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On 22 May 2010, Martin Gardner was linked from Slashdot, a high-traffic website. (Traffic)

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Creating?

'Gardner was best known for creating and sustaining interest in recreational mathematics' seems to be claiming that Gardner created recreational mathematics, which he surely didn't. If it really is claiming that, then it gets worse because the sentence continues 'and by extension, mathematics in general' and I'm darned sure he didn't create mathematics in general. 31.52.252.210 (talk) 18:23, 2 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

He certainly created my interest in recreational mathematics (and to a large extent in mathematics as such). Though my testimony is hardly a valid source, I think the statement is perfectly valid.--Nø (talk) 18:57, 2 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

It is not claimed that he created recreation math, merely that he created (and sustained) an interest in the subject.--Toploftical (talk) 21:11, 2 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed, but clearly the wording needs to be less ambiguous. Weburbia (talk) 21:23, 2 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

@Weburbia:The wording is not at all ambiguous. But, if you believe it can be improved, by all means make a suggestion here. Shortsword (talk) 22:07, 2 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

It is ambiguous because it can be read either as "creating and (sustaining interest in) recreational mathematics" or "(creating and sustaining) interest in recreational mathematics" It could be changed to "creating interest in recreational mathematics and sustaining it".Weburbia (talk) 08:17, 3 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

My vote would be to keep "...best known for creating and sustaining interest in..." as it is. It's perfectly clear and unambiguous. If I mean to imply that he created recreational mathematics, I would write "...best known for creating, and sustaining interest in,..." or "...best known for creating -- and sustaining interest in -- ..." But without either commas or hyphens, the meaning is pretty clear to all but the most nitnoid. Valerius Tygart (talk) 14:42, 16 October 2017 (UTC)[reply]

I agree with Weburbia. It needs modification to be less ambiguous. Either "encouraging and sustaining interest" or "creating interest in recreational mathematics and sustaining it". - LuckyLouie (talk) 14:58, 16 October 2017 (UTC)[reply]

An ordinary reading of the text in question is that he created interest and sustained interest. There is no conceivable implication that he created recreational mathematics and sustained interest in recreational mathematics. One of the posts above in this debate says the sentence or clause is ambiguous because "... known for creating and sustaining interest in recreational mathematics" might mean the same thing as "... known for creating (and sustaining interest in) recreational mathematics". No. The phrase ""... known for creating, and sustaining interest in, recreational mathematics" with commas might have that meaning, but without the commas it will never be read to have the meaning expressed by the phrase that uses the parentheses.2600:1700:6759:B000:FBA1:5D06:79D0:DFAB (talk) 21:28, 9 May 2025 (UTC)Christopher Lawrence Simpson[reply]

He also generated an interest in Flexagons. I think in one of his books he teaches a simple one from an earlier time. He generated an interest — Preceding unsigned comment added by Streetlight401 (talk • contribs) 05:46, 12 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

"Mathematical Grapevine" section reads too much like a tribute

I'm concerned this section has taken on the character of a fan-page and has departed from the impartial, encyclopedic tone required of biographical Wikipedia articles. Everything carries a distinctively hagiographic tone and reads more like a tribute than a standard Wikipedia entry.
I propose this section be substantially pruned, edited to conform with a more neutral style, and merged with the "Influence" section, which seems to cover more or less the same ground. Both sections have similar tonal problems, but there is no purpose in generating a second, redundant section for the purpose of heaping more praise on the subject. Grifter84 - Доверяй, но проверяй 05:52, 17 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I agree. The article is a total mess and spends more time on hagiography than trying to clarify to the reader his place in American culture. I'm going to try to clean it up a little. Ashmoo (talk) 14:45, 28 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

1D Chess (Gardner Puzzle)

Heya. Should we discuss Martin Gardner's chess problem?

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Example of the "Gardner puzzle"

Basically, it's about finding a way to checkmate Black's king. Rooks and kings move like in regular chess, while the knight's move could be compared to that of the fairy piece called the dabbaba. The dabbaba moves by leaping 2 squares like a rook. Chameleon Gamer 14:16, 1 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Personal Life

There should be paragraphs on here about Martin Gardner and Charlotte Greenwald Gardner and their offspring. RichardBond (talk) 16:47, 25 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Notation

I think it likely that "Martin Gardner's Mathematical Grapevine" would have been christened "(MG) squared" by Doris Schattschneider rather than "M(G squared)" which would condense only "Gardner's Mathematical Grapevine" without his given-name. Is there some way to confirm in the article that it is NOT "(MG) squared"? The footnotes don't lead to anything that can be clicked. It seems unlikely that a fan of Gardner's brand of recreational math would fail to notice that "Martine Gardner's Mathematical Grapevine" has that potential that "Gardner's Mathematical Grapevine" lacks. Another possibility that seems more likely if the "Martin" is omitted is "(G squared)M." If the only source for this is audio or video and we hear "gee emm squared" then I think the presumption should be "(GM) squared", not "G(M squared).2600:1700:6759:B000:FBA1:5D06:79D0:DFAB (talk) 21:28, 9 May 2025 (UTC)Christopher Lawrence Simpson[reply]