Prime Numbers: The Most Mysterious Figures in Math
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Review
"The book is nicely produced and is an easy read..." (The Mathematical Gazette, November 2007)
"The book is nicely produced and is an easy read..." (The Mathematical Gazette, November 2007)
"The book is nicely produced and is an easy read..." (The Mathematical Gazette, November 2007)
‘Compulsory reading for the mathematically minded.’ (Inside OR, March 2012)
Product Description
A fascinating journey into the mind–bending world of prime numbers
Cicadas of the genus Magicicada appear once every 7, 13, or 17 years. Is it just a coincidence that these are all prime numbers? How do twin primes differ from cousin primes, and what on earth (or in the mind of a mathematician) could be sexy about prime numbers? What did Albert Wilansky find so fascinating about his brother–in–law′s phone number?
Mathematicians have been asking questions about prime numbers for more than twenty–five centuries, and every answer seems to generate a new rash of questions. In Prime Numbers: The Most Mysterious Figures in Math, you′ll meet the world′s most gifted mathematicians, from Pythagoras and Euclid to Fermat, Gauss, and Erd?o?s, and you′ll discover a host of unique insights and inventive conjectures that have both enlarged our understanding and deepened the mystique of prime numbers. This comprehensive, A–to–Z guide covers everything you ever wanted to know––and much more that you never suspected––about prime numbers, including:
∗ The unproven Riemann hypothesis and the power of the zeta function
∗ The "Primes is in P" algorithm
∗ The sieve of Eratosthenes of Cyrene
∗ Fermat and Fibonacci numbers
∗ The Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search
∗ And much, much more
Cicadas of the genus Magicicada appear once every 7, 13, or 17 years. Is it just a coincidence that these are all prime numbers? How do twin primes differ from cousin primes, and what on earth (or in the mind of a mathematician) could be sexy about prime numbers? What did Albert Wilansky find so fascinating about his brother–in–law′s phone number?
Mathematicians have been asking questions about prime numbers for more than twenty–five centuries, and every answer seems to generate a new rash of questions. In Prime Numbers: The Most Mysterious Figures in Math, you′ll meet the world′s most gifted mathematicians, from Pythagoras and Euclid to Fermat, Gauss, and Erd?o?s, and you′ll discover a host of unique insights and inventive conjectures that have both enlarged our understanding and deepened the mystique of prime numbers. This comprehensive, A–to–Z guide covers everything you ever wanted to know––and much more that you never suspected––about prime numbers, including:
∗ The unproven Riemann hypothesis and the power of the zeta function
∗ The "Primes is in P" algorithm
∗ The sieve of Eratosthenes of Cyrene
∗ Fermat and Fibonacci numbers
∗ The Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search
∗ And much, much more
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
Small children when they first go to school learn that there are two things you can do to numbers: add them and multiply them. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Small children when they first go to school learn that there are two things you can do to numbers: add them and multiply them. Read the first page
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Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you have read any of David Wells' "Curious and Interesting..." books you'll know roughly what to expect. This is a great book for dipping into. I thought I knew lots about primes, but there's so much here to grab your interest. In addition to the formal stuff, there's lots of bits and bobs that are just there for amusement. I never knew that there was a definition for 'Sexy Numbers', but they are in here. Just like his other books, you'll find yourself dipping in frequently. Absolutely brilliant.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is really a glorified mathematical dictionary specifically on number theory and prime numbers in particular. This is actually not obvious by reading the book cover. It's a good book to provide explanations and further information on subjects you may come across when reading other books on number theory. However on it's own, it's not really well suited as a teaching book due to it's layout.
1 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A lot is there to share with friends and get excited about human ventures.
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