Prime numbers: the most mysterious figures in math

David Wells9780471462347, 0-471-46234-9

A fascinating look at the math and mystique of prime numbers.Prime numbers – numbers that are only divisible by one and themselves – have long intrigued mathematicians. This book brings to life the strange attraction of primes, from their current use in codes and cryptography to the Fermat and Fibonacci numbers, Goldbach’ s Conjecture, the Mersenne primes, and the number mysticism of old Pythagoras; from prime records and mathematicians’ ingenious efforts to find primes (including a 200 breakthrough algorithm), all the way to the unproven Riemann Hypothesis and the extraordinary zeta function. Filled with prime curios and profiles of prime-obsessed mathematicians, this book is a treat for math fans everywhere.