Each month Abington Library will feature a favorite book from a faculty, staff member, or student. They will give a brief synopsis of their chosen book.
Sophomore
Mathematics
Phi Theta Kappa (BOA), Baptist Club Ministries, Ecology Club
To transfer to the University of Central Arkansas and continue my education in mathematics.
“Fermat’s Enigma,” a book by Simon Singh, is a must-read for anyone who has ever been curious about mathematics and the captivation it brings to so many people, including me. It is one of my favorite books and continues to inspire me on my journey to becoming a mathematician. This book will not disappoint and will surely give a glimpse into the beauty and mystery that is mathematics.
Fermat’s Enigma
Reviewed by Steven Winchell
“Fermat’s Enigma” by Simon Singh is an incredible 350-year journey to solve one of history's most elusive and challenging mathematical problems. The question was simple, does there exist three positive integers a, b, and c that satisfy the equation an + bn = cn for any integer value of n greater than 2? Yet even some of the most famous mathematical minds, such as Pierre de Fermat, Leonhard Euler, and Sophie Germain, were baffled over the centuries in the search for a proof to Fermat’s Last Theorem.
Finding the proof of the theorem was a journey, and in this book Simon Singh, through his incredible writing, can capture both the heartache and the thrill that many mathematicians felt in working on one of the world’s most challenging problems. The writing is detailed but accessible to all readers, even those without a mathematical background, which is also one of the book’s greatest accomplishments.
The 350-year history explored in this book surrounding the final proof of Fermat’s conjecture is captivating. Many famous figures in mathematics contributed to its eventual solution, and in this book, Simon Singh masterfully weaves the centuries-long journey to its conclusion with Professor Andrew Wiles in 1995.
Overall, “Fermat’s Enigma” is a fantastic book anyone can enjoy. Simon Singh is able to capture a compelling story for math enthusiasts and general readers alike, and because of that, I highly recommend this book to the ASUB community.
