xn + yn = zn, where n represents 3, 4, 5, ...no solution
"I have discovered a truly marvelous demonstration of this proposition which t... read full description
"I have discovered a truly marvelous demonstration of this proposition which t... read full description
reviews
Apr 03, 2009
Bruce
rated it: 
What a fun book this was (thanks, Trevor, for the recommendation)! There are many reasons I think I like (good) nonfiction -- a sense of direct relevance, gravitas, frequent insights into the workings of the universe (and people), but mostly for knowledge narcs -- high levels of information density served up into an intriguing package by someone else who has undertaken the heavy lifting (research, organization, thinking). So, here in Singh's work I get a solid lay understanding not only of the
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Dec 10, 2007
Mark
rated it: 
If you don't think math can be sexy and exciting, then you ought to give Singh's book a read.
By the time Pierre de Fermat - sometime civil servant and occasional brilliant mathematician - left this earth, he'd left an indelible mark on the 17th century. His work with Pascal on "laws of chance" (considered by some an oxymoron) was groundbreaking and enduring, as was his contribution to proto-calculus.
Fermat, though, was very often remembered for something he wro More...
By the time Pierre de Fermat - sometime civil servant and occasional brilliant mathematician - left this earth, he'd left an indelible mark on the 17th century. His work with Pascal on "laws of chance" (considered by some an oxymoron) was groundbreaking and enduring, as was his contribution to proto-calculus.
Fermat, though, was very often remembered for something he wro More...
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Mar 10, 2009
Manny
rated it:
I guess the author does a reasonable job. But when I reached the end, I still didn't feel I understood at all how the proof worked. Probably that's just because it's so bloody hard. I got a lot more though out of Prime Obsession, Derbyshire's book on the Riemann Hypothesis, where the author opens up the box and shows you some of the actual math...
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Mar 29, 2008
Anna
rated it: 
Finished. I have to admit I got completely lost in the last fourth of the book, where he discussed the modular somethings (equations, perhaps). It still is s really great book though.
**re-reading**
After 'White Dog', I strongly felt the need for something neat. Re-reading this is like plunging into a cool ocean.
______original review: ______
After I had finished his Code Book, I picked this one up. I always loved maths in school...trying to find a pat More...
**re-reading**
After 'White Dog', I strongly felt the need for something neat. Re-reading this is like plunging into a cool ocean.
______original review: ______
After I had finished his Code Book, I picked this one up. I always loved maths in school...trying to find a pat More...
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Oct 04, 2011
Campbell
rated it:
If you buy the latest Jilly Cooper instead of this you WILL go to hell!
This one languished on my bookshelf for the best part of a year as I was too scared to pick it up & start it. What held me back is what will probably put a lot of other potential readers off trying it - the boring old "I'm no good at maths" argument. Although my maths education is probably little above average (a good O Level and a terrible A Level, after which I rallied somewhat to obtain a reasonabl More...
This one languished on my bookshelf for the best part of a year as I was too scared to pick it up & start it. What held me back is what will probably put a lot of other potential readers off trying it - the boring old "I'm no good at maths" argument. Although my maths education is probably little above average (a good O Level and a terrible A Level, after which I rallied somewhat to obtain a reasonabl More...
Jun 20, 2011
Cassandra
rated it:
This is the kind of book that we non mathematical minds can easily digest and love. It gives you an epic scope of the number of minds that it takes to build new ideas. I doubt if Fermat had actually solved this theorem correctly, but this is impossible to prove. Fermat's theorem however was not impossible to prove! It was solved! Thanks to the efforts of many men (and women!) over many lifetimes and one final man who had the determination and persistence to finish the unthinkable. This book has
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Dec 16, 2010
William
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On his way home from school in Cambridge, England in the early 60s, Andrew Wiles would pick up a copy of E.T. Bell's book, "The Last Problem", from the local public library. The focus of "The Last Problem" is on the history and challenge of what seemed to be a fairly straight-forward arithmetic equation:
x^n + y^n = z^n where no three positive integers, x, y, and z can correctly solve this
equation for any value of n that is greater than two.
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x^n + y^n = z^n where no three positive integers, x, y, and z can correctly solve this
equation for any value of n that is greater than two.
More...
