Fermat's last theorem
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xn + yn = zn, where n represents 3, 4, 5, ...no solution "I have discovered a truly marvelous demonstration of this proposition which this margin is too narrow to contain." With these words, the seventeenth-century French mathematician Pierre de Fermat threw down the gauntlet to future generations. What came to be known as Fermat's Last Theorem looked simple; proving it, however, became the Holy Grail of mathematics, baffling its finest minds for more than 350 years.
In Fermat's Enigma--based on the author's award-winning documentary film, which aired on PBS's "Nova"--Simon Singh tells the astonishingly entertaining story of the pursuit of that grail, and the lives that were devoted to, sacrificed for, and saved by it. Here is a mesmerizing tale of heartbreak and mastery that will forever change your feelings about mathematics.
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I was expecting that this book is about the explanation of Fermat's Last Theorem proof. It is not. It is more like the journey of mathematicians through centuries trying to solve this problem.
But to be honest. If this book is all about the proof, I will definitely can't follow. The math must be beyond my limit. So I am grateful the author chooses to put the story this way. I really love to learn the history of math. Things that are missing from my past education background. Would definitely read books like this.
Simon Singh has a way of turning complex concepts into griping narratives that keep you engaged. In line with his other books I also recommend this one.
I read a much earlier edition of this work and have to say it was extraordinarily well written. As a maths major at uni (who never really applied anything I learned) I found myself wishing that my tertiary lecturers could have brought the subject - of maths in general and its historical highlights - to life like Simon has.
