A Mathematical Mystery
Buch, Englisch, 208 Seiten, Format (B × H): 140 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 295 g
ISBN: 978-0-691-15019-2
Verlag: Princeton University Press
The celebrated mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras left no writings. But what if he had and the manuscript was never found? Where would it be located? And what information would it reveal? These questions are the inspiration for the mathematical mystery novel Pythagoras' Revenge. Suspenseful and instructive, Pythagoras' Revenge weaves fact, fiction, mathematics, computer science, and ancient history into a surprising and sophisticated thriller. The intrigue begins when Jule Davidson, a young American mathematician who trolls the internet for difficult math riddles and stumbles upon a neo-Pythagorean sect searching for the promised reincarnation of Pythagoras. Across the ocean, Elmer Galway, a professor of classical history at Oxford, discovers an Arabic manuscript hinting at the existence of an ancient scroll--possibly left by Pythagoras himself. Unknown to one another, Jule and Elmer each have information that the other requires and, as they race to solve the philosophical and mathematical puzzles set before them, their paths ultimately collide. Set in 1998 with flashbacks to classical Greece, Pythagoras' Revenge investigates the confrontation between opposing views of mathematics and reality, and explores ideas from both early and cutting-edge mathematics. From academic Oxford to suburban Chicago and historic Rome, Pythagoras' Revenge is a sophisticated thriller that will grip readers from beginning to surprising end.
Autoren/Hrsg.
Fachgebiete
Weitere Infos & Material
Preface ix
List of Main Characters xi
Prologue xiii
PART I: A TIME CAPSULE?
Chapter 1. The Fifteen Puzzle 3
Chapter 2. The Impossible Manuscript 10
Chapter 3. Game Over 19
Chapter 4. A Trip to London 25
Chapter 5. A Letter from the Past 32
Chapter 6. Found and Lost 38
Chapter 7. A Death in the Family 46
PART II: AN EXTRAORDINARILY GIFTED MAN
Chapter 8. The Mission 53
Chapter 9. Norton Thorp 63
Chapter 10. Random Numbers 69
Chapter 11. Randomness Everywhere 76
Chapter 12. Vanished 82
PART III: A SECT OF NEO-PYTHAGOREANS
Chapter 13. The Mandate 85
Chapter 14. The Beacon 87
Chapter 15. The Team 98
Chapter 16. The Hunt 106
Chapter 17. The Symbol of the Serpent 115
Chapter 18. A Professional Job 122
Chapter 19. With a Little Help from Your Sister 126
PART IV: PYTHAGORAS? MISSION
Chapter 20. All Roads Lead to Rome 139
Chapter 21. Kidnapped 152
Chapter 22. The Last Piece of the Puzzle 158
Epilogue 169
Appendix 1: Jule's Solution 171
Appendix 2: Infi nitely Many Primes 173
Appendix 3: Random Sequences 175
Appendix 4: A Simple Visual Proof of the Pythagorean
Theorem 177
Appendix 5: Perfect and Figured Numbers 178
Notes, Credits, and Bibliographical Sources 181
