The Poincaré Conjecture: In Search of the Shape of the Universe

by Donal O ' Shea (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2007

  $4.22

  This is an unsolved mystery, a reclusive Russian genius and a race to win a million dollars ...For over a century, the Poincare Conjecture was one of the world's most confounding puzzles. Formulated by a French mathematician, Henri Poincare, over a hundred years ago, it was a theory that had the potential to describe the very shape of the universe. It remained unproved, however, and in 2000 the Clay Mathematics Institute identified it as one of the seven great and essential unsolved conundrums of the new millennium - and offered a one-million-dollar prize for its solution. Six years later, the conjecture appears to have been solved by a remarkable and reclusive Russian mathematician, Grigory Perelman. The Poincare Conjecture brings alive the human drama behind the most important mathematical breakthrough of the twenty-first century, and in doing so provides a lens through which to view the history of mathematics and the achievements of those whose personalities and genius have transformed the field over the years. In its dramatic finale, O'Shea's book chronicles the extraordinary events and media sensation at the 2006 International Mathematical Union conference in Madrid, where the eccentric Perelman was awarded a Fields Medal - the mathematical equivalent to the Nobel Prize - only to turn it down, claiming he had no interest in the spotlight. The Poincare Conjecture is a remarkable story of human endeavour, intellectual brilliance and the thrill of discovery.

• New

  Paperback
  2008

  $13.88

  The Poincare Conjecture tells the story behind one of the world's most confounding mathematical theories. Formulated in 1904 by Henri Poincare, his Conjecture promised to describe the very shape of the universe, but remained unproved until a huge prize was offered for its solution in 2000. Six years later, an eccentric Russian mathematician had the answer. Here, Donal O'Shea explains the maths behind the Conjecture and its proof, and illuminates the curious personalities surrounding this perplexing conundrum, along the way taking in a grand sweep of scientific history from the ancient Greeks to Christopher Columbus. This is an enthralling tale of human endeavour, intellectual brilliance and the thrill of discovery.