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The Last Problem
What Eric Temple Bell calls the last problem is the problem of proving 'Fermat's Last Theorem', which Fermat wrote in the margin of a book almost 350 years ago. The original text of The Last Problem traced the problem from 2000 BC to 17th century France. Along the way we learn quite a bit about history, and just as much about mathematics. Underwood Dudley's notes bring us up-to-date on recent attempts to solve the problem - for the latest printing, he has added a three page addendum about its recent proof by Andrew Wiles. This book fits no categories. It is not a book of it is a biography of a famous problem. Pages go by without an equation appearing. It is both a history of number theory and its place in our civilisation, and a history of our civilisation's relationship with mathematics. This rich and varied, wide-ranging book, written with force and vigor by someone with a distinctive style and point of view will provide hours of enjoyable reading for anyone interested in mathematics.
- GenresMathematicsScience
308 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1961
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About the author
Eric Temple Bell
63Ìýbooks42ÌýfollowersEric Temple Bell (February 7, 1883 â€� December 21, 1960) was a mathematician and science fiction author born in Scotland who lived in the U.S. for most of his life. He published his non-fiction under his given name and his fiction as John Taine.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 21, 2021
Opinionated math! This was updated before Wiles's proof, but does not detract from the book. If you've ever wondered why the French Revolution had so much social combustibles underneath the initial spark of revolution, read through to the last chapter. The review of primary material and principle actors is excellent and I don't know of another book that does the interplay between math and history so well. You get a feel for why this was cutting edge math in the 17th century and how it came about. I hope that the internet has created similar "math clubs" (my clumsy phrase) such as what Mersenne kept alive, today, but I don't know how accurately that hope is reflected. Underwood Dudley, one of my favorite math expositors, edited the latest edition, and his touch was light, but his notes were excellent. I bought this book years ago, but put it on the shelf because Fermat's Theorem was proven and I thought the historical tension would be gone. I was wrong. Also, keep in mind that I said "opinionated math" at the beginning, and I'll end by pointing this out at the end. I think, in terms of his sensibilities, Bell was ahead of his time. For those who might think some of his comments retrograde, please reread them as ironic and sarcastic: His whole narrative holds together of a piece in that light.
August 12, 2010
My dad gave me this book--it's marked in the back "Houston 1960." It's probably either a gift to him from my great uncle, or from HIS great uncle. Unfortunately, it hasn't aged well.
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