Uncle Petros and the Goldbach Hypothesis.
Apostolos Doxiadis - Uncle Petros and the Goldbach Hypothesis
The (almost unnamed) narrator of this tale has wondered for years why his father and other uncles despise his uncle Petros so much, telling him not to get involved with him at all. So of course this piques his curiosity, he finds out that the uncle is a retired mathematician and decides to become one himself, even against the protestations of his family and even the Uncle gives him an impossible feat to force him to abandon his plans. Eventually the Uncle agrees to tell his young nephew his tale about his obsession and how he fared in the mathematical circles of the early 20th century Europe.
The fate of the narrator apparently follows Doxiadis' own life - studies in the USA and so on. In the process Doxiadis also refers to peer pressures and rivalries of the scientific world. The tale also connects the uncle's obsession to fates of some other real-life mathematicians, including those of Nash and Alan Turing. Even thought Turing's motives for his suicide were not entirely professional. I wonder if Doxiadis even cares.
registry sample:
DOXIADIS, Apostolos
84.2
Petros-setä ja Goldbachin hypoteesi / Apostolos Doxiadis ; suomentanut : Reija Tanninen. - Helsinki : Like, 2004 (Keuruu) - 198 s. ; X cm
Alkuteos: O thios Petros kai I ikasia tu Goldbach
Lisäkirjaus: Kannen otsikossa osa kirjaimista korvattu nurin käännetyillä numeroill
Kisäkirjaus: Suomennettu kreikankielisen alkuteoksen toisesta laitoksesta
ISBN : 952-471-351-9
matematiikka
The (almost unnamed) narrator of this tale has wondered for years why his father and other uncles despise his uncle Petros so much, telling him not to get involved with him at all. So of course this piques his curiosity, he finds out that the uncle is a retired mathematician and decides to become one himself, even against the protestations of his family and even the Uncle gives him an impossible feat to force him to abandon his plans. Eventually the Uncle agrees to tell his young nephew his tale about his obsession and how he fared in the mathematical circles of the early 20th century Europe.
The fate of the narrator apparently follows Doxiadis' own life - studies in the USA and so on. In the process Doxiadis also refers to peer pressures and rivalries of the scientific world. The tale also connects the uncle's obsession to fates of some other real-life mathematicians, including those of Nash and Alan Turing. Even thought Turing's motives for his suicide were not entirely professional. I wonder if Doxiadis even cares.
registry sample:
DOXIADIS, Apostolos
84.2
Petros-setä ja Goldbachin hypoteesi / Apostolos Doxiadis ; suomentanut : Reija Tanninen. - Helsinki : Like, 2004 (Keuruu) - 198 s. ; X cm
Alkuteos: O thios Petros kai I ikasia tu Goldbach
Lisäkirjaus: Kannen otsikossa osa kirjaimista korvattu nurin käännetyillä numeroill
Kisäkirjaus: Suomennettu kreikankielisen alkuteoksen toisesta laitoksesta
ISBN : 952-471-351-9
matematiikka