Fermat's Last Theorem

an interesting book about Mathematics and about mathematicians both the famous and not so famous

Dreams come and go, but mathematics is there forever (0/0 people found this helpful)

One of my dreams is to understand the proof of this theorem. (Another is to prove the Riemann conjecture, but that's a different history book.) Reading this one didn't get me anywhere nearer this, but on the other hand, neither did the book I got which purports to explain it in some mathematical detail.

What this book *does* give you is an insight into the mathematicians themselves. And on that count it pays in spades. When I read this at the end of the 90's I was considering whether to return to studying maths again after a break of some 15 years or so. After having finished it, I reckoned, yes I would. It's that good.

Singh is an excellent writer and conveys the drama of the story impeccably. Unfortunately, as with all books of this nature, it is not possible to go into the mathematical nitty-gritty behind the sweeping curves that make this theorem a thing of beauty - because it's too abstruse a subject. Even as a practising (amateur) mathematician myself, I can't get my head round the aspects of this particular topic. That can be kind of frustrating - but it won't stop me trying.

This book is as much about the mathematicians as the mathematics itself. They're an entertaining bunch - there's no such thing as a boring mathematician.

Mathematics is next year's new rock and roll.

Brilliant (0/0 people found this helpful)

The best bit about this book is that it is about people, crazy, clever, sad, mad and then about the numbers they were interested in. It really woke an interest in something I was not interested in.

Going against the grain here... (0/1 people found this helpful)

But I've got to say that I didn't really enjoy this book. There were areas that I thought should have been explored and explained more thoroughly, while some parts just got too much coverage.

The two Japanese chaps were worthy of far greater discussion for me, given the obvious differences between them and the rest of the mathematical community of the day, and Wiles himself was painted with very broad brush strokes by the author.

The bit between the problem with the original proof and its rectification was explained in too much detail given that we all knew that far into the book that it would work out in the end.

I was expecting a surprise and a big twist at the end. And all I got was a lengthy revised proof! I agree that it is highly unlikely, if not almost impossible that Fermat had a proof all those years ago. I was expecting Wiles to find, having been the long way round, that there was a massive simplification possible, and for him to arrive at a direct route to the proof that would have been open to Fermat without going round the block for 300 years.

Then again, it is a good subject with a great story, one that deserves its place on the book stands, even if it didn't really light me up in the way some of it was handled.

But I realise I'm in a minority on this view, and am not knocking anyone else's opinion. 5 stars is in the eye of the beholder!

Could have been great... (0/2 people found this helpful)

There is one thing I am almost absolutely certain about: Fermat NEVER had any proof for his so-called last theorem. It is possible that he thought he had a proof, but there is no way that he had a rigorous proof by today's standards. If you asked all the world's professional mathematicans today whether they believed it, I doubt you would find a single one who does. Despite of this Singh (for some kind of dramatic effect I guess) keeps pretending that it is generally considered that Fermat really had a valid proof. I find this so ludicrous that it almost destroys the pleasure of reading the book, which is otherwise well written and engaging.

Fermat's Last Theorem

Simon Singh

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