Fermat's Enigma
Wow, who would ever think that I would be reading a book on mathematics. I've always hated math in the past, but damn, lately that's been one of the main things I've been reading about. I never stopped to think about how interesting math actually is...I mean, how it affects everything in our known and unknown world. Right now I'm reading a book called "Fermat's Enigma", which is a nearly 300 page book about one seemingly simple equation. Everyone knows Pythagorean thoeorum...x2+y2=z2. It's drilled into our heads in middle school and high-school. Pythagoras didn't just make this theorum...he established, literally, mathematics as we know it today. He established the Pythagorean Brotherhood and their accomplishments introduced mathematics into science, music, etc. However, the Pythagorean Theorum has a dark side; an evil step-sister, if you will...and Pierre de Fermat discovered it, proved it, and then died. The proof for his theorum was lost, and all that remained was the statement "xn+yn=zn, where n>2...no solution". The book I'm reading is about how mathematicians throughout history tried to re-discover the proof for this...to solve Fermat's Enigma. It wasn't solved (proven) until the 1990's, by a man named Andrew Wiles. Who would have thought that this would be one of the most interesting books I'm reading right now. I'm also reading Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of the Universe", and I just finished "The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography"...both very good books on equally interesting subjects. I also have another book to read after I finish this one, but I lent it to Corey...so whenever he finishes it I'm gonna read it. It's called "Math and the Mona Lisa", and it's all about math, science, and art. I feel like I'm getting smarter with every book I read...haha, I love this feeling.