic efforts in defense notice reason and the dignity perceive the skeptical attitude",^[] and kick up a fuss it added Gardner to take the edge off Pantheon of Skeptics.^[]

Magic

Martin Gardner held a womb-to-tomb fascination with magic and fallacy that began when his holy man demonstrated a trick to him.^[] He wrote for a the black art magazine in high school enthralled worked in a department bureau demonstrating magic tricks while recognized was at the University entity Chicago.^[] Gardner's first published calligraphy (at the age of fifteen) was a magic trick unimportant The Sphinx, the official armoury of the Society of Dweller Magicians.^[] He focused mainly hold micromagic (table or close-up magic) and, from the s hit it off, published a significant number salary original contributions to this silent field.

Magician Joe M. Historian said, The Encyclopedia of Offhanded Magic, which Gardner wrote get your skates on , "is guaranteed to be important up in any poll bear out magicians' favorite magic books."^[][] Tiara first magic book for loftiness general public, Mathematics, Magic captivated Mystery (Dover, ), is do considered a classic in rank field.^[] He was well destroy for his innovative tapping become calm spelling effects, with and in want playing cards, and was virtually proud of the effect unquestionable called the "Wink Change".^[]

Many think likely Gardner's lifelong friends were magicians.^[] These included William Simon who introduced Gardner to Charlotte Greenwald, whom he married in , Dai Vernon, Jerry Andrus, estimator Persi Diaconis, and polymath Raymond Smullyan.

Gardner considered fellow sorceress James Randi his closest associate. Diaconis and Smullyan like Author straddled the two worlds make known mathematics and magic.^[69] Mathematics opinion magic were frequently intertwined down Gardner's work.^[] One of crown earliest books, Mathematics, Magic standing Mystery (), was about mathematically based magic tricks.^[] Mathematical sorcery tricks were often featured operate his "Mathematical Games" column–for sample, his August column was styled "A variety of diverting astuteness wiles collected at a fictitious symposium of magicians." From to fiasco wrote a monthly column buy magic tricks called "Trick delineate the Month" in The Physics Teacher, a journal published induce the American Association of Physics Teachers.^[]

In Magic magazine named Gatherer one of the " Nigh Influential Magicians of the 20th Century".^[8] In he received calligraphic 'Lifetime Achievement Fellowship' from significance Academy of Magical Arts.^[] Dignity last work to be available during his lifetime was spiffy tidy up magic trick in the Hawthorn issue of Word Ways: Goodness Journal of Recreational Linguistics.^[]

Theism delighted religion

Gardner was raised as a Methodist—his mother was very religious—but cast off established religion as an adult.^[21] He considered himself a profound theist and a fideist.^[] Perform believed in a personal Demiurge, in an afterlife, and supplication, but rejected established religion.

Yet, he had an abiding seduction with religious belief. In her majesty autobiography, he stated: "When uncountable of my fans discovered ditch I believed in God increase in intensity even hoped for an afterworld, they were shocked and horror-struck I do not mean class God of the Bible, remarkably the God of the Beat up Testament, or any other volume that claims to be divinely inspired.

For me God enquiry a "Wholly Other" transcendent good judgment, impossible for us to catch on. He or she is other responsible for our universe impressive capable of providing, how Beside oneself have no inkling, an afterlife."^[]

Gardner described his own belief introduction philosophical theism inspired by position works of philosopher Miguel public Unamuno.

While eschewing systematic churchgoing doctrine, he retained a impression in God, asserting that grounds or science cannot confirm restricted confirm this belief.^[] At dignity same time, he was doubting of claims that any deity has communicated with human beings through spoken or telepathic information or through miracles in blue blood the gentry natural world.^[] Gardner has back number quoted as saying that good taste regarded parapsychology and other check into the paranormal as equivalent to "tempting God" and pursuit "signs and wonders".

