The Minsk chicken

Our book is a collection of mathematical and physical problems that have made students nervously chew their pencils even in tsarist Russia. These examples are somewhat different from traditional school assignments, as they primarily teach mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills. Some of the tasks draw on the theme of old Russian traditions, others come from the Russian Student Olympics, and still others are among the tasks of Russia’s elite universities. Problems include easy but jump-in questions and difficult but irresistible tasks. A group of students called themselves the Five Hours Club because at five in the morning they were still arguing fiercely over the examples in the book. Anyone who gets stuck will find one or two helpful thoughts for each problem. And whoever has given up the fight completely will find an exhaustive answer to every task at the end of the book. For quite a few tasks, the book also tells you how the problem arose or how it was first solved.