Stalking the Riemann Hypothesis [Paperback]

Dan Rockmore (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Jonathan Cape (2005)
• ASIN: B000OOR3ZM
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another fine book on the Riemann Hypothesis., July 20, 2005

By 

Lester D. Taylor (Professor of Economics (Emeritus), University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stalking the Riemann Hypothesis: The Quest to Find the Hidden Law of Prime Numbers (Hardcover)

This is another fine book on the Riemann Hypothesis that, in my view, strongly complements the volumes by John Derbyshire and Marcus du Sautoy. Readers of the book should have some prior exposure to the Riemann Hypothesis (including a basic understanding of complex variables), some understanding of linear algebra, and a modicum of understanding of quantum physics. I say this because, unlike for Derbyshire and du Sautoy, the mathematics underlying the Riemann Hypothesis are more talked about than developed. The strengths of the book are (1) the author's strong historical perspective, (2) his ability to make extremely esoteric mathematical concepts understandable (and fun!), and (3)a better discussion than provided by either Derbyshire or du Sautoy of the connection between the distribution of the zeta zeroes and the distribution of the prime numbers -- in short, why it is that the Riemann Hypothesis is viewed amongst mathematicians as being so important.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Ode to Higher Mathematics, August 11, 2005

By 

J. Brian Watkins (Laie, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stalking the Riemann Hypothesis: The Quest to Find the Hidden Law of Prime Numbers (Hardcover)

OK, let's just stipulate that this guy loves mathematics--me, I'm just oddly fascinated with a topic so esoteric that it takes a graduate degree just to decipher the several alphabets that have been sacrificed to the needs of mathematical symbology. It appears as though I am not alone.

However, Dr. Rockmore is staking out a different turf than the other books. His goal seems not to be geared towards explaining the difficult topics so much as giving a lay reader an introduction to the various issues that pertain to the problem of the Riemann Hypothesis. Metaphor and simile are not the best tools for describing higher mathematics. My only criticism of this book is that while it touches on everything it actually explains very little. At first, having read the Sabbagh and Derbyshire books, this was frustrating; however, it becomes clear that the purpose of this book is very different.

"Stalking the Riemann Hypothesis" is more in the nature of "Einstein's Dreams" by Alan Lightman. It is more an attempt to convey the mathematician's wonder and curiosity than an understanding of the underlying science; seen in this light, I felt the book succeeded.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and elegant introduction to the Riemann hypothesis, April 21, 2005

By 

Cristopher Moore - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stalking the Riemann Hypothesis: The Quest to Find the Hidden Law of Prime Numbers (Hardcover)

Rockmore's treatment of the Riemann hypothesis does the challenging job of introducing lay readers to the Prime Number theorem, the Euler factorization, Mobius inversion, and the eigenvalues of random matrices. The history is covered beautifully, detailing the partial successes and false starts along the way. Rockmore assumes very little on the part of the reader, and if you're already familiar with the complex plane and infinite series you will read between the lines a bit (actual equations are confined to footnotes) but even mathematically-inclined readers can gain a lot from the book. I enjoyed it a great deal.