Oct 10, 2010
I picked this book off of my cousin's shelf and read it in the two days that I've been in New York, despite it being significantly thick (almost three hundred pages, which is much larger a book than I ever try to read anymore). However, I recognized the author, Simon Singh, who wrote an equally engrossing narrative on the history of encryption, from the scytales of the Greeks, through great European scandals (and be-headings) involving letters in cipher, and even to the amazing feats of the Pol
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Sep 13, 2009
fleegan
rated it:
This book is about Andrew Wiles and how he proved Fermat’s Last Theorum by using all kinds of crossover higher maths. The book’s jacket says that you don’t have to be a mathematician to enjoy the book, and that’s true. While some math is discussed, and lots of it you’ll recognize from high school, it’s not essential that you get the math to enjoy the history of the problem and even the history of mathematics.
As far as understanding proving the Theorum? The author doesn’t really go in More...
As far as understanding proving the Theorum? The author doesn’t really go in More...
Aug 19, 2011
Erythrina
rated it:
"My butter, garcon, is writ large in!"
a diner was heard to be chargin'.
"I HAD to write there,"
exclaimed waiter Pierre,
"I couldn't find room in the margarine."
Ever since I recently stumbled upon the documentary called 'The Proof' I've become extremely interested (almost obsessed) in Wiles's proof of Fermat's last Theorem and have been searching for a good book that would provide me with a real, mathematical explanation of it (mainly the More...
a diner was heard to be chargin'.
"I HAD to write there,"
exclaimed waiter Pierre,
"I couldn't find room in the margarine."
Ever since I recently stumbled upon the documentary called 'The Proof' I've become extremely interested (almost obsessed) in Wiles's proof of Fermat's last Theorem and have been searching for a good book that would provide me with a real, mathematical explanation of it (mainly the More...
Jan 26, 2012
Holly
rated it:
Reading this book I caught a glimpse of the rarefied atmosphere of mathematicians and their processes of discovery. I don't do mathematics and haven't studied anything beyond the bare minimum required for a Bachelor's degree, but I find something wonderful about the pursuits of people like Andrew Wiles and the number theorists who spend years of their lives working on a set of problems. Wiles's obsessive mindset and solitary quest reminded of Ron Carlson's short story "Towel Season" an
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Oct 09, 2009
Susan
rated it:
This is a fun read: a slice of mathematics history from Pythagoras to current day. Pierre de Fermat held 'amateur' status as a mathematician but is credited with advancing number theory among other things. As an amateur he rarely, if ever, submitted proofs of his work. Many of his contributions became known after his death when his son gathered his papers and published them. Among these works was a scribble made in the margin of a book in which he asserted that there is no integer solution fo
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Aug 14, 2010
Jake
rated it:
When Andrew Wiles announced his proof in 1993, Fermat's Last Theorem had gone unsolved for more than 350 years. There are very few problems in math that have stood up to that kind of scrutiny for so long- but what made Fermat so interesting was that the problem could be understood by anyone who got through High School algebra (from Wikipedia: "Fermat's Last Theorem states that no three positive integers a, b, and c can satisfy the equation an + bn = cn for any integer value of n greater th
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Jan 29, 2012
W.H.
rated it:
Who would have thought a book about an extremely complicated maths problem could ever be an international best seller.
But here we have it. The story of a mathematical theory that had the greatest minds stumped for 358 years, and the quest to be the first to solve it.
It reads like a detective hunt spread over the centuries, with the 'culprit' teasing and getting ever nearer to capture - then slipping away again.
The enthusiasm and clarity of writer Simon Singh keeps the reader t More...
But here we have it. The story of a mathematical theory that had the greatest minds stumped for 358 years, and the quest to be the first to solve it.
It reads like a detective hunt spread over the centuries, with the 'culprit' teasing and getting ever nearer to capture - then slipping away again.
The enthusiasm and clarity of writer Simon Singh keeps the reader t More...
Aug 05, 2011
Pasteurisiert
rated it:
Pasteurisiert mit 5 von 5 Sternen. Abenteuer Mathematik! Empfehlenswert!
Kann Mathematik abenteuerlich sein? Ja, sie kann! Simon Singh beweist, dass man die Geschichte eines mathematischen Satzes und seines Beweises zugleich spannend und mit einem Augenzwinkern erzählen kann.
