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Fermat's Last Theorem

The Story of a Riddle That Confounded the World's Greatest Minds for 358 Years

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'I have a truly marvellous demonstration of this proposition which this margin is too narrow to contain.' It was with these words, written in the 1630s, that Pierre de Fermat intrigued and infuriated the mathematics community.

For over 350 years, proving Fermat's Last Theorem was the most notorious unsolved mathematical problem, a puzzle whose basics most children could grasp but whose solution eluded the greatest minds in the world.

In 1993, after years of secret toil, Englishman Andrew Wiles announced to an astounded audience that he had cracked Fermat's Last Theorem. He had no idea of the nightmare that lay ahead.

In Fermat's Last Theorem Simon Singh has crafted a remarkable tale of intellectual endeavour spanning three centuries, and a moving testament to the obsession, sacrifice and extraordinary determination of Andrew Wiles: one man against all the odds.

©2012 Simon Singh (P)2016 Audible, Ltd Science Mathematics Thought-Provoking
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As a non mathematician, being a student of engineering during the 90's, this book provides an easy read into the background of Fermat's last theorem. Then we have the hunt of the chase we're our hero is denied his prize as defeat is wrestled from the jaws of victory. What follows defies the imagination and you would think you are reading a piece of fiction. As with all great stories that you couldn't make up this delivers the punchline in a fitting manner. Simon Singh is to be commended for the presentation of this story, presenting it in a form that is easy for the non PhD mathematician to read and understand without making it patronising in anyway. And in the words of the great man himself "I think I will stop there".

A thriller of mathematical proportions!

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The maths was beyond me. But the dramatic history of twists and turns was engaging

Drama

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Accessible to those without a Mathematics PhD. A really interesting story of many people providing different pieces for the brilliant Wiles to build on top of and prove a legendary theorem.

Captivating story and well read

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I am not in the slightest way an expert in mathematics and yet I was strangely drawn to this history of mathematics in relation to the theorem. Even when I could not follow the various arguments I could see that we were on a journey. Although there are references to diagrams, there are not too many and I could visualise most of them. The narrator David Rintoul has an engaging tone and his narration did indeed inject pace and drama when it needed to. I enjoyed this audiobook!

A glimpse into another world

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Singh has done a really incredible job of narrating an intricate and nuanced 300 year long saga laden with complicated mathematics in an accessible format that is neither patronising nor underwhelming. I am not a biologist and I have recommended this book to my supervisor and a lot of my friends. The hardcore mathematics are largely omitted but those that remain are not crucial to the understanding of the immensely thrilling story. It was such an entertaining rollercoaster of tragedy and triumph that I wish I could delete it from my memory and read it again.

What a fascinating, accessible and educational delight

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