Fermats Last Theorem [Paperback]

Simon Singh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 7, 1998 | ISBN-10: 1857026691 | ISBN-13: 978-1857026696 | Edition: 1st

In 1963, a schoolboy browsing in his local library stumbled across a great mathematical problem: Fermat's Last Theorem, a puzzle that every child can now understand, but which has baffled mathematicians for over 300 years. Aged just ten, Andrew Wiles dreamed he would crack it. Many people had tried before Wiles and failed, including an 18th-century philanderer who was killed in a duel. An 18th-century Frenchwoman made a major breakthrough in solving the riddle, but she had to attend maths lectures at the Ecole Polytechnique disguised as a man. This is the story of the puzzle that has confounded mathematicians since the 17th century. The solution of the Theorem is one of the most important mathematical developments of the 20th century.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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 for the math, but it also includes limericks to give a feeling for the goofy side of mathematicians. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

YAAThe riveting story of a mathematical problem that sprang from the study of the Pythagorean theorem developed in ancient Greece. The book follows mathematicians and scientists throughout history as they searched for new mathematical truths. In the 17th century, a French judicial assistant and amateur mathematician, Pierre De Fermat, produced many brilliant ideas in the field of number theory. The Greeks were aware of many whole number solutions to the Pythagorean theorem, where the sum of two perfect squares is a perfect square. Fermat stated that no whole number solutions exist if higher powers replace the squares in this equation. He left a message in the margin of a notebook that he had a proof, but that there was insufficient space there to write it down. His note was found posthumously, but the solution remained a mystery for 350 years. Finally, after working in isolation for eight years, Andrew Wiles, a young British mathematician at Princeton University, published a proof in 1995. Although this famous question has been resolved, many more remain unsolved, and new problems continually arise to challenge modern minds. This vivid account is fascinating reading for anyone interested in mathematics, its history, and the passionate quest for solutions to unsolved riddles. The book includes 19 black-and-white photos of mathematicians and occasional sketches of ancient mathematicians as well as diagrams of formulas. The illustrations help to humanize the subject and add to the readability.APenny Stevens, Centreville Regional Library, Centreville, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 373 pages
• Publisher: Fourth Estate Paperbacks; 1st edition (May 7, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857026691
• ISBN-13: 978-1857026696
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (277 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,518,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Simon Singh is an author, science journalist and TV producer. Having completed his PhD at Cambridge he worked from 1991 to 1997 at the BBC producing Tomorrow's World and co-directing the BAFTA award-winning documentary Fermat's Last Theorem for the Horizon series. In 1997, he published Fermat's Last Theorem, which was a best-seller in Britain and translated into 22 languages.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic trip through mathematics and history, November 18, 2000

By 

Douglas Welzel (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem (Paperback)

After enjoying Singh's "The Code Book" I picked up a copy of Fermat's Enigma. The problem itself was somewhat interesting to me, but I hoped Singh presentation of the story would be as good as "The Code Book". I wasn't disappointed. The solution to the problem is wrapped in a compelling story that takes you through the history of mathematics, starting before Fermat's time. Along the way Singh takes time to point out both the highlights and tragedies of mathematics, while weaving in elements of Andrew Wiles' life.

While the math behind the final solution to be problem may be out of reach for most people, Singh successfully communicates the essence of the mathematics used. The book is not complex or saturated with equations and is accessible to just about anyone. For those more interested in the mathematics, Singh includes a complete set of appendices containing problems and proofs from each era of mathematics he discusses.

All in all, a great read. Highly recommended.

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An engrossing page turner for the mathematically inclined, May 15, 2000

By 

LackOfDiscipline (FLAGSTAFF, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem (Paperback)

Wow! I just finished this one and was sad to see it end. The writing is so compelling that I had to stay up to finish it in one sitting. If you are not familiar with Fermat's Last Theorem and why it is such a "big deal", let me just tantalize you by saying that it is basically a "generalized" version of the Pythagorean theorem (the one involving right triangles, which you have surely seen if you have ever taken trigonometry in high school), although it asserts that higher forms of the Pythagorean-style equation are unsolvable.

Singh gives an exquisitely detailed history of the problem going all the way back to its ancient Greek roots (i.e. Pythagoras), proceeds through numerous failed attempts to solve Fermat's challenging theorem by the great mathematicians that succeeded him, and finally concludes with the (initially uncertain) triumph of Andrew Wiles, who posessed the genius to prove the Taniyama-Shimura conjecture (which implies the truth of FLT) and solidify a previously precarious bridge to vast new mathematical wonderlands.

If you enjoyed mathematics at some point in your life and think that interest may still be lingering within you, then you may want to get this one fast - your curiousity and admiration will be revived. One of the best mathematical popularizations around, and an historic scientific/intellectual achievement supremely documented.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb combination of historical progress and modern drama., May 22, 2000

By 

Allan D. Bennett (Vienna, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem (Paperback)

As an undergraduate math major in the late 1970's, I remember how my algebra professor used to chuckle that anyone who solved the Fermat conjecture would get an "A" in his course. (Some of us got A's anyway.) So I had to pick up a copy of this book when I saw it, and I couldn't put it down until I finished it.

Singh does a wonderful job of intertwining the history of Andrew Wiles' life-long fascination with the Fermat conjecture with the history of attempts to solve the problem through the centuries. The necessity for Euler to introduce complex variables into his solution for the case n = 3 gives the first indication that Fermat was probably toying with (ultimately) many generations of mathematicians who would never find a proof that could "fit neatly in the margin" of a page. While it takes a fairly broad background in mathematics to appreciate the book, one does not need to be a specialist in algebraic number theory to follow Singh's historical development of the progress toward final solution.

The description of Wiles' attempt to keep his work secret, and of the inadequacy of his first attempt at proof, reads like a first-rate cliffhanger. A splendid read.