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Amir D. Aczel
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Fermat's Last Theorem: Unlocking the Secret of an Ancient Mathematical Problem Hardcover – October 20, 1996

by Amir D. Aczel (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 70 ratings
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Over three hundred years ago, a French scholar scribbled a simple theorem in the margin of a book. It would become the world's most baffling mathematical mystery. Simple, elegant, and utterly impossible to prove, Fermat's Last Theorem captured the imaginations of amateur and professional mathematicians for over three centuries. For some it became a wonderful passion. For others it was an obsession that led to deceit, intrigue, or insanity. In a volume filled with the clues, red herrings, and suspense of a mystery novel, Dr. Amir Aczel reveals the previously untold story of the people, the history, and the cultures that lie behind this scientific triumph. From formulas devised for the farmers of ancient Babylonia to the dramatic proof of Fermat's theorem in 1993, this extraordinary work takes us along on an exhilarating intellectual treasure hunt. Revealing the hidden mathematical order of the natural world in everything from stars to sunflowers, Fermat's Last Theorem brilliantly combines philosophy and hard science with investigative journalism. The result: a real-life detective story of the intellect, at once intriguing, thought-provoking, and impossible to put down.
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  1. Print length
    200 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Basic Books
  4. Publication date
    October 20, 1996
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.75 x 7.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1568580770
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1568580777
  8. See all details
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Amazon.com Review

Born in 1601, Pierre de Fermat lived a quiet life as a civil servant in Toulouse, France. In his spare time, however, Fermat dabbled in mathematics, and somehow managed to become one of the great mathematical theorists of his century. Around 1637 he scribbled a marginal note in one of his books. In it, he stated that he had solved a celebrated number theory problem: "I have discovered a truly marvelous proof of this, which, however, the margin is not large enough to contain."

If only the margin had been wider! For more than 300 years, mathematicians labored to crack the secret of Fermat's Last Theorem, without any success. Finally, in 1995, a Princeton-based mathematician named Andrew Wiles solved the riddle. Amir Aczel's account of this brainteaser and its solution is an irresistible read. And for mathematical dolts--like myself, for instance--it includes a concise, profusely illustrated history of mathematical theory from the Bronze Age to our own fin-de-siecle.

From Library Journal

It is extremely unusual for an advance in pure mathematics to draw the attention of the press worldwide. However, there was a great furor in 1993 when Andrew Wiles announced he had derived a proof of Fermat's Last Theorem, which had defeated mathematicians for more than 300 years. This brief book, written by a statistician rather than a number theorist, presents for the general public the long historical background, the awkward temporary retraction by Wiles, and his final triumph in 1995. The human drama is well presented, but the discussion of the mathematics itself is less successful. The author makes a good start in dealing with the fundamentals but leaps too quickly for lay readers into more complex ideas laden with jargon that is only partially explained. The book might have worked better if the author had taken several dozen additional pages to work through the mathematical concepts in more detail. For larger math collections.?Jack W. Weigel, Univ. of Michigan Lib., Ann Arbor
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books; Third Printing edition (October 20, 1996)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 200 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1568580770
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1568580777
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.75 x 7.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 70 ratings

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  1. Amir D. Aczel

    Amir D. Aczel

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  2. Amir D. Aczel

    Amir D. Aczel

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    Amir D. Aczel, Ph.D., is the author of 17 books on mathematics and science, some of which have been international bestsellers. Aczel has taught mathematics, statistics, and history of science at various universities, and was a visiting scholar at Harvard in 2005-2007. In 2004, Aczel was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. He is also the recipient of several teaching awards, and a grant from the American Institute of Physics to support the writing of two of his books. Aczel is currently a research fellow in the history of science at Boston University. The photo shows Amir D. Aczel inside the CMS detector of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, the international laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland, while there to research his new book, "Present at the Creation: The Story of CERN and the Large Hadron Collider"--which is about the search for the mysterious Higgs boson, the so-called "God particle," dark matter, dark energy, the mystery of antimatter, Supersymmetry, and hidden dimensions of spacetime.

    See Amir D. Aczel's webpage: http://amirdaczel.com

    Video on CERN and the Large Hadron Collider: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ncx8TE2JMo

