The Music of the Primes: Searching to Solve the Greatest Mystery in Mathematics

Marcus Du Sautoy9780060935580, 0060935588

In their quest for the solution to the 1859 Reimann Hypothesis, the “Holy Grail” wrought of the mystery of prime numbers, mathematicians have developed aspects of number theory, logic, geometry, analysis, logic, probability theory, chaos theory, and quantum physics. Du Sautoy (mathematics, Oxford U.) describes how these various heroes and sinners blow apart the mathematical world of the Greeks in their search, develop startling theories, succeed, fail, and, it appears, incessantly persevere in their search for a definitive answer.
In 1859, German mathematician Bernhard Riemann presented a paper to the Berlin Academy that would forever change the history of mathematics. The subject was the mystery of prime numbers. At the heart of the presentation was an idea that Riemann had not yet proved but one that baffles mathematicians to this day.
Solving the Riemann Hypothesis could change the way we do business, since prime numbers are the lynchpin for security in banking and e-commerce. It would also have a profound impact on the cutting-edge of science, affecting quantum mechanics, chaos theory, and the future of computing. Leaders in math and science are trying to crack the elusive code, and a prize of $1 million has been offered to the winner. In this engaging book, Marcus du Sautoy reveals the extraordinary history behind the holy grail of mathematics and the ongoing quest to capture it.