Fermat's Enigma : The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem

Foreword by John Lynch 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. Fermat's Last Theorem became the Holy Grail of mathematics. Whole and colorful lives were devoted, and even sacrificed, to finding a proof. Leonhard Euler, the greatest mathematician of the eighteenth century, had to admit defeat. Sophie Germain took on the identity of a man to do research in a field forbidden to females, and made the most significant breakthrough of the nineteenth century. The dashing Evariste Galois scribbled down the results of his research deep into the night before venturing out to die in a duel in 1832. Yutaka Taniyama, whose insights would ultimately lead to the solution, tragically killed himself in 1958. On the other hand, Paul Wolfskehl, a famous German industrialist, claimed Fermat had saved him from suicide, and established a rich prize for the first person to prove the theorem. And then came Princeton professor Andrew Wiles, who had dreamed of proving Fermat's Last Theorem ever since he first read of it as a boy of ten in his local library. In 1993, some 356 years after Fermat's challenge, and after seven years of working in isolation and secrecy - "a kind of private and very personal battle I was engaged in"--Wiles stunned the world by announcing a proof, though his own journey would be far from over. Fermat's Enigma is the story of the epic quest to solve the greatest math problem of all time. A human drama of high dreams, intellectual brilliance, and extraordinary determination, it will bring the history and culture of mathematics into exciting focus for all who read it 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. 1. I Think I'll Stop Here 1 -- 2. The Riddler 35 -- 3. A Mathematical Disgrace 71 -- 4. Into Abstraction 121 -- 5. Proof By Contradiction 171 -- 6. The Secret Calculation 205 -- 7. A Slight Problem 255 -- Epilogue Grand Unified Mathematics 279 -- Suggestions For Further Reading 301 -- Picture Credits 306. Simon Singh ; Foreword By John Lynch. Originally Published: New York : Walker, 1997. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 301-305) And Index. Foreword by John Lynch 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.