An educational, captivating, and very well written book about the history of number theory that culminates in Andrew Wile’s solution to the age old problem: Fermat’s last theorem.
I applaud the author for writing this book in such a manner that it is interesting for both technical and non-technical readers. As a software engineer with a decent background in mathematics, this book still managed to quench my thirst for some fun mathematical puzzles. I would always pause and think about the problems proposed as they came up throughout the text and have a lot of fun reading the Appendix to see how my solution, if I had one, compared.
There was just enough technicality to keep me interested, but never too much so that I drift off into a sense of lull due to a lack of understanding. Both math and history lectures often tend to be very dense with equations, numbers, dates and names so as to cover everything. This book provided just enough detail so one concept can be linked to another, but never so much that the reader is overwhelmed by a series of factoids.
Starting from ancient Greece with Pythagoras, Archimedes and Euclid, through the wars that brought on the dark ages during which the eastern world made slow but steady progress, and ultimately to the Renaissance, modern period and the 20th century, this book covered it all. While I definitely can’t claim to remember all the individuals discussed, or their role in the evolution of number theory, there were a lot of events that definitely stood out. Just like a mathematical proof, this book made very logical steps in the subject manner discussed.
Fermat’s last theorem, and number theory as a whole, really is a story of love, war, inspiration, dedication and so much more. Mathematics had promised solutions to problems and a better life, but it was overshadowed by religion for a very long time. There were many individuals who dedicated their life solely towards rigorous mathematical proofs such that those who follow can build on their work. Friendships were built. Relationships fell apart. Riots broke out. Politics got in the way. However, in the end, it always boiled down to elegant, concise, clear and beautiful mathematics.
This book covers a timeline of key events that shape the math we have accessible today. Do you really need any other reason to read it?