| In October 1998 I
covered a conference on symmetry in the arts and sciences in Haifa, in
northern Israel. There I met Tom Hales who had just announced a proof of
Kepler's conjecture. A few months later the idea struck me to write a
book about the story. After three years the
manuscript was finished and the editing process started. My editor at
John Wiley & Sons, Jeff Golick, very ably turned the manuscript into a
publishable book. However, as is usual, much material had to remain on
the cutting floor. "What a shame," I thought to myself, and decided to
present the "deleted scenes" as bonus material to interested readers.
Praise for
George G. Szpiro’s Kepler’s Conjecture: How some of the greatest
minds in history helped solve one of the oldest math problems of the
world
“...describes very vividly and extremely lucidly the
fascinating history of this tantalizing problem ... a paradigm of
mathematical popularization. ”
—Science
“...gives an entertaining and readable account of the history
of the problem and the attempts to solve it. ... a mixture of
mathematics, history and anecdotes. ... Even people familiar with the
subject will find new anecdotes here.”
—Nature
“...an invigorating affirmation of math’s endless allure.”
—New Scientist
“...a well-crafted piece of popular science writing ... a
wonderful mine of historical detail. Szpiro offers lively vignettes ...
displays his investigative talents for digging up unlikely stories and
[has] a professional eye for the telling detail”
—The Mathematical Intelligencer
“...a wonderful book, chock full of interesting mathematics,
biography and drama, I enjoyed and learned a lot from every section, as
would, I think, anyone interested in mathematics.”
—Notices of the American Mathematical Association
“Szpiro has the gift of explaining complex mathematical
concepts in a way that makes them comprehensible and even exciting.”
—Sydney Morning Herald
“...the perfect balance of tone between mathematical
explanation and historical exposition....”
—M2 Best Books
Here are some of the "deleted scenes," unedited
material that had to be cut because the book was getting
too long. But I suggest you read the relevant chapters in the book first.
The "deleted scenes" and the
"bonus material" may not make too much sense if
read on their own.
Introduction Chapter
1 Chapter
2 Chapter
3 Chapter
4 Chapter
5 Chapter
6 Chapter
7 Chapter
8 Chapter
9 Chapter
10 Chapter
11 Chapter
12 Chapter
13 Chapter
14
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