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Editorial Review Product Description
Written by an award-winning filmmaker, Fermat's Enigma tells the story of the epic quest to solve the greatest mathematical problem of all time: Fermat's Last Theorem--a problem that looked simple, yet would baffle the finest mathematical minds for more than three and a half centuries. 30 illustrations.Amazon.com Review
When Andrew Wiles of Princeton University announced a solutionof Fermat's last theorem in 1993 it electrified the world ofmathematics. After a flaw was discovered in the proof, Wiles had towork for another year--he had already labored in solitude for sevenyears--to establish that he had solved the 350-year-old problem.Simon Singh's book is a lively, comprehensible explanation of Wiles'swork and of the star-, trauma-, and wacko-studded history of Fermat'slast theorem. Fermat's Enigma contains some problems that offera taste for the math, but it also includes limericks to give a feelingfor the goofy side of mathematicians. ... Read more Customer Reviews (266) 
Wonderful book!
Simon Singh's talent is that he can write intriguing stories centered on advanced scientific or mathematical concepts that even the layman can appreciate. His decision to write a book on Fermat's theorem is spot on- although the proof of the theorem cannot be understood by more than 99.9% of humans on the planet, anyone who has gone to high school can probably understand the simple problem statement. Singh starts off in his usual style of introducing the problem along with its historical background. The early chapters constitute a very nice condensed history of mathematics and number theory in particular. The middle chapters explain the initial attempts to prove the theorem. The last few chapters are centered on Andrew Wiles and his single handed quest to find the proof. By this time, the mathematics involved are out of reach for most of us but even then Singh is able to keep the reader immersed and spellbound. The story of Wiles' success in proving the theorem with almost zero external assistance is amazing and uplifting. He has become one of my heroes. A great book and highly recommended.
Extraordinary book!
Fermat's Enigma - The story of a riddle that confounded the world's greatest minds for 358 years is science history book written by Simon Singh. Being a PhD graduate from Cambridge, Simon Singh has written this book with so much simplicity that even a person without any mathematical background can appreciate the content. This book is one of its kind as it addresses only one theorem from the start to end. It narrates the struggles Andrew Wiles had to undergo before proving the theorem completely in 1995. This book also gives an account of other mathematicians who were involved.
Fermat's last theorem is nothing but an extension of the Pythogoras theorem. Fermat claimed that there are no whole number (non-zero) solution (x,y,z) for the equation
for n>2 upto n=infinity. Fermat was a mischievous mathematician who rarely gave complete proof for his theorems. He, therefore, claimed that he has a complete complete for this theorem and died before disclosing the solution. The race for proving this theorem started soon after.
This book starts from around 500BC when Pythogorean brotherhood headed by Pythogoras were the front runners in the mathematics. They formed a close community and did not let any of their inventions to the society. Singh has nicely illustrated the incident where Pythogoras executed his own student for proving that there were irrational numbers. Pythogorean brotherhood get eventually destroyed by another student who had been ignored citing his incompetence.
This book has few more very interesting events like how Taniyama committed suicide before proving his own conjecture which would have eventually proved Fermat's last theorem. Also, there is an interesting account of Wolfskehl whose life was saved by Fermat's last theorem and the award instituted by him for the person who would solve Fermat's last theorem. Further, the book lucidly explains the complexity of the theorem itself and the various failure attempts in proving it.
The most stunning part of the book is related to Andrew Wiles, the Princeton Professor, who secludes himself from the research community and conferences to focus on achieving his childhood dream, i.e. to prove Fermat's last theorem. The logical reasoning as explained in the book which Wiles took in order to prove the theorem would appeal even to people who have limited exposure to rigorous mathematics.
The turmoils and pressures he faced after 1993 when it was found by reviewers that there was a small gap in his initial proof are really well narrated. All the key persons involved in the proof apart from Wiles like Nick Katz, Shimura, Ken Ribet, Richard Taylor and others explain the steps taken in their own words. This makes the book even more accessible and credible. The book concludes by giving an account of how Wiles finally releases his paper with the complete proof of Fermat's last theorem in 1995.
On the whole, I loved reading every page of this book. I just completed reading this amazing book on a classical theorem. Simon Singh is an amazing writer and keeps the reader engrossed throughout. This book is highly recommended and is a must read for anyone interested in learning about a great mathematical theorem and its proof. Even people with just high school mathematics knowledge would love this book. I am already into reading Simon Singh's other books: The Code Book and Big Bang.
A Fun Read Through History
In Fermat's Enigma, Simon Singh offers a compelling trek through the last 2500 years of mathematical development, always focusing on developments that would impact a mathematical conundrum - a proof to Fermat's Last Theorem. This is a delightful book, and I think even the mathematically challenged will find the tale fun and exciting. While I think Simon Singh's The Code Book far outstrips this one in material, quality and challenge for the reader, this book is well worth the read.
The book is aesthetically pleasing, having a wonderful font, important when text is intermingled with numbers and variables. Illustrations litter the pages, providing diagrams and representations of key concepts as well as the faces of major players in the story. Where math is required it clearly stands apart and is handled in a way that complements without weighing down the story. Beyond that, it is a quick read.
While a good portion of the story covers a wide span in history, much of the story is a limited biography of Andrew Wiles, the mathematician responsible for the final ingenuity that proved Fermat's Last Theorem. Simon also highlights the secrecy of the work of Wiles, similar to that of Fermat's own work - with Fermat coming out as the more devious of the two, in my opinion. But the story clearly shows that the solution to Fermat's challenge rests not on the work of one man, but many notable men and women throughout history who devoted years to this problem. However, as with any retelling of historical events, Singh offers a subjective view of cause and effect that is somewhat arguable, and sometimes even derails the story a bit.
I particularly enjoyed reading about the development of mathematics among the Greeks, and the mathematical developments of the 1800's. Though the former does not speak to Fermat's Last Theorem, it provides the backdrop to it in the Pythagorian Theorem. And the latter provides an interesting look into the advances in both math and science that would shape the modern world. While Fermat's Last Theorem itself is not an "important" mathematical principal, its proof has been the catalyst for the integration of disparate areas of mathematics, as well as an impetus for developing new means of calculation and logic.
Not yet received
I ordered this book March 13. It is now May 21 and I still have not received my book. I'm not impressed. It was shown to be available when I ordered it.
Excitig!
I thought that unless one is a mathematician one cannot get excited about mathematics. I was wrong. I got a new appreciation for math and the book reads like a detective novel, history and adventure all in one. Fascinating. I gobbled it down in just a few days.
Radomir Samardzic, Relationship Coach
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