Description

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June 23, 1993. A Princeton mathematician announces that he has unlocked, after thousands of unsuccessful attempts by others, the greatest mathematical riddle in the world. Dr. Wiles demonstrates to a group of stunned mathematicians that he has provided the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem (the equation x" + y" = z", where n is an integer greater than 2, has no solution in positive numbers), a problem that has confounded scholars for over 350 years.

Here in this brilliant new book, Marilyn vos Savant, the person with the highest recorded IQ in the world explains the mathematical underpinnings of Wiles's solution, discusses the history of Fermat's Last Theorem and other great math problems, and provides colorful stories of the great thinkers and amateurs who attempted to solve Fermat's puzzle.

About the Author

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Marilyn vos Savant's "Ask Marilyn" column is featured in Parade magazine every Sunday. She lives in New York City.

Praise For…

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“A delightful, informative, and accurate book about the probable proof of Fermat's Last Theorem. [This book is] highly recommended even to readers who think they hate math.” —Martin Gardner

“Within a few minutes of the conclusion of his [Dr. Wiles's] final lecture, computer mail messages were winging around the world as mathematicians alerted each other to the startling and wholly unexpected result.” —the New York Times