Mathematics educators agree that problem solving is one of the
essential skills their students should possess, yet few mathematics
courses or textbooks are devoted entirely to developing this skill.
Supported by narrative, examples, and exercises, Ants, Bikes, and
Clocks: Problem Solving for Undergraduates is a readable and enjoyable
text designed to strengthen the problem-solving skills of undergraduate
students. The book, which provides hundreds of mathematical problems,
gives special emphasis to problems in context, often called story
problems or modeling problems, that require mathematical formulation as
a preliminary step. Both analytical and computational approaches, as
well as the interplay between them, are included. This engaging book
will strengthen students' mathematical skills, introduce them to new
mathematical ideas, demonstrate the connectedness of mathematics, and
improve both their analytical and computational problem solving.
Students are encouraged to use the computer, or any tool at hand, for
experimentation or to test their ideas.