In Code: A Mathematical Journey - Hardcover

Flannery, Sarah; Flannery, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0761123849 ISBN 13: 9780761123842

Publisher: Workman Publishing Company, 2001

Synopsis

In January 1999, Sarah Flannery, a sports-loving teenager from Blarney in County Cork, Ireland was awarded Ireland's Young Scientist of the Year for her extraordinary research and discoveries in Internet cryptography. The following day, her story began appearing in Irish papers and soon after was splashed across the front page of the London Times, complete with a photo of Sarah and a caption calling her "brilliant." Just 16, she was a mathematician with an international reputation.

In Code is a heartwarming story that will have readers cheering Sarah on. Originally published in England and co-written with her mathematician father, David Flannery, In Code is "a wonderfully moving story . . . about the thrill of the mathematical chase" (Nature) and "a paean to intellectual adventure" (Times Educational Supplement). A memoir in mathematics, it is all about how a girl next door, nurtured by her family, moved from the simple math puzzles that were the staple of dinnertime conversation to prime numbers, the Sieve of Eratosthenes, Fermat's Little Theorem, Googols-- and finally into her breathtaking algorithm. Parallel with each step is a modest girl's own self-discovery--her values, her burning curiosity, the joy of persistence, and, above all, her love for her family.

About this title

From the Back Cover

A TERRIFIC ADVENTURE IN CRYPTOGRAHY. (Simon Singh, author of Fermat's Enigma and The Code Book"

"A veritable mathematical travelogue. What every aspiring young scientist and mathematician needs: love, humor, inspiration and a copy of this book." (Richard Mankiewicz, author of The Story of Mathematics)

"Whether you're a math fan or have always shied away from it, you'll be hooked on Sarah Flannery's story from the very first page. The amazing life of this young woman and her incredible mathematical journey, told here by herself and her father-tutor, are sure to captivate you like few other human stories!" (Eli Maor, author of To Infinity and Beyond and e: The Story of a Number"

"A wonderfully moving story about the thrill of the mathematical chase. Sarah's story should serve as an inspiration not only for all young people contemplating a life in mathematics but for anyone interested in the human spirit and its boundless capacity for innovation and imagination." (John L. Casti, Nature)

"A paean to intellectual adventure." (Times Educational Supplement)

"An engaging, almost playful, book in which the reader is encouraged to spend lots of time working out mathematical puzzles that are interwoven with a narrative of Sarah's annus mirabilis. What's striking about this account is its level-headed, self-deprecating, eminently sane tone. This is a girl whose head hasn't turned by fame. And that, in a way, is her greatest achievement." (John Naughton, author of A Brief History of the Future.)

From the Inside Flap

From puzzles on the blackboard in an Irish country kitchen to her acclaimed Cayley-Purser algorithm, Sarah Flannery has made an extraordinary beginning as a mathematician. Her research and discoveries in Internet cryptography won her both Ireland's Young Scientist of the Year and European Young Scientist of the Year awards. Her story was splashed across the front page of the London Times - and suddenly this teenager from Country Cork had an international reputation.

How did Sarah, an above average student who loves "maths" but adamantly refuses epithets like brilliant or genius, astound the world with an algorithm? In Code, cowritten with Sarah's father and teacher, David Flannery, is a surprising and heartwarming story that will have readers cheering Sarah on.

A memoir with mathematics, In Code tells how the girl next door moved from the simple math puzzles that were the staple of dinnertime conversation to number theory, the Sieve of Eratosthenes, and Femat's Little Theorem Finally culminating in a passion for public key cryptography, and the creative breakthroughs that led to her own discoveries.

Edition details

• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0761123849
• ISBN 13: 9780761123842
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 384