The Riemann Hypothesis The Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics

Since 1859, when the shy German mathematician Bernhard Riemann wrote an eight-page article giving a possible answer to a problem that had tormented mathematical minds for centuries, the world's greatest mathematicians have been fascinated, infuriated, and obsessed with proving the Riemann hypothesis. They speak of it in awed terms and consider it to be an even more difficult problem than Fermat's last theorem, which was finally proven by Andrew Wiles in 1995. InThe Riemann Hypothesis, acclaimed author Karl Sabbagh interviews some of the world's finest mathematicians who have spent their lives working on the problem--and whose approaches to meeting the challenges thrown up by the hypothesis are as diverse as their personalities. Wryly humorous, lively, accessible and comprehensive,The Riemann Hypothesisis a compelling exploration of the people who do math and the ideas that motivate them to the brink of obsession--and a profound meditation on the ultimate meaning of mathematics. Karl Sabbaghis the author ofA Rum Affair, which was a finalist for theLos Angeles TimesBook Award in the science category, and of five other books. He earned his degree at King's College, Cambridge, before joining BBC Television to produce science documentaries. He has written for numerous publications, includingThe Sunday Times,New Scientist,The Guardian, andScientific American. He lives near Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Since 1859, when the shy German mathematician Bernhard Riemann wrote an eight-page article giving a possible answer to a problem that had tormented mathematicians for centuries, the world's greatest mathematicians have been fascinated, infuriated, and obsessed with proving the Riemann Hypothesis. They speak of it in awed terms, and consider it to be an even more difficult problem than Fermat's Last Theorem (which was finally proved by Andrew Wiles in 1995). InThe Riemann Hypothesis, acclaimed author Karl Sabbagh interviews some of the world-class mathematicians who spend their lives working on the hypothesismany paying particular attention to "Riemann's zeros," a series of points that are believed to lie in a straight line, though no one can prove itand whose approaches to meeting the challenges thrown up by the hypothesis are as diverse as their personalities. Wryly humorous, lively, accessible, and comprehensive,The Riemann Hypothesisis at once a compelling exploration of the people who do math and the ideas that motivate them to the brink of obsession, and a profound meditation on the ultimate meaning of mathematics. "[This book presents] to the non-mathematician what is indeed the greatest unsolved problem in pure mathematics, describing its history, the men who have contributed to its understanding, and their motivation for tackling it . . . Lively, full of anecdotes, and fun to read. The reader will find in [this book] a picture not only of the Riemann hypothesis, but also of the strange world of mathematicians."Enrico Bombieri,The American Scientist "[This book presents] to the non-mathematician what is indeed the greatest unsolved problem in pure mathematics, describing its history, the men who have contributed to its understanding, and their motivation for tackling it . . . Lively, full of anecdotes, and fun to read. The reader will find in [this book] a picture not only of the Riemann hypothesis, but also of the strange world of mathematicians."Enrico Bombieri,The American Scientist "Sabbagh is a producer and writer for the BBC, and he brings that perspective to his writing. He tells a different set of stories, sometimes looking at mathematics from the outside. His book is full of people talking about R.H.what it means and how they think about itand about themsel

Karl Sabbagh is the author of seven books, including A Rum Affair (FSG, 2000). He lives near Stratford-upon-Avon in England.