Games, Puzzles, and Computation

by Robert A. Hearn, Erik Demaine
Price: $45.00
Availability: In stock.

Summary

The authors show that there are underlying mathematical reasons for why games and puzzles are challenging (and perhaps why they are so much fun). They also show that games and puzzles can serve as powerful models of computation—quite different from the usual models of automata and circuits—offering a new way of thinking about computation. The appendices provide a substantial survey of all known results in the field of game complexity, serving as a reference guide for readers interested in the computational complexity of particular games, or interested in open problems about such complexities.

Details

ISBN: 978-1-56881-322-6
Year: 2009
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 250

Reviews

Brian Borchers, Choice Magazine (PDF)

February 2010

“This book will be of interest to advanced readers working in this area.”

L'Enseignement Mathematique (PDF)

December 2009

“The authors show that there are underlying mathematical reasons that games and puzzles are challenging (which perhaps explains why they are so much fun). Complementarily, they also show that games and puzzles can serve as powerful models of computation — quite different from the usual models of automata and circuits — offering a new way of thinking about computation.”

MAA Reviews (PDF)

December 2009

“Although a bit more cumbersome, the title Games, Puzzles, and Computational Complexity would describe this quite intriguing book more precisely. … Hearn and Demaine present an elegant family of benchmarks they have developed, allowing them to settle open questions on the complexity of various games. … and the authors certainly provide plenty to mull over. The publisher A K Peters has done a quite nice job of production, as well. All in all, this is a book well worth looking into.”