mathematics

Ross Honsberger

Ross Honsberger is a mathematics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ross Honsberger rather than just read about it. In short: Ross Honsberger (1929–2016) was a Canadian mathematician and author on recreational mathematics. Life Honsberger studied mathematics at the University of Toronto, with a bachelor's degree, and then worked for ten years as a teacher in Toronto, before continuing his studies at the University of Waterloo (master's degree).

Key takeaways

Ross Honsberger belongs to mathematics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Ross Honsberger to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Ross Honsberger from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Ross Honsberger (1929–2016) was a Canadian mathematician and author on recreational mathematics.

Life Honsberger studied mathematics at the University of Toronto, with a bachelor's degree, and then worked for ten years as a teacher in Toronto, before continuing his studies at the University of Waterloo (master's degree). Since 1964 he had been on the faculty of mathematics, where he later became a professor emeritus. He dealt with combinatorics and optimization, especially with mathematics education. He developed education courses, for example, on combinatorial geometry, frequently held lectures for students and math teachers, and was editor of the Ontario Secondary School Mathematics Bulletin. He wrote numerous books on elementary mathematics (geometry, number theory, combinatorics, probability theory), and recreational mathematics (often at the Mathematical Association of America, MAA), with him in his own words using the book by Hans Rademacher and Otto Toeplitz of numbers and figures as a model. Frequent were his expositions of problems at the International Mathematical Olympiads and other competitions. Edsger W. Dijkstra called his Mathematical Gems "delightful".

Books Ingenuity in Mathematics, New Mathematical Library, Random House / Singer 1970 Mathematical Gems, MAA 1973, 2003 (Mathematical Expositions Dolciani Vol.1), German Mathematical gems of elementary combinatorics, number theory and geometry, Wiley, 1990, ISBN 3-528-08474-X, Chapter "The Story of Louis Posa". Mathematical Gems 2, MAA 1975 (Vol.2 Dolciani Mathematical Expositions) Mathematical Gems 3, MAA 1985, 1991 (vol.9 Dolciani Mathematical Expositions) Mathematical Morsels, MAA 1978 (Vol.3 Dolciani Mathematical Expositions) More Mathematical Morsels, MAA 1991 (Dolciani Bd.10 Mathematical Expositions) Mathematical Plums, MAA 1979 (vol.4 Dolciani Mathematical Expositions) Mathematical Chestnuts from around the world, MAA 2001 (Dolciani Bd.24 Mathematical Expositions) Mathematical Diamonds, MAA 2003 In Pólya's Footsteps, MAA 1997 (Dolciani Bd.19 Mathematical Expositions) Episodes in nineteenth and twentieth century euclidean geometry, MAA 1995 From Erdos to Kiev – Problems of Olympiad Caliber, MAA 1997 Mathematical Delights, MAA 2004 (Dolciani Mathematics Expositions Bd.28)

References

External links Ross Honsberger Archived 10 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine at a website of the University of Waterloo

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ross Honsberger

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ross Honsberger claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In mathematics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ross Honsberger before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ross Honsberger ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ross Honsberger

In research: Ross Honsberger appears in mathematics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ross Honsberger in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ross Honsberger is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1929 births, 2016 deaths, Academic staff of the University of Waterloo, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ross Honsberger outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Ross Honsberger in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Ross Honsberger means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Ross Honsberger out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ross Honsberger in simple terms?

Ross Honsberger (1929–2016) was a Canadian mathematician and author on recreational mathematics. Life Honsberger studied mathematics at the University of Toronto, with a bachelor's degree, and then worked for ten years as a teacher in Toronto, before continuing his studies at the University of Wate…

Why does Ross Honsberger matter?

Because it connects several mathematics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ross Honsberger?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ross Honsberger.