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
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70 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Claude Lambert
5.0 out of 5 stars A warm introduction to mathematicians'mind
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2012
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This is not a book for mathematicians. It is a book for the curious mind. In the 17th century, Fermat wrote in the margin of a book that x^n + y^n = z^n has no whole number solution for n > 2 (^ is for exponent). People like me have no interest in that at all.
What tickled me as a teenager is that Fermat added that he had found a marvelous proof of it but he did not have enough space to write it in the margin of the book. You would think that soon after he wrote this, around 1637, somebody would discover what that marvelous proof was, but nobody did. It tickled me: the formula is simple enough. For over three centuries, it tickled a lot of people, mathematicians who tried to find the proof and couldn't. The proof was found in 1995 by mathematician Andrew Wiles. It is very long and complex and involves 20th century mathematics.
Because it had tickled many people like me, it made news in all the press. I don't know if it is important, but it certainly is satisfying.
What the book tries to do is to tell us what kind of math is needed to solve this pesky problem, so Aczel briefly introduces a series of mathematicians and mathematical concepts, starting with Pythagoras and the square of the hypotenuse. There is nothing complex in the book, it has warmth throughout, which is very rare for a book on math. We are carried very smoothly towards the kind of mind we would need to find a solution. On the way, we are introduced to the usual conflicts about who did what. It is all fairly decent.
I enjoyed the book. It is written by a friendly person who takes us by the hand and says : come on, this so much fun, let me show you how it was done."
I have no desire to know more than this, so the book is perfect for me. Most of the 2 stars come from people who wanted something else.
7 people found this helpful
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J. head
5.0 out of 5 stars Well Done
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2004
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An ancient mathematical problem, claimed to be solved by a French mathematician, Fermat, over 300 years ago, but no proof survived. This problem known as Fermat's last theorem still stymied modern mathematicians until Andrew Wiles armed with modern mathematical techniques and theory demonstrated a proof in 1994.

This is one of Amir Aczel's better books. A balanced book that succeeds in giving the reader a general idea of the mathematics involved. Mr. Aczel's explanation of a difficult field of math are very good, and keeps the reader's interest. This author in many of his other works usually expands his text to the point where the story does not agree with the title or purpose of the book, This time he got it right. A short book, fast paced, occasional tidbits of interesting facts to setup a historical background of the problem and its solution. It finishes with the trials and tribulations and eventual success of Andrew Wiles, a mathematician turned into a recluse being consumed and driven to solve this secret.
3 people found this helpful
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DogCareGiver&Cat&BirdToo
4.0 out of 5 stars History of the Wiles Proof, Minimal Mathematics
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2019
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Dr. Aczel sadly fell victim to the claim by a hotel in Syracuse, Sicily that they had re-discovered Archimedes’ tomb during construction excavation (did they?.... the information available on the internet about this, and even the information provided by Cicero, centuries ago, is scant and sketchy). He refers twice to “algebraic varieties”, but neither indexes them nor explains what they are except to briefly and casually mention how they relate to Andrew Wiles’ discovery of a proof of Fermat’s (marginal) Theorem. The book contains much information about steps which were attained over centuries of mathematical advances or stagnation (depending which century one references) without discussing relevant details except in the most cursory ways (when he does discuss them). Just about the only mathematical equations in the text are the statement of the nth power equation in three unknowns being researched, and the fundamental sine and cosine right unit triangle identity, leaving the interested reader with some mathematical background completely unsatisfied regarding the details of the proof (is God or the Devil in the details? Or Both? Or neither?). While an overview of the history of the necessary math is present, with some interesting details of the lives of Galois and Shimura (are they accurate if the author believes hotel advertising hoop-la?) and numerous others, giving a very humanistic orientation to the text, the discussion of the mathematics leading up to the proof is far too sketchy to satisfy anyone with a mathematical background beyond high school mathematics. Note that this book is appropriately categorized by the publisher as history, not as mathematics.
One person found this helpful
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paul rowny
5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and well written.
Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2014
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Well written and a comprehensive view of the cast of characters involved in the proof over the centuries. Their history ranges from millennia before Fermat to the present.
One person found this helpful
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Norma Frank
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy This Book
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2014
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This is a wonderful book. I am still reading it because I keep going back to review things. The history of mathematics is fascinating. Who could have expected that?
One person found this helpful
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Andrew Rigg
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2017
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This is a great read! Amir Aczel holds my attention rapt as he explains the great ideas and the great struggle that great mathematicians engage.
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J. Scott Shipman
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read!
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2009
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Mr. Aczel is to be commended for a nice quick tour through mathematics and Fermat's Last Theorem; for a math book it is quite a page turner. Aczel's insight on the inner-world of world-class mathematicians is informative and entertaining---once again, for a math book a surprise. The publisher included diagrams and photos, and while a trade paperback, the quality was good enough to convey the story. If you're looking for a quick primer of math history, this book may be for you---as according to Aczel the roots of Fermat's Theorem has roots back to Pythagoras. Very good book and recommended.
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Daniel Starnes
5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT WEEKEND READ
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2015
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great weekend read on an outstanding subject, really great writer, one of three books from AZCEL
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Dr Jitendriya Swain
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in India on January 11, 2019
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Nice
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Basil
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on October 6, 2016
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This is a treasure from a great teacher of mathematics too soon taken from us.
The package & contents arrived undamaged and in perfect condition.
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Zoska
3.0 out of 5 stars I prefer the book by Simon Singh
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 27, 2012
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Not bad, I like vey much other books by this author, but for Fermat's Last Theorem I prefer the book by Simon Singh, more
detailed and more mathematical (but I am a mathematician!)
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Jean-Pierre Lambert
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on May 30, 2016
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C'était dans les temp, je suis satiisfait
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John Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on February 4, 2016
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A fascinating story well told and explained.
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