He avowed that while he would signify tests on the efficacy order prayers to be negative, loosen up would not rule out a priori the possibility that unrecognized paranormal forces may allow prayers to influence the physical world.^[]

Gardner wrote repeatedly about what tell figures such as Robert Maynard Hutchins, Mortimer Adler, and William F.

Buckley, Jr. believed near whether their beliefs were result consistent. He sometimes attacked salient religious figures such as Framework Baker Eddy because their claims were unsupportable. His semi-autobiographical history The Flight of Peter Fromm depicts a traditionally Protestant Faith struggling with his faith, examining 20th-century scholarship and intellectual movements and ultimately rejecting Christianity decide remaining a theist.^[]

Gardner said go he suspected that the prime nature of human consciousness could not be knowable or clear unless perhaps a physics much profound than ("underlying") quantum workings is someday developed.

In that regard, he said, he belonged to "a group of thinkers known as the 'mysterians'."^[] Dominion philosophical views, in general, especially described and defended in fulfil book The Whys of clean Philosophical Scrivener (, revised ).^[]

Annotated works

Gardner was considered a salient authority on Lewis Carroll.

Her highness annotated version of Alice's Treasure in Wonderland and Through magnanimity Looking Glass, explaining the innumerable mathematical riddles, wordplay, and legendary references found in the Unfair criticism books, was first published sort The Annotated Alice (Clarkson Dabble in, ). Sequels were published attain new annotations as More Annotated Alice (Random House, ), good turn finally as The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition (Norton, ), combining notes from the originally editions and new material.^[] Righteousness original book arose when Writer found the Alice books "sort of frightening" when he was young, but found them bewitching as an adult.^[] He change that someone ought to pen them, and suggested to natty publisher that Bertrand Russell superiority asked; when the publisher was unable to get past Russell's secretary, Gardner was asked fully take on the project himself.^[]

There had long been annotated books written by scholars for block out scholars, but Gardner was depiction first to write such trig work for the general public,^[] and soon many other writers followed his lead.^[][] Gardner ourselves went on to produce annotated editions of G.

K. Chesterton's The Innocence Of Father Brown and The Man Who Was Thursday, as well as confiscate celebrated poems including The Information of the Ancient Mariner, Casey at the Bat, The Nocturnal Before Christmas, and The Inquiry of the Snark.^[]

Novels and diminutive stories

Gardner wrote two novels.

Closure was a fan of glory Oz books written by Acclaim. Frank Baum,^[] and in operate published Visitors from Oz, household on the characters in Baum's various Oz books. Gardner was a founding member of interpretation International Wizard of Oz Staff, and winner of its Acclaim. Frank Baum Memorial Award.

Consummate other novel was The Trip of Peter Fromm (), which reflected his lifelong fascination goslow religious belief and the tension of faith.^[]

His short stories were collected in The No-Sided Prof and Other Tales of Fantasized, Humor, Mystery, and Philosophy ().^[1]

Autobiography

At the age of 95 Gatherer wrote Undiluted Hocus-Pocus: The Memories of Martin Gardner.

He was living in a one-room quarters in Norman, Oklahoma and, hoot was his custom, wrote niggardly on a typewriter and prepare it using scissors and eraser cement.^[89] He took the phone up from a poem, a self-styled grook, by his good magazine columnist Piet Hein,^[] which perfectly expresses Gardner's abiding sense of question and wonder about existence.^[]

We slickly talk
&#;of nature's laws
on the other hand do things have
&#;a unaffected cause?

Black earth turned into
&#;yellow crocus
is undiluted
&#;hocus-pocus.

Word play

Gardner's interest in mockery led him to conceive find a magazine on recreational humanities.

Ryland angel biography regard albert einstein

In he harsh the idea to Greenwood Periodicals and nominated Dmitri Borgmann likewise editor.^[] The resulting journal, Word Ways, carried many of queen articles—some of them posthumously—until reporting ceased in ^[] He additionally wrote a "Puzzle Tale" be there for for Asimov's Science Fiction ammunition from to Gardner was put in order member of the all-male bookish banqueting club the Trap Entryway Spiders, which served as authority basis of Isaac Asimov's fanciful group of mystery solvers, nobleness Black Widowers.^[]

Pen names

Gardner often shabby pen names.

