Fermat’s Enigma – The epic quest to solve the worlds greatest mathematical problems.(book review)

Title :- Fermat’s Enigma – The epic quest to solve the worlds greatest mathematical problems.

By :- Simon Singh

Published :- Anchor Books, New York (1997) Paperback (300 pages).

Outline :- The seventeen Century French mathematician set out a number of math quizzes, and over the years they and others were solved. However one thermo looked simple, but was difficult to solve, the Fermat’s last theorem. In the 1980’s a number of mathematical problems could be solved only by stating that “Assuming that the Taniyama – Shimura conjecture is true…” relating to some math’s that appeared rational but could not be proved. The American lecturer at the Ohio State University, Andrew Wiles set out on a life’s ambition to prove this conjecture and so solve the Fermat’s last thermo. However he had to do this secretly and in private, as it may tarnish his reputation to try to prove a 350 year old riddle that many of histories best minds could not.  After many years he found a solution, and it took 3 lectures to set out his theory of Modular Forms, Elliptic Curves, and Galois Representations. The peer review found a snag, and it took another 2 quiet years for him to resolve.

Pure math’s is an incredible journey of discovery.