I started reading Fermats Last Theorem by Simon Singh about
2 years ago and finally finished this year! I had to start again but I didn't
mind since it really is a such an interesting and enjoyable read. As I read it
I had to keep bookmarking bits to remind me to include them in my blog post! I
learnt so much its hard to know where to start! I really felt the
excitement of each discovery and was really gripped by it at times. I fell in
love with so many of the 'characters' (I realise of course that they are real
people, it was just written like a story).
Firstly I have to give Galios a mention. We share the same birthday so he is
now my favourite mathematician! Reading his chapter was almost like reading
a chapter from the three musketeers, actually Alexander Dumas was there,
and his tragic life made his genius all the more profound.Next to capture my
imagination and heart were Taniyama and Shirmura. A pair of friends who paved
the way for Wiles and his proof but also provided a link between two
parts of maths that would allow countless other proofs. SIngh suggested
that they never received enough limelight so I did a bit of extra research and
found
this
memoir that Shirmura wrote about Tanyiamas life and it was a
real insight into another culture and a glimpse into his life.
There were a few female mathematicians mentioned who I naturally admire due to
the adversity they must have faced and their determination to progress. Noether
and Germain played large parts in this book.Some of the quotes from
mathematicians perfectly sum up my feelings for the subject. If I were ever to
tutor a student who didn't like maths I would read them some quotes from Andrew
Wiles.
This
article here must be inspiring for anyone, especially about his
mathematical method.
This quote from G.H. Hardy is now a favourite of mine: 'The
mathematician’s patterns, like the painter’s or the poet’s must be beautiful;
the ideas like the colours or the words, must fit together in a harmonious way.
Beauty is the first test: there is no permanent place in the world for ugly
mathematics.' I feel it aplies just as easily to physics.
Although the book doesn't go into much detail into the mathematical theory of
it all, I did learn new things about maths. I had never heard of modular forms
before and am sure penrose tiling will come up at some point. I also learnt how
easy it is to make mistakes and believe a proof that says that 2 = 1.
At a point near the end of the book, Wiles needed to share his proof with a
confidant without anyone knowing. So he hid the proof in a lecture series that
his friend attended but noone could follow it. Now I understand why I so
often got confused in my Thermal Lectures last year!
Then I just decided to have a browse of some popular maths
books on amazon and accidentally bought 3... I think I've caught the
maths bug!
