World's Most Famous Math Problem: The Proof of Fermat's Last Theorem and Other Mathematical Mysteries - Softcover

Vos Savant, Marilyn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312106572 ISBN 13: 9780312106577

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 1993

Synopsis

June 23, 1993. A Princeton mathematician announces that he has unlocked, after thousands of unsuccessful attempts by others, the greatest mathematical riddle in the world. Dr. Wiles demonstrates to a group of stunned mathematicians that he has provided the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem (the equation x" + y" = z," where n is an integer greater than 2, has no solution in positive numbers), a problem that has confounded scholars for over 350 years.

Here in this brilliant new book, Marilyn vos Savant, the person with the highest recorded IQ in the world explains the mathematical underpinnings of Wiles's solution, discusses the history of Fermat's Last Theorem and other great math problems, and provides colorful stories of the great thinkers and amateurs who attempted to solve Fermat's puzzle.

About this title

Review:

"A delightful, informative, and accurate book about the probable proof of Fermat's Last Theorem. [This book is] highly recommended even to readers who think they hate math." --Martin Gardner

"Within a few minutes of the conclusion of his [Dr. Wiles's] final lecture, computer mail messages were winging around the world as mathematicians alerted each other to the startling and wholly unexpected result." --the New York Times

Synopsis:

The person with the highest IQ in the world explains Dr. Wiles's discovery of the solution for the greatest mathematical riddle in the world, Fermat's Last Theorem, and describes the great thinkers who have attempted to solve it. Original.

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0312106572
• ISBN 13: 9780312106577
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 96