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Prime Obsession: Berhhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics (Paperback) (Paperback)
by John Derbyshire
| Category:
Mathematics, Science |
| Market price: ¥ 178.00
MSL price:
¥ 168.00
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Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
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| MSL Pointer Review:
Prime Obsession offers alternating chapters of step-by-step math and a history of 19th-century European intellectual life, letting readers take a breather between chunks of well-written information. |
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Author: John Derbyshire
Publisher: Plume
Pub. in: May, 2004
ISBN: 0452285259
Pages: 448
Measurements: 8 x 5.4 x 1 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA00285
Other information: Reprint edition
ISBN-13: 978-0452285255
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- MSL Picks -
Mr. Derbyshire has written an absolutely excellent book on the Riemann hypothesis. The Riemann hypothesis, which relates to prime and complex numbers, has yet to be proved. It is the most famous unproved problem in mathematics. In fact, the first person to prove the Riemann hypothesis will be awarded a large sum of money from the Clay Mathematics Institute.
Mr. Derbyshire's book is perfect for folks with a mathematics background and also for those who lack formal training but are interested nonetheless. The mathematics are very well explained, and much of the book requires no understanding of mathematics at all. "Prime Obsession" is easily the most accessible book ever written on the Riemann hypothesis.
Pure mathematics is more of a mysterious art than a science, and this work serves to illuminate one very important mathematical mystery. This book is on my shelf, and it should be on yours too!
Target readers:
The readers interested in the Mathematics
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John Derbyshire is a mathematician and linguist by education, a systems analyst by profession, and a celebrated writer in his spare time. His work appears frequently in National Review and The New Criterion. Born and raised in England, he has made his home in the United States for the past fifteen years.
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In 1859, Bernhard Riemann, a little-known thirty-two year old mathematician, made a hypothesis while presenting a paper to the Berlin Academy titled "On the Number of Prime Numbers Less Than a Given Quantity." Today, after 150 years of careful research and exhaustive study, the Riemann Hyphothesis remains unsolved, with a one-million-dollar prize earmarked for the first person to conquer it.
Alternating passages of extraordinarily lucid mathematical exposition with chapters of elegantly composed biography and history, Prime Obsession is a fascinating and fluent account of an epic mathematical mystery that continues to challenge and excite the world.
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Scientific American (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-30 00:00>
Riemann and his colleagues come to life as real characters and not just adjectives for conjectures and theorems.
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Science (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-30 00:00>
...a remarkably accessible and deeply researched description of this fascinating problem. ... eminently successful at bringing this story to life. |
Keith Carr (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-30 00:00>
John Derbyshire does a wonderful job making the math behind Riemann's Hypothesis available to the layman. Most of us have some familiarity with high school-level alegebra, and Derbyshire capitalizes on this familarity, boiling down complex topics (e.g. number theory, complex numbers, calculus) into their elementary functions. While a background (or a least an acquaintance) with calculus is of some help, it is by no means required to understand Derbyshire's work and walk away with at least an understanding of Riemann's Hypothesis.
While the math section of the book (odd-numbered chapters) is well-planned and masterfully executed, the book's hidden gems are the even-numbered chapters-Derbyshire really demonstrates an understanding of historical nuance; his injection of wit, coupled with a cogent historical analysis is refreshing.
Prime Obsession is much better than Karl Sabbagh's work "The Riemann Hypothesis," in my opinion. In Derbyshire's work, the math is much better explained and the historical commentary is more developed and clear. That said, Keith Devlin's book, "The Millennium Problems" also offers a very clear insight into the Hypothesis. I would say that Devlin's work is even more clear than Derbyshire's, but the Riemann Hypothesis takes up only a short chapter of his book (which is devoted to the 7 gretest unsolved problems in mathematics, of which Riemann's Hypothesis is only one).
I give Prime Obsession 4 well-earned stars. Highly recommended.
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Stewart W. Smith (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-30 00:00>
What an extraordinary book. It's beautifully written, with wit and style, and is a joy to read. Derbyshire provides some wonderful new insight into both mathematics and mathematicians. The mathematically inclined will enjoy the personal stories and historical context he attaches to the famous figures with whom they are only mathematically acquainted.
The proofs and clear and elegantly presented, and lead one down a path toward understanding the beauty and importance of the Riemann Hypothesis.
The highlight of the book for me was the connection he was ultimately able to make with modern physics. If you've ever wondered what pure number theory is really good for, this is the book to read!
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