The Greatest Mathematical Problems

The patterns of prime numbers and Fermat's theorem, Poincaré's hypothesis and Kepler's spherical symmetry, the mystery of the number ? and orbital chaos in celestial mechanics. Many of us have only heard whispers about the mysterious and unfathomable puzzles of modern mathematics. However, paradoxically, the fundamental goal of this science is to reveal the inner simplicity of the most complex questions. English mathematician and science popularizer, Professor Ian Stewart, helps the reader overcome the psychological barrier. Engagingly and accessibly, he discusses the most difficult problems that the greatest minds have struggled with and continue to struggle with, the origins of such issues, why they are so important, and what place they occupy in the broader context of mathematics and natural sciences. This book is a guide into the wonderful and mysterious world of numbers, theorems, and hypotheses, at the forefront of mathematical science which, through new methods, attempts to resolve problems posed before it thousands of years ago.