Top 10 Martin Gardner Physics Stumpers

Martin's earliest interests included astronomy and science, especially physics, and he also loved science fiction. In his memoirs (see pages 13–14), he reveals that he was familiar with Hugo Gernsback 'smagazine as a boy in the 1920s. He also adored the fictional works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, and many decades later, the works of Isaac Asimov, who became a good friend.

When Martin started attending the University of Chicago, in 1932, his plan was to transfer to Caltech, in Pasadena, CA, after two years, to study physics. However, as result of his growing interest in philosophy, he ended up staying in Chicago to pursue that instead.

Martin always loved basic science experiments and tricks, and was fascinated with more general physics, the solar system, and outer space. He wrote several science puzzle collections aimed at young readers, as well as penning significant and popular books on special relativity and symmetry.

In later life, Martin came to know Carl Sagan and Roger Penrose personally. In his memoirs, he remarks, "I had the honor of writing the foreword to [Penrose's] Emperor's New Mind." He also reviewed major works by Penrose and Hawking. For his writings on physics, he received some notable awards.

The list to follow is offered purely in a spirit of fun and education, and is not intended to be definitive. It concerns only the most basic physics concepts, and nothing electronic. We gratefully acknowledge input from physicist Paul Camp; but he's not to blame for the final selections made.

No answers are offered. Remember the wise words of Bob Crease in Physics World (Oct 2014):

"Googling is not the Gardner way. The Gardner way is to ignite your fascination

so that you experience the pleasure of finding the answer yourself."

These stumpers have provided much pleasure for several generations of people, all over the world. If you're joining their ranks for the first time, welcome.

Many of these items appeared in Martin's Aug 1966 "Mathematical Games" column in Scientific American; the rest appeared in other columns or books of his. There is no particular significance to the order in which there are listed.

Top 10 Martin Gardner Physics Stumpers