Fermat's Last Theorem

Author: Simon Singh
By Fourth Estate
Average Customer Rating:

List Price: ~~£8.99~~
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Editorial Review
Amazon.co.uk Review
When Cambridge mathematician Andrew Wiles announced a solution for 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 laboured 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 colourful history that has build up around Fermat's last theorem over the years. The book contains some problems that offer a taste for the maths, but it also includes limericks to give a feeling for the quirkier side of mathematicians.

Synopsis
The story of the solving of a puzzle that has confounded mathematicians since the 17th century. The solution of Fermat's Last Theorem is the most important mathematical development of the 20th century. In 1963, a schoolboy browsing in his local library stumbled across the world's greatest mathematical problem: Fermat's Last Theorem, a puzzle that every child can understand but which has baffled mathematicians for over 300 years. Aged just ten, Andrew Wiles dreamed that he would crack it. Wiles's lifelong obsession with a seemingly simple challenge set by a long-dead Frenchman is an emotional tale of sacrifice and extraordinary determination. In the end, Wiles was forced to work in secrecy and isolation for seven years, harnessing all the power of modern maths to achieve his childhood dream. Many before him had tried and failed, including a 18-century philanderer who was killed in a duel. An 18-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 since women were forbidden entry to the school.

From the Author
A problem worthy of attack proves its worth by fighting back
For the last seven years I have worked as a science journalist for BBC television in London, and, without doubt, the story of Fermat's Last Theorem is the most compelling scientific tale I have encountered. As soon as Andrew Wiles solved the problem of the Last Theorem, I began working on a TV documentary describing his achievement (which was aired in the UK on BBC's Horizon series and in the USA as part of the NOVA series), but it was obvious that there was much more to the story than could be squeezed into 60 minutes of television. The book is intended to do justice to the extraordinary history of the problem, involving tragedy, obsession, rich prizes, suicide and even transvestism. At the same time, it was an opportunity to desribe the beautiful mathematical ideas behind Wiles' proof of Fermat's Last Theorem. Mathematics is not about balancing checkbooks, it's about exploring an abstract universe of numbers, filled with profound and subtle concepts. Since the moment I heard about Fermat's Last Theorem I was fascintated by it, and I hope that you will be equally enthralled.

Customer Reviews

Dreams come and go, but mathematics is there forever, 2008-01-02
One of my dreams is to understand the proof of this theorem. (Another is to prove the Riemann conjecture, but that's a different history book.) Reading this one didn't get me anywhere nearer this, but on the other hand, neither did the book I got which purports to explain it in some mathematical detail.

What this book *does* give you is an insight into the mathematicians themselves. And on that count it pays in spades. When I read this at the end of the 90's I was considering whether to return to studying maths again after a break of some 15 years or so. After having finished it, I reckoned, yes I would. It's that good.

Singh is an excellent writer and conveys the drama of the story impeccably. Unfortunately, as with all books of this nature, it is not possible to go into the mathematical nitty-gritty behind the sweeping curves that make this theorem a thing of beauty - because it's too abstruse a subject. Even as a practising (amateur) mathematician myself, I can't get my head round the aspects of this particular topic. That can be kind of frustrating - but it won't stop me trying.

This book is as much about the mathematicians as the mathematics itself. They're an entertaining bunch - there's no such thing as a boring mathematician.

Mathematics is next year's new rock and roll.

Better than the Da Vinci Code!, 2008-03-20
This is a very well-written book: high-level mathematics made accessible to all. It is a true adventure story - and if you are also interested in finding out what exactly it is about mathematics that motivates mathematicians - then this is the book to read. Highly recommended.

Fermat's Last Theorem, 2008-01-10
an interesting book about Mathematics and about mathematicians both the famous and not so famous

Interesting, exciting, challenging; great read, 2008-05-20
What I loved the most about this book was it's timeline-structure. Dating back to the Pythagorean ages to the present; I thought this was a brilliant idea. The book is full of interesting stories of what the most famous mathematicians in the world had experienced during their profession.

The book reaches out to people on many levels:
Women:
The story told about Sophie Germain (born in 1776), the daughter of a merchant whom outside of her work shared a great passion for Mathematics. However during this age, female mathematicians were frowned upon, and so to study at the Ecole, she took the identity of a former student at the Academy named August Le Blanc. The academy was unaware that he had left Paris and continued to print lecture notes and problems for him. Germain had been submitting the answers to these problems under his name. As her work progressed she had made a remarkable breakthrough in revealing the proof to Fermat's Last Theorem; and with the help of Gauss, one of the most famous mathematicians. They would keep in regular contact regarding mathematical problems until the day where she had submitted this breakthrough to him, she had also revealed that she in fact, is a woman; and received an astonishing response from Gauss's overwhelming reaction (In the best way possible) - Germain had become an icon for female mathematicians.

Mathematicians/People who love maths:
Appendixes located in the back of the book where readers with a higher level of mathematical knowledge can read further into the problem with more examples.

Musicians:
mathematical properties of plucking a string to achieve different tones.

Etc.

I remember particularly being shocked about Pythagoras's shame. Where one of his students had discovered the concept of irrational numbers, and as Pythagoras failed to understand this concept, he had sent for the student to be drowned, and claimed irrational numbers as the devil's work; absolutely shameful of such a famous and respected mathematician. Again, this could possibly reach the interest of historians.

There are so many aspects of the book to talk about but I need to keep this short and sweet. Overall the book was a huge success and covered enough of mathematical history to engage the reader in the problem and allow them to enjoy it at the same time. However I did notice that a lot of other significant people in mathematics were not mentioned, like Muhammad bin Mūsā al-Khwārizmī - who discovered Algebra mathematics. I also feel that towards the end of the book where the story of Andrew Wiles's steps to solving the theorem was slightly lengthy, and to be completely honest, started to bore me (Hence my 4 star rating).

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in mathematics, history, or simply like mysteries and puzzles.

Mathematics as you've never seen it before, 2008-05-21
I was never a fan of maths at school. It did not come easily to me and I failed to see the relevance of trigonometry to my everyday life.

I say this so you realise I am not some sort of science geek who was best friends with a calculator. That's because I found this book absolutely fascinating. It made me laugh 3 times in the first 20 pages alone!

What Simon Singh does is through Fermat's puzzle describe the history of mathematics from Pythagoras right up to the 1990's. To the layman names like Euclid put in the mind very dull old guys, but they are brought to life with fascinating anecdotes. For example there's the tortured young French mathematician Galois who is dead by 20, his final mathematical theories frantically scribbled down before a dual. Then there's the story that Pythagoras himself drowned a man when he discovered a certain type of number he objected to!

All of this is carefully woven into the story of Andrew Wiles' life long obsession to prove Fermat's last theorem a puzzle that had foxed the whole world for over 350 years!

Everything is explained in a way that it can be digested by someone who has only a passing interest in maths and as a whole is a remarkable book.

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Fermat's Last Theorem