Der Satz des Fermat sieht aus, wie eine Verallgemeinerung des pythagoreischen Satzes. Fermat hat vermutet, dass es keine ganzzahligen Werte gibt, für die dieser Satz gilt, und hat angeblich sogar einen wunderbaren Beweis dafü More...
Kann Mathematik abenteuerlich sein? Ja, sie kann! Simon Singh beweist, dass man die Geschichte eines mathematischen Satzes und seines Beweises zugleich spannend und mit einem Augenzwinkern erzählen kann.
Der Satz des Fermat sieht aus, wie eine Verallgemeinerung des pythagoreischen Satzes. Fermat hat vermutet, dass es keine ganzzahligen Werte gibt, für die dieser Satz gilt, und hat angeblich sogar einen wunderbaren Beweis dafü More...
Nov 27, 2010
Giacomo
rated it:
(La recensione è ben più leggibile sul mio blog: http://bit.ly/cYuNNh)
Cosa c’è di così affascinante in questo teorema?
Il fatto che sia, per quanto ne so, l’unico ad avere un enunciato estremamente semplice e alla portata di tutti, ma la cui dimostrazione ha richiesto più di tre secoli e mezzo; indicativamente, dal 1637 al 1995.
È stata proprio l’abbordabilità dell’enunciato ad invogliare il matematico Andrew Wiles ad appassionarsene fin dall’età di 10 anni e a spingerlo ad affrontare un’impresa g More...
Cosa c’è di così affascinante in questo teorema?
Il fatto che sia, per quanto ne so, l’unico ad avere un enunciato estremamente semplice e alla portata di tutti, ma la cui dimostrazione ha richiesto più di tre secoli e mezzo; indicativamente, dal 1637 al 1995.
È stata proprio l’abbordabilità dell’enunciato ad invogliare il matematico Andrew Wiles ad appassionarsene fin dall’età di 10 anni e a spingerlo ad affrontare un’impresa g More...
Jun 20, 2009
Kururu
rated it: 
This book is meant for the latter half of the bell curve. If you're mathematical experience stopped at high school, this book will still disappoint you. I don't understand how you can write about math without writing some math. The equations given weren't pertinent to Fermat's Last Theorem, most were digressions that were meant to prove an already obvious point, an explanation of the Pythagorean theorem?, thank you but my elementary school teacher did plenty enough. The book skimps over the hard
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Apr 13, 2010
Matt
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jan 25, 2011
Eva
rated it:
This book is written as though it were a mini-series on tv. First, there are frequent reminders of just how great Fermat's Last Theorem is, how well it had stumped mathematicians, how devoted everyone was. The sensational sentences really distracted me from the story. It was as if I needed these frequent reminds to be enticed to read on, when I was already going to finish the book.
Second, there are tons of asides in the book. I can imagine the camera work that shows different images More...
Second, there are tons of asides in the book. I can imagine the camera work that shows different images More...
Sep 18, 2011
Mikhail
rated it:
Мне ПОНРАВИЛОСЬ. Разумеется, тут дело не в литературных достоинствах - это публицистика чистой воды. НО! с одной стороны - можно уточнить ряд деталей (типа того, что Танияма, оказывается, покончил с собой, а не просто погиб, - я не знал). С другой стороны - начинаешь действительно по-другому смотреть на Уайлса.
Имеется же у меня такая идея, что ряд математиков ФАТАЛЬНО неооценён. То есть порой они вобще в тени (типа Грассмана и Киллинга), порой - совсем нет, но заслуги их всё равно БО More...
Имеется же у меня такая идея, что ряд математиков ФАТАЛЬНО неооценён. То есть порой они вобще в тени (типа Грассмана и Киллинга), порой - совсем нет, но заслуги их всё равно БО More...
