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 simp≤ 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.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
ISBN-10
0385493622
ISBN-13
9780385493628
eBay Product ID (ePID)
638241
Product Key Features
Author
Simon Singh
Publication Name
Fermat's Enigma : the Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem
Format
Trade Paperback
Language
English
Features
Reprint
Publication Year
1998
Type
Textbook
Number of Pages
336 Pages
Dimensions
Item Length
6.9in
Item Height
0.9in
Item Width
4.9in
Item Weight
7.6 Oz
Additional Product Features
Edition Description
Reprint
Reviews
"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
Target Audience
Trade
Topic
History & Philosophy, Référence, Number Theory, Research & Methodology