When Sam Loyd died in April 1911 at age 70, The New York Times described him as a man with “a real gift . . . for the fantastic in mathematical science.” Loyd, who was also a renowned chess strategist and skilled ventriloquist, created more than 10,000 puzzles during his lifetime. Here are three gems adapted from The Mathematical Puzzles of Sam Loyd (Dover Publications, 1959) and More Mathematical Puzzles of Sam Loyd (Dover Publications, 1960), both edited by Martin Gardner.
From the collection of Jerry Slocum, courtesy of the Slocum Puzzle Foundation
The Disappearing Bicyclist
Loyd patented this mechanical puzzle in 1896. The original showed Chinese warriors; this variation, from 1906, features cyclists. Imagine that the bicycle wheels above are cardboard disks that spin atop a cardboard background. The portions of the cyclists that extend beyond the wheels’ edges are printed on the background.
1. [Challenging] Thirteen cyclists appear ...
