IN CODE: A Mathematical Journey

Flannery, Sarah w/ David Flannery

ISBN 10: 0761123849 / ISBN 13: 9780761123842

Published by Workman Pub. Co., New York, 2001

About this Item

(2001), 341pp, illus., paper clip mark to fep, slight edgewear to dj. Seller Inventory # 04-1832

Bibliographic Details

Title: IN CODE: A Mathematical Journey

Publisher: Workman Pub. Co., New York

Publication Date: 2001

Binding: Hard Cover

Condition: Very Good

Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good -

Edition: First American

About this title

Synopsis:

In January 1999, Sarah Flannery, a sports-loving teenager from Blarney in County Cork, Ireland was awarded Ireland's Young Scientist of the Year for her extraordinary research and discoveries in Internet cryptography. The following day, her story began appearing in Irish papers and soon after was splashed across the front page of the London Times, complete with a photo of Sarah and a caption calling her "brilliant." Just 16, she was a mathematician with an international reputation.

In Code is a heartwarming story that will have readers cheering Sarah on. Originally published in England and co-written with her mathematician father, David Flannery, In Code is "a wonderfully moving story . . . about the thrill of the mathematical chase" (Nature) and "a paean to intellectual adventure" (Times Educational Supplement). A memoir in mathematics, it is all about how a girl next door, nurtured by her family, moved from the simple math puzzles that were the staple of dinnertime conversation to prime numbers, the Sieve of Eratosthenes, Fermat's Little Theorem, Googols-- and finally into her breathtaking algorithm. Parallel with each step is a modest girl's own self-discovery--her values, her burning curiosity, the joy of persistence, and, above all, her love for her family.

From the Back Cover:

From puzzles on the blackboard in an Irish country kitchen to her acclaimed Cayley-Purser algorithm, Sarah Flannery has made an extraordinary beginning as a mathematician. Her research and discoveries in Internet cryptography won her both Ireland's Young Scientist of the Year and European Young Scientist of the Year awards. Her story was splashed across the front page of the London Times - and suddenly this teenager from Country Cork had an international reputation.

How did Sarah, an above average student who loves "maths" but adamantly refuses epithets like brilliant or genius, astound the world with an algorithm? In Code, cowritten with Sarah's father and teacher, David Flannery, is a surprising and heartwarming story that will have readers cheering Sarah on.

A memoir with mathematics, In Code tells how the girl next door moved from the simple math puzzles that were the staple of dinnertime conversation to number theory, the Sieve of Eratosthenes, and Femat's Little Theorem Finally culminating in a passion for public key cryptography, and the creative breakthroughs that led to her own discoveries.