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Mathematically Interesting Games

Here are some games that you can play interactively against the computer. But there's more to them than that: lurking underneath the surface of each game is some interesting mathematics. Can you discover winning strategies, and can you prove mathematically that they are winning strategies?

The games themselves are very simple; playing them is easy. Discovering the mathematics behind them is much more challenging; try your hand at it!

  • Who took the last coin? (Also known as the game of Nim).

  • The Tower of Hanoi

  • The Car and the Goats (the Monty Hall problem).
    • Also available: A printed version of this material suitable for use as a classroom resource. This printed version is in PostScript format and requires a PostScript printer.
    This page last updated: May 26, 1998
    Original Web Site Creator / Mathematical Content Developer: Philip Spencer
    Current Network Coordinator and Contact Person: Joel Chan - mathnet@math.toronto.edu

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