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Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem
by Simon Singh
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About This Book
ISBN13: 9780385493628 |
Only 2 left in stock at $8.95!
xn + yn = zn, 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.
Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
xn + yn = zn, 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.
Review:
"[A]n excellent and very worthwhile account of one of the most dramatic and moving events of the century." The New York Times Book Review
Review:
"The history of mathematics comes alive even for those who dread balancing their checkbooks." Publishers Weekly
Review:
"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
Review:
"A good overview of one of the great intellectual puzzles of modern history." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis:
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.
Description:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
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 is also the author of the bestselling The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography. He lives in London, England.
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Product Details
- ISBN:
- 9780385493628
- Subtitle:
- The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem
- Foreword:
- Lynch, John
- Author:
- Author:
- Author:
- Publisher:
- Anchor Books
- Location:
- New York :
- Subject:
- History
- Subject:
- Number Theory
- Subject:
- Fermat's last theorem
- Subject:
- History -- Philosophy.
- Copyright:
- 1997
- Edition Description:
- 1st Anchor Books ed.
- Publication Date:
- September 1998
- Binding:
- Paperback
- Language:
- English
- Illustrations:
- Yes
- Pages:
- 336
- Dimensions:
- 7.06x4.92x.88 in. .52 lbs.
