| Fermat's Enigma - The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem (1997) |
| Front Cover | Book Details | |||||||||||||||
|
|
| Plot |
| Amazon.com When Andrew Wiles of Princeton University announced a solution of Fermat's last theorem in 1993, it electrified the world of mathematics. After a flaw was discovered in the proof, Wiles had to work for another year--he had already labored in solitude for seven years--to establish that he had solved the 350-year-old problem. Simon Singh's book is a lively, comprehensible explanation of Wiles's work and of the star-, trauma-, and wacko-studded history of Fermat's last theorem. Fermat's Enigma contains some problems that offer a taste of the math, but it also includes limericks to give a feeling for the goofy side of mathematicians. The New York Times Book Review, Roger Penrose I strongly recommend this book to anyone wishing to catch a glimpse of what is one of the most important and ill-understood, but oldest, cultural activities of humanity. Although I do have some minor reservations about the book (mainly to do with a few places where the author's descriptions of mathematical examples cause a little confusion because of minor lacunae), I believe it to be an excellent and very worthwhile account of one of the most dramatic and moving events of the century. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From Kirkus Reviews The proof of Fermat's Last Theorem has been called the mathematical event of the century; this popular account puts the discovery in perspective for non-mathematicians. As one of the producers of the BBC Horizons show on how the 300-year-old puzzle was solved, Singh had ample opportunity to interview Andrew Wiles, the Princeton professor who made the historic breakthrough. As a schoolboy in England, Wiles stumbled across a popular account of Fermat's puzzle: the assertion that no pair of numbers raised to a power higher than two can add up to a third number raised to the same power. Singh traces the roots of the problem in ancient geometry, from the school of Pythagoras (whose famous theorem is clearly its inspiration) up to the flowering of mathematics in the Renaissance, when Fermat, a French judge who dabbled in number theory, stated the problem and claimed to have found a proof of it. Generations of the finest mathematicians failed to corroborate his claim. Singh gives a colorful and generally easy-to-follow summary of much of the mathematical theory that was generated in attempts to prove Fermat's conjecture. Finally, in the 1950s, two Japanese mathematicians came up with a conjecture concerning elliptical equations that, at the time, seemed to have nothing to do with Fermat's problem. But it was the Taniyama-Shimuru conjecture that gave Wiles the opening to solve the problem after working in isolation for seven years. He announced his proof at a famous mathematical congress in Cambridge, England--a truly great moment in mathematical history. Then a flaw in the proof presented itself- -and Wiles went back to work for over a year to patch it up. Finally he succeeded, and the greatest problem in mathematical history was laid to rest. A good overview of one of the great intellectual puzzles of modern history. (photos and line drawings) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From Book News, Inc. Tells the story of the 350-year search for a proof for Fermat's last theorem, focusing on the work of two modern-day mathematicians. Includes b&w photos. Book News, Inc.®, Portland, OR --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. Book Description x^n + y^n = z^n, where n represents 3, 4, 5, ...no solution "I have discovered a truly marvelous demonstration of this proposition which this margin is too narrow to contain." With these words, the seventeenth-century French mathematician Pierre de Fermat threw down the gauntlet to future generations. What came to be known as Fermat's Last Theorem looked simple; proving it, however, became the Holy Grail of mathematics, baffling its finest minds for more than 350 years. In Fermat's Enigma--based on the author's award-winning documentary film, which aired on PBS's "Nova"--Simon Singh tells the astonishingly entertaining story of the pursuit of that grail, and the lives that were devoted to, sacrificed for, and saved by it. Here is a mesmerizing tale of heartbreak and mastery that will forever change your feelings about mathematics. Ingram Compelling, dramatic, and entirely accessible, "Fermat's Enigma" is a mesmerizing tale of heartbreak and mastery, and one that will forever change the reader's feelings about mathematics. Simon Singh co-produced an award-winning documentary film on Fermat's Last Theorem that aired on PBS's "Nova" series. 21 illustrations. From the Publisher "An excellent account of one of the most dramatic and moving events of the century." --Sir Roger Penrose, New York Times Book Review "It is hard to imagine a more gripping account of...this centuries-long drama of ingenious failures, crushed hopes, fatal duels, and suicides." --Jim Holt, The Wall Street Journal "Though Singh may not ask us to bring too much algebra to the table, he does expect us to appreciate a good detective story." --Boston Sunday Globe "The history of mathematics comes alive even for those who dread balancing their checkbooks." --Publishers Weekly "Singh captures the joys and frustrations of this quest for an extremely elusive proof...and builds to a truly engrossing climax. It's a mathematical page-turner." --Library Journal About the Author Simon Singh received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Cambridge. A BBC producer, he directed and coproduced an award-winning documentary film on Fermat's Last Theorem that aired on PBS's "Nova" series. He lives in London, England, and is at work on his second book. |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Original Details | |
| Original Publication Year | 1997 |
| Notes |
| Originally published: New York : Walker, 1997. Includes bibliographical references and index. |