Jan 13, 2011
Mgb76
rated it:
Singh ci conduce, in modo piacevole e coinvolgente, attraverso la lunga storia del famoso teorema di Fermat, dalla sua formulazione ai numerosi tentativi di dimostrarlo, fino all'epilogo, negli anni 90, con la soluzione da parte del matematico Wiles.Un'ottima lettura, anche perché Singh non si concentra solo sul teorema e sul suo solutore, ma ci racconta anche la vita dei matematici che hanno tentato e fallito, di quelli che hanno elaborato gli strumenti matematici utilizzati poi da Wiles per ar
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Jun 20, 2011
Chrissy
rated it:
Anyone who knows me well knows that I have some longstanding issues with maths; namely that I am awful at them, fall prey to a number of silly arithmetic mistakes that topple my every attempt at them, and have a hard time thinking abstractly enough to grasp some of their most fundamental concepts.
This book has undone all of that in one fell swoop that had me staying up late, hesitant to stop reading and eager to learn more.
Simon Singh weaves a fantastically accessible tale of More...
This book has undone all of that in one fell swoop that had me staying up late, hesitant to stop reading and eager to learn more.
Simon Singh weaves a fantastically accessible tale of More...
Jun 27, 2009
Bob
rated it:
It was as exciting as fiction to follow not only the history of Fermat's conjecture and the effort it has evoked for 3 centuries but also the personal quest of Andrew Wiles, who embraced this quest as a boy and fortuitously was equipped with appropriate math skills to mount a mighty effort in pursuit thereof. The twists and turns the tale takes on are intriguing.
Among the insights shared is the metaphorical description by Wiles of the process of entering a room in total darkness, di More...
Among the insights shared is the metaphorical description by Wiles of the process of entering a room in total darkness, di More...
May 18, 2009
Lamont
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
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Sep 23, 2011
Moonglum
rated it:
For someone with a background in math (though by no means one deep enough to understand the proof that the book is about), the historical proofs involve too much hand waving, even the ones in the appendices. Also, the proof of the Pythagorean theorem is an algebraic proof, and not the proof by construction that the ancient Greeks used. While that is an easy proof to follow, presenting it in the context of the ancient Greeks is weird.
However, by the time we get to the elliptic equat More...
However, by the time we get to the elliptic equat More...
May 10, 2011
Ed
rated it:
Another great piece of journalism by Mr. Singh, whose The Code Book I enjoyed earlier this year. Somehow the author has managed to take arcane details of modern and classical mathematics and make them accessible to the layperson, so that in the end the reader shares Wiles' excitement at achieving one of the most complex and celebrated proofs of all time - a proof that married many different types of mathematics and glued them together with techniques that would have been achievements in their ow
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Sep 26, 2011
Fred
rated it:
It's a book about a math proof. It sounds boring, but I couldn't put it down. I actually got excited as I read through the history of the theorem - from Fermet's famous note in the margin, to some of the most brilliant mathematicians ever, to one man's decade long work to the final result.
Most of the math is presented in such a way that I could understand the basic idea of what each step was. I'm sure PhDs are disgusted at the simplification, but for a book like this to have wide appea More...
Most of the math is presented in such a way that I could understand the basic idea of what each step was. I'm sure PhDs are disgusted at the simplification, but for a book like this to have wide appea More...
Jul 01, 2009
Suzanne
rated it:
i thought this book would be boring because it was about math. hmm. in fact, it wasn't just good for a math book, but was genuinely compelling storytelling in its own right. it's not solely about fermat & crazy man wiles, which was my main concern, but instead covers hundreds of years of math and research and mathematicians, and makes the whole researching business seem far more exciting than, in my experience, it actually is. it was neat to have some context for all the names that pop up ov
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Nov 11, 2009
Sesh
rated it:
A joyous adventure starting from when Fermat posited his conjecture (no whole number solutions in x,y,z for n > 2 for x^n + y^n = z^n) to its status as a theorem with proof by Andrew Wiles in the late 90s, and all the attempts to prove it in between. What I liked most about it is the historical development of number theory (in the context of proving the conjecture) with all the hits and misses, and the story of the mathematicians who strove mightily to close the case. Sadly, the major breakth
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Mar 14, 2011
Anne
rated it:
A great change of pace: the history, challenge and success of solving Fermat's Last Theorem: x^n + y^n = z^n cannot exist for whole numbers where n > 2. While Fermat declared this, he never published his "truly marvelous proof" and for centuries, mathematicians have been trying to prove or disprove this last unsolved theorem. The discussion of number theory, the conjectures and theorems that were used in the proofs, and the personalities and politics of the math world made for a gre
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