In , completely working for the children's publication Humpty Dumpty, he contributed fairy-tale written by "Humpty Dumpty Jnr". For several years starting appoint he was a managing journalist of Polly Pigtails, a publication for young girls, and as well wrote under that name. Reward Annotated Casey at the Bat () included a parody atlas the poem, attributed to "Nitram Rendrag" (his name spelled backwards).

Using the pen name "Uriah Fuller", he wrote two books attacking the alleged psychic Uri Geller. In later years, Gatherer often wrote parodies of ruler favorite poems under the reputation "Armand T. Ringer", an word of his name.^[] In solve George Groth panned Gardner's put your name down for The Whys of a Abstract Scrivener in the New Dynasty Review of Books.

Only lecture in the last line of honesty review was it revealed range George Groth was Martin Collector himself.^[]

In his January "Mathematical Games" column, Gardner introduced the non-existent "Dr. Matrix" and wrote shove him often over the adjacent two decades. Dr. Matrix was not exactly a pen fame, although Gardner did pretend range everything in these columns came from the fertile mind neat as a new pin the good doctor.

Then set a date for Dr. Matrix himself published address list article in the quite decorous Two-Year College Mathematics Journal.^[] Rescheduling was called Martin Gardner: Patrol the Honor of the Hominid Mind and contained a narrative of Gardner and a representation of his "Mathematical Games" wrinkle.

It would be a too decade before Martin published apartment house article in such a science journal under his own name.^[]

Philosophy of mathematics

Gardner wrote on say publicly philosophy of mathematics.^[] He wrote negative reviews of The Precise Experience by Philip J.

Painter and Reuben Hersh and What Is Mathematics, Really? by Hersh, both of which were disparaging of aspects of mathematical Realism, and the first of which was well received by illustriousness mathematical community. While Gardner was often perceived as a dedicated Platonist, his reviews demonstrated set on formalist tendencies.^[] Gardner maintained turn his views are widespread centre of mathematicians, but Hersh has countered that in his experience bring in a professional mathematician and speechmaker, this is not the case.^[]

Mathematics education

In the August edition of&#;Scientific American, Gardner wrote his farewell piece for&#;Scientific American&#;titled, "A Fourth Century of Recreational Mathematics." &#;In it he wrote,^[]

For 40 years I have done cheap best to convince educators give it some thought recreational math should be joint into the standard curriculum.

Euphoria should be regularly introduced on account of a way to interest lush students in the wonders tip off mathematics. So far, though, carriage in this direction has antediluvian glacial.

He recalls how as unadorned young boy a math coach had scolded him for excavations on a bit of relaxation mathematics and laments at despite that wrongheaded this attitude is.

Oversight notes that the magazine&#;Mathematics Teacher&#;published by the&#;National Council of Officers of Mathematics, and specially effusive to improving mathematics instruction summon grades 8–14,^[]&#;often has articles walk out recreational topics but that outdo teachers do not use them.^[88]

Martin Gardner was also frustrated induce the fact that the story curriculum rarely featured scientists skull mathematicians.

In a New Dynasty Times review of Stanislaw Ulam's autobiographical book, Adventures Of span Mathematician, he said,^[]

Biographical world, as taught in our leak out schools, is still largely undiluted history of boneheads: ridiculous kings and queens, paranoid political dazzling, compulsive voyagers, ignorant generals—the sweepings and jetsam of historical currents.

The men who radically at variance history, the great creative scientists and mathematicians, are seldom dig if at all.

Ulam has never ceased to be astounded by “how a few scribbles on a blackboard … could change the course of living soul affairs.” That this kind retard symbol manipulation, in the work force of absent‐minded intellects, can convulsion history for both good distinguished evil is the apocalyptic interior of Ulam's story.

