Tales of Impossibility: The 2000-Year Quest to Solve the Mathematical Problems of Antiquity

Description

A comprehensive look at four of the most famous problems in mathematics Tales of Impossibility recounts the intriguing story of the renowned problems of antiquity, four of the most famous and studied questions in the history of mathematics. First posed by the ancient Greeks, these compass and straightedge problems-squaring the circle, trisecting

David S. Richeson is professor of mathematics and the John J. and Ann Curley Faculty Chair in the Liberal Arts at Dickinson College. He is the author of Euler's Gem: The Polyhedron Formula and the Birth of Topology (Princeton). Twitter @divbyzero

"I greatly enjoyed Richeson's Tales of Impossibility. It deserves to become a classic and can be highly recommended."---Robin Wilson, Times Higher Education "Even if you never read a single proof through to its conclusion, you'll enjoy the many entertaining side trips into a geometry far beyond what you learned in high school."---Jim Stein, New Books in Mathematics "The whole book, both informative and amusing, is a highly recommended read."---Adhemar Bulteel, European Mathematical Society "This book was a pleasure to read and I would recommend it for anybody who wants a lovely overview of many areas of the history of mathematics, with a focus on some very easy to understand problems."---Jonathan Shock, Mathemafrica "Richeson clearly explains what it means to be impossible to solve a problem, cites other impossibility results, goes into detail about geometric constructions with various instruments, and discusses the defective proofs and the cranks that have turned up along the way." * Mathematics Magazine * "This fascinating text will appeal to all those interested in the history of mathematics, not leasy because of its helpful notes on each chapter and its two dozen pages of references for further reading"---Laurence E. Nicholas CMath FIMA, Mathematics Today "A fact-filled, insightful, panoramic view of how mathematics developed to what it is today transformed by folks thinking both inside and outside of G so as to resolve the impossible. "---Andrew J. Simoson, Mathematical Intelligencer