by Amir D. Aczel
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Product Description
Simple, elegant, and utterly impossible to prove, Fermat's last theorem captured the imaginations of mathematicians for more than three centuries. For some, it became a wonderful passion. For others it was an obsession that led to deceit, intrigue, or insanity. In a volume filled with the clues, red herrings, and suspense of a mystery novel, Amir D. Aczel reveals the previously untold story of the people, the history, and the cultures that lie behind this scientific triumph. From formulas devised from the farmers of ancient Babylonia to the dramatic proof of Fermat's theorem in 1993, this extraordinary work takes us along on an exhilarating intellectual treasure hunt. Revealing the hidden mathematical order of the natural world in everything from stars to sunflowers, Fermat's Last Theorem brilliantly combines philosophy and hard science with investigative journalism. The result: a real-life detective story of the intellect, at once intriguing, thought-provoking, and impossible to put down.
Amazon.com Review
Born in 1601, Pierre de Fermat lived a quiet life as a civil servant in Toulouse, France. In his spare time, however, Fermat dabbled in mathematics, and somehow managed to become one of the great mathematical theorists of his century. Around 1637 he scribbled a marginal note in one of his books. In it, he stated that he had solved a celebrated number theory problem: "I have discovered a truly marvelous proof of this, which, however, the margin is not large enough to contain." If only the margin had been wider! For more than 300 years, mathematicians labored to crack the secret of Fermat's Last Theorem, without any success. Finally, in 1995, a Princeton-based mathematician named Andrew Wiles solved the riddle. Amir Aczel's account of this brainteaser and its solution is an irresistible read. And for mathematical dolts--like myself, for instance--it includes a concise, profusely illustrated history of mathematical theory from the Bronze Age to our own fin-de-siecle.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 For me useful, 2008-07-20
I think the most telling thing about this book is that
it is out of print and going used for $0.13 from sellers.
One thing you learn about mathematics books is:
if they are any good at all they hold their value, even used.
The major thing the author does is show contempt for the reader by
never giving any real equations. I find his end notes
probably the most useful and they also show that he had insufficient background to write this book. For me the use of the book is the reference
to the mathematicians who did the work historically.
I'm disgusted that he never wrote out the modular form
equation that is on what the whole proof rests.
For that he is a cheat as an author:
people aren't dumb and they don't need this level of dumb me down text.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
No mathematical depth and it sometimes reads like a children's novel, 2007-10-05
This is one of the books that appeared in print shortly after the announcement was made that Andrew Wiles had found a proof of Fermat's Last Theorem. In many ways, the public reaction to the announcement was surprising; there was a great deal of interest in the problem and therefore, publishers rushed to get a popular book out on the subject.
This book is one in the category of popular books, there is very little in the way of complicated mathematics and even then it is not really needed to understand the contents. Aczel weaves a complicated historical drama and often interjects verbiage more suited to a children's novel. For example, on page 133, there is the passage:
"Wiles walked around the department for several hours. He didn't know whether he was awake or dreaming. Every once in a while, he would return to his desk to see if his fantastic finding was still there - and it was. He went home. "
Many if not most of the greatest mathematicians of the ages are mentioned at some point in this book. While none of them are done in depth, there is enough for you to recognize the convoluted paths that solutions to complex problems often take. Furthermore mathematics is replete with "Aha!" moments where centuries of effort are suddenly distilled into a clear solution. Wiles had such a moment when he patched a serious hole in his original proof.
If you are interested in a detailed explanation of what Fermat's Last Theorem is and how it was proven, you need to look elsewhere. However, if a superficial explanation is the point of your interest and can tolerate some occasional poetic license in the area of exaggeration, then this book will work for you.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
 350 Year Old Detective Story, 2006-08-13
In 1637 Pierre de Fermat scribbled some notes in a margin of a mathematics book and the world has been talking about it ever since. Was his "last theorem" ever real or did he simply invent a story to boost his ego? Perhaps we will never know, but three centuries later Prof. Andrew Wiles did provide the solution to the greatest mathematical conundrum in history (or at least the most famous). Some people argue that Prof. Wiles used a mathematics unknown to Fermat, but if the Egyptians could build the pyramids in a mere 23 years (a feat that would take us with all our modern technology more than a century, if the money and determination could even be acquired) perhaps the knowledge of Fermat was lost over the centuries as well. We are certainly rediscovering things ancient people knew, so who is to say Fermat did not have a solution?
Though slow at times this is a fantastic detective story for anyone who loves mathematics (don't worry, you don't have to be a genius to enjoy it). A wonderful afternoon read.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
An Introductory Book, 2006-05-04
While I did enjoy this book, I believe that it only serves as an introductory preface to the theorem. It does present all of the main ideas, but it fails to provide a network with which to tie them all together. When used with another book, such as Fermats Enigma by Simon Singh, many of the ideas come together so that the reader can see where Andrew Wiles proof came from and how it works. I would recommend this book for those who have very little knowledge of the theorem and would like to know a general outline.
2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
 Interesting idea, wrong direction, 2005-12-08
I think a book about the solution to Fermat's last theorem is an excellent idea. However, I think that this book ultimately fails because Aczel takes too much time discussing the history of the theorem and the developement of mathematics up until the point when the problem was solved in 1993. More than two centuries of mathematics is pigeon-holed into a book that is under 200 pages. In that respect, I think that the author was overly ambitious in his aim; it is simply impossible to explain topology in 3 or 4 pages. I would have rather seen the story approached from the human, rather than the math, side of things.
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