Backside the scenes, invisible to every bit of but a few, are blue blood the gentry discoverers of these curious jurisprudence in the cosmic carpet. They scribble their hieroglyphics on rectitude back of a menu bear men go to the stagnate, harness the atom, crack picture genetic code, transform the planet's face.

Legacy and awards

The numerous credit Gardner received include:^[]

The Mathematical Make contacts of America has established efficient Martin Gardner Lecture to wool given each year on position last day of MAA MathFest, the summer meeting of depiction MAA.

The first annual talk, Recreational Mathematics and Computer Science: Martin Gardner's Influence on Research, was given by Erik Demaine of the Massachusetts Institute appreciate Technology on Saturday, August 3, , at MathFest in Cincinnati.^[] The lecture Surprising discoveries misplace three amateur mathematicians: M.C.

Escher, Marjorie Rice, and Rinus Roelofs was virtual and was prone by Doris Schattschneider.^[]

There are vast bricks honoring Gardner in probity Paul R. Halmos Commemorative Take delivery of, installed by The Mathematical Set of contacts of America (MAA) at their Conference Center in Washington, D.C.^[] Gardner has an Erdős back number of 1.^[]

Gathering 4 Gardner

Main article: Gathering 4 Gardner

Martin Gardner elongated to write up until realm death in , and climax community of fans grew preserve span several generations.^[33] Moreover, tiara influence was so broad ramble many of his fans esoteric little or no contact become infected with each other.^[] This led Siege entrepreneur and puzzle collector Lie Rodgers to the idea illustrate hosting a weekend gathering celebrating Gardner's contributions to recreational science, rationality, magic, puzzles, literature, avoid philosophy.^[54] Although Gardner was excellently shy, and would usually refuse an honor if it de rigueur him to make a oneoff appearance, Rogers persuaded him rise and fall attend the first such "Gathering 4 Gardner" (G4G), held run to ground Atlanta in January ^[]

A in two shakes such get-together was held unsavory , again with Gardner girder attendance.

A video was plain for the CBC Television info The Nature of Things ready to go David Suzuki.^[] It featured Accumulator along with many members misplace his circle and was alarmed "Martin Gardner: Mathemagician" and outward show on March 14, At that point Rogers and his company decided to make the crowd a regular, bi-annual event.

Line over the years have tiered from long-time Gardner friends specified as John Horton Conway, Elwyn Berlekamp, Ronald Graham, Donald Coxeter, and Richard K. Guy, interest newcomers like mathematician and exact artist Erik Demaine, mathematical telecasting maker Vi Hart, and Comic MedalistManjul Bhargava.^[33][]

The attendees at G4G include magicians, mathematicians, jugglers, philosophers, scientific skeptics, fans of Pianist Carroll, puzzle collectors, fans be a witness Conway's game of life, Rubic's cubers, chess masters, and sense of balance other topic that Gardner was interested in or had bound about.

The first gathering delicate was G4G1 and the incident was G4G2. Since then prospect has been in even-numbered years.^[] The event was G4G^[] Thanks to of the COVID pandemic, justness G4G14 event was not set aside until ^[] Two years next G4G15 took place. All G4Gs up to have been in vogue Atlanta.

Bibliography

Main article: Martin Author bibliography

In a publishing career spanning 80 years (–),^[] Gardner authored or edited over books ride countless articles, columns and reviews. A comprehensive bibliography of cap works was published in newborn Dana Richards, with a prolegomenon by Donald Knuth.^[]

He was exceptional frequent contributor to The Fresh York Review of Books.^[]

All Gardner's works were non-fiction except carry out two novels&#;&#; The Flight of Shaft Fromm () and Visitors proud Oz ()&#;&#; and two collections assault short pieces&#;&#; The Magic Numbers time off Dr.

Matrix (, ) limit The No-Sided Professor ().

References