The Student Room Group

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Reply 1
Who hasn't?

Yes it's very good, even if you're not particularly good at maths, you should read it.
Reply 2
Yes, I've read it :smile:. It's a really genuinely interesting read, most of the (even slightly) complicated maths is confined to the appendices where you're free to avoid it at will. The story that Singh tells is really interesting, insightful and really touches quite well on what maths is about.
Reply 3
1089 and all that was a good read i thought
Reply 4
estel
Yes, I've read it :smile:. It's a really genuinely interesting read, most of the (even slightly) complicated maths is confined to the appendices where you're free to avoid it at will. The story that Singh tells is really interesting, insightful and really touches quite well on what maths is about.



ohh right ok then thanks!
ill give it a go :smile:
Reply 5
try 'the man who loved only numbers'
very inspiring and also a classic.
Reply 6
kim­oso
Who hasn't?

Yes it's very good, even if you're not particularly good at maths, you should read it.


leave tsr.
Reply 7
kimoso
leave tsr.


Okay sweety.

Goodbye TSR!
Everyone has read it. It's pretty good.
Both the Code Book and Fermat's Last Theorem are excellent reads, but if you're looking for something with substantial mathematical content, then I think that you will be bitterly disappointed. Check the wiki for recommended Mathematics reading - there are some very good titles there.
Reply 10
Economist1
Both the Code Book and Fermat's Last Theorem are excellent reads, but if you're looking for something with substantial mathematical content, then I think that you will be bitterly disappointed. Check the wiki for recommended Mathematics reading - there are some very good titles there.


My reading was that this was almost precisely what the op didn't want much of!
As someone who is not a mathematician but interested in maths I would recommend Parrot Theorem. It is sort of a novel with maths as well.
Reply 12
i liked 'the music of the primes', by Marcus du Sautoy, was quite like a story and i enjoyed the history of maths a lot, haven't read Fermats last theorem yet, its on my shelf for a work-free evening....
Reply 13
Economist1
Check the wiki for recommended Mathematics reading - there are some very good titles there.


Wahey! You'll also see that about 1,000,000 people have read Fermat's Last Theorem. Here's the link: Recommended Maffs Reading.

Edit: Incidentally, if you recommend a book, it'd be nice if you edited your post into the article.
If you want maths-y reading, try the proof, by Andrew Wiles. I got three pages in before becoming unstuck.
But yeah, it's an _awesome_ book!
Economist1
Both the Code Book and Fermat's Last Theorem are excellent reads, but if you're looking for something with substantial mathematical content, then I think that you will be bitterly disappointed. Check the wiki for recommended Mathematics reading - there are some very good titles there.



I've also read both of these books and thought they were a very enjoyable, and quite accessible read to anyone with a, say AS-Level grasp of Mathematics, of some quite challenging concepts.

They also give some interesting incites into the history of mathematics, and indeed inspired me to take such a module (History of Mathematics) as one of my electives at university.

The concept for the solution of Fermats Last Theorem is obviously complex, however, the concept of the problem is perfectly reasonable for anyone who learned Pythagoras' Theorem.
Expression

The concept for the solution of Fermats Last Theorem is obviously complex, however, the concept of the problem is perfectly reasonable for anyone who learned Pythagoras' Theorem.


That's the beauty of the theorem itself.
Simon Singh books. Great read. Can't go wrong. Go get 'em sista.

The Music of the Primes is a decent read. Having said that, I ne'er finished it. I can't even remember why.

I wouldn't recommend books by Ian Stewart, as much of a legend he is (I'm, like totally not biased being a Warwick graduate). I'd certainly read Amazon reviews or something if one does take your fancy. I read one and used another as reference material for an essay I wrote, and both kinda bored me.


Random fact: I knew an answer to a question I was asked in a Cambridge interview because I'd read Fermat's Last Theorem. It discussed how you can't cover a chessboard with 2x1 dominoes if you remove two opposite corners.
Reply 18
Bought the book years ago from Oxfam. It's an excellent read, as are all Singh's books.

Since you're going to study maths at uni, you might try Analysis by its History (Hairer & Wanner), which is supposed to be quite good and will actually help you in your first year.

QuantumTheory
If you want maths-y reading, try the proof, by Andrew Wiles. I got three pages in before becoming unstuck.
But yeah, it's an _awesome_ book!


I can't even manage the first paragraph. :confused:
i had a math lecture from simon singh about probability :biggrin: