Instead of treating mathematics as a collection of separate topics or isolated courses, this book highlights the patterns and relationships that appear throughout mathematics. Rather than keeping studies confined to a single field, the puzzles here look beyond boundaries and discover links among different areas of knowledge. Within the domain of mathematics, this book focuses on the fun of finding such connections through puzzles.

Math Affinity Puzzles uses analogies to explore connections between mathematical terms and concepts, where solving a puzzle requires unraveling the relationships between the mathematical ideas. Solving this kind of mathematical puzzle is thus not about assessing understanding but deepening it, making the connections, and having fun doing it.

Because there may be multiple relationships present, one answer is not claimed to be correct. Instead, which answer is best comes from one point of view. The short descriptions follow, touching on the different choices while going more deeply into historical or other aspects of the relationships.

The puzzles will deepen the reader’s understanding and appreciation of, as well as foster discussion about, the relationships among mathematical ideas.

The puzzles in this book can be enjoyed on their own or as supplements in a course setting. The authors have used them in calculus and upper-level classes as homework assignments and for in-class discussions. Students have been asked to justify the one they have chosen, offering opportunities for noncomputational critical thinking, speaking, and writing about mathematics.