The Hilbert Challenge - Hardcover

Gray, Jeremy J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0198506511 ISBN 13: 9780198506515

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2001

Synopsis

Few problems in mathematics have had the status of those posed by David Hilbert in 1900. Mathematicians have made their reputations by solving some of them like Fermat's last theorem, but several remain unsolved including the Riemann Hypotheses, which has eluded all the great minds of this century. A hundred years later, this book takes a fresh look at the problems, the man who set them, and the reasons for their lasting impact on the mathematics of the twentieth century. In this fascinating book, the authors consider what makes this the pre-eminent collection of problems in mathematics, what they tell us about what drives mathematicians, and the nature of reputation, influence and power in the world of modern mathematics. It is written in a clear and entertaining style and will appeal to anyone with interest in mathematics or those mathematicians willing to try their hand at these problems.

About this title

About the Author:

Jeremy Gray is Senior Lecturer in Mathematics at the Open University. His research interests lie in the history of the mathematics of the 19th and 20th centuries, and in the philosophy and social significance of mathematics. He is the author or editor of nine books, most recently The Symbolic Universe: Geometry and Physics 1890-1930 (OUP 1999).

Review:

"...the story about the interaction of the personalities and the split between pure and applied mathematics makes very interesting reading. Mathematics is in many ways just another human endeavor, subject to petty spats, nationalistic rivalries and personal biases. While emphasis is on the famous 23 problems, enough effort is expended on what else he did to make the book as much a biography of Hilbert as it is on the problems he posed. That alone would make it well worth reading." -- Charles Ashbacher, Journal of Recreational Mathematics, May 2001

"[R]ecommended to everybody interested in the twentieth century mathematics."--Zentralblatt MATH

"[C]ontains illuminating information about the mathematical development and contributions of Hilbert himself and an expert's panoramic view of the mathematics in this period."--American Mathematical Monthly

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0198506511
• ISBN 13: 9780198506515
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 328