ABSTRACT

In the course of denouncing some of what he saw as the foolishnesses of current mathematics education, Martin Gardner wrote

Aside from its jargon, another objectionable feature of the yearbook is that its contributors seem wholly unaware that the best way to keep students awake is to introduce recreational material that they perceive as fun. [5]

He was, as usual, right. The central problem of mathematics education is how to get students engaged with the material. To benefit from mathematics, students must work at it. Recreational mathematics problems give a good way to entice them into doing that.