The Millennium Problems: The Seven Greatest Unsolved Mathematical Puzzles of Our Time.

Keith J. Devlin.

ISBN 10: 0465017290 / ISBN 13: 9780465017294

Published by Perseus Books Group: Basic Books, New York, NY, 2002

About this Item

First Ed; First Printing indicated. Near Fine in Fine DJ: Book shows only minute indications of use; but the binding shows the slightest spine lean, while remaining perfectly secure; text clean. DJ flawless; price unclipped; mylar-protected. Virtually 'As New'. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. 237pp. Hardback with DJ. In this book the author makes a sincere attempt to describe to a popular audience the content behind seven mathematical problems that were chosen by a private foundation called "The Clay Institute" as being deep enough to warrant a prize of $1,000,000 for their solution. The author does an admirable job of achieving this goal; the book will be of inestimable value to those who are curious about the history and content behind these problems. The author is aware of the difficulty in describing the content of the problems to readers without substantial mathematical preparation, and he does a good job. One can of course think of many other problems that fit the stature of the millennium problems, such as the invariant subspace conjecture, or developing a complete mathematical model of the cell, but these seven will no doubt spark the curiosity of a few young persons as they further their studies in mathematics. Some of the millennium problems, such as the Riemann hypothesis, the NP problem, the Poincare conjecture, and the Navier-Stokes equations, require only an undergraduate education. The others definitely require more background, just to understand even the statement of the problem. All of the them are fascinating, and will no doubt stimulate some incredibly interesting mathematical constructions and an adventure that could fill a lifetime.

Seller Inventory # 41360

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Millennium Problems: The Seven Greatest Unsolved Mathematical Puzzles of Our Time.
• Publisher: Perseus Books Group: Basic Books, New York, NY
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0465017290
• ISBN 13: 9780465017294
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Ed; First Printing indicated.
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Seller catalogs:
  • Mathematics

About this title

Synopsis

In 2000, the Clay Foundation of Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced a historic competition: whoever could solve any of seven extraordinarily difficult mathematical problems, and have the solution acknowledged as correct by the experts, would receive 1 million in prize money. There was some precedent for doing this: in 1900 David Hilbert, one of the greatest mathematicians of his day, proposed twenty-three problems, now known as the Hilbert Problems, that set much of the agenda for mathematics in the twentieth century. The Millennium Problems are likely to acquire similar stature, and their solution (or lack of one) is likely to play a strong role in determining the course of mathematics in the current century. Keith Devlin, renowned expositor of mathematics, tells here what the seven problems are, how they came about, and what they mean for math and science.These problems are the brass rings held out to today's mathematicians, glittering and just out of reach. In the hands of Keith Devlin, "the Math Guy" from NPR's "Weekend Edition," each Millennium Problem becomes a fascinating window onto the deepest and toughest questions in the field. For mathematicians, physicists, engineers, and everyone else with an interest in mathematics' cutting edge, The Millennium Problems is the definitive account of a subject that will have a very long shelf life.

About the Author

Keith Devlin is the Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Language and Information at Stanford University. He lives in Palo Alto, California.