Review:
In his preface, the author does a good job of explaining what he set out to do in this book; then, in the rest of the book, he does a good job of doing it! Stein has attempted to present examples of real mathematical reasoning that (unlike some of the most beautiful parts of math) DON'T require any math background to understand or appreciate--and in my opinion, he succeeds brilliantly. If you love a well-reasoned, clearly explained argument but never even took algebra or geometry, you will enjoy this book. On the other hand, even mathematically sophisticated readers are likely to find some things here that they hadn't seen before, so they should enjoy the book too.

Sink or Float: Thought Problems in Math and Physics is a collection of problems drawn from mathematics and the real world. Its multiple-choice format forces the reader to become actively involved in deciding upon the answer. The book s aim is to show just how much can be learned by using everyday common sense. The problems are all concrete and understandable by nearly anyone, meaning that not only will students become caught up in some of the questions, but professional mathematicians, too, will easily get hooked. The more than 250 questions cover a wide swath of classical math and physics. Each problem s solution, with explanation, appears in the answer section at the end of the book.

A notable feature is the generous sprinkling of boxes appearing throughout the text. These contain historical asides or little-known facts. The problems themselves can easily turn into serious debate-starters, and the book will find a natural home in the classroom.