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Prime Numbers: The Most Mysterious Figures in Math Hardcover – May 18, 2005

by David Wells (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 27 ratings
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A fascinating journey into the mind-bending world of prime numbers
Cicadas of the genus Magicicada appear once every 7, 13, or 17 years. Is it just a coincidence that these are all prime numbers? How do twin primes differ from cousin primes, and what on earth (or in the mind of a mathematician) could be sexy about prime numbers? What did Albert Wilansky find so fascinating about his brother-in-law's phone number?
Mathematicians have been asking questions about prime numbers for more than twenty-five centuries, and every answer seems to generate a new rash of questions. In Prime Numbers: The Most Mysterious Figures in Math, you'll meet the world's most gifted mathematicians, from Pythagoras and Euclid to Fermat, Gauss, and Erd?o?s, and you'll discover a host of unique insights and inventive conjectures that have both enlarged our understanding and deepened the mystique of prime numbers. This comprehensive, A-to-Z guide covers everything you ever wanted to know--and much more that you never suspected--about prime numbers, including:
* The unproven Riemann hypothesis and the power of the zeta function
* The "Primes is in P" algorithm
* The sieve of Eratosthenes of Cyrene
* Fermat and Fibonacci numbers
* The Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search
* And much, much more
Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    290 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Trade Paper Press
  4. Publication date
    May 18, 2005
  5. Dimensions
    6.14 x 0.81 x 9.21 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1620458241
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1620458242
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The book is nicely produced and is an easy read..." ("The Mathematical Gazette", November 2007)

From the Back Cover

A fascinating journey into the mind-bending world of prime numbers

Cicadas of the genus Magicicada appear once every 7, 13, or 17 years. Is it just a coincidence that these are all prime numbers? How do twin primes differ from cousin primes, and what on earth (or in the mind of a mathematician) could be sexy about prime numbers? What did Albert Wilansky find so fascinating about his brother-in-law's phone number?

Mathematicians have been asking questions about prime numbers for more than twenty-five centuries, and every answer seems to generate a new rash of questions. In Prime Numbers: The Most Mysterious Figures in Math, you'll meet the world's most gifted mathematicians, from Pythagoras and Euclid to Fermat, Gauss, and Erd?o?s, and you'll discover a host of unique insights and inventive conjectures that have both enlarged our understanding and deepened the mystique of prime numbers. This comprehensive, A-to-Z guide covers everything you ever wanted to know--and much more that you never suspected--about prime numbers, including: The unproven Riemann hypothesis and the power of the zeta functionThe "Primes is in P" algorithmThe sieve of Eratosthenes of CyreneFermat and Fibonacci numbersThe Great Internet Mersenne Prime SearchAnd much, much more

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Trade Paper Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 18, 2005
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 290 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1620458241
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1620458242
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.34 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.14 x 0.81 x 9.21 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 27 ratings

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  1. David Wells

    David Wells

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  2. D. G. Wells

    D. G. Wells

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4.4 out of 5 stars
27 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Liam487
    5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    It was an excellent read, and has a few tricks for simple mathematics. Arrived in excellent condition and on time. Overall I was very satisfied with the seller.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Guru Guru
    5.0 out of 5 stars Math Book "Prime Numbers"
    Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    Very good book. I'm not a math pro, but I found
    it very interesting.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Dan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Prime time
    Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2005
    As ever David Wells has written a most fascinating and highly enjoyable book. Anyone au fait with any of Mr Wells other works will know them to be of the "pop" maths book style, Mr Wells being one of the great expositors of this gendre, bringing deep concepts and a full knowledge of his topic to a wide audience, always with a great sense of humour and fun. Here David Wells has written a fascinating and intellectual book on primes; primes are the key to the number system and are as mysterious and fascinating as the cover suggests. In Wells inimitable style, always delighting us with the history of his subject and treating us to some new tricks up his sleeve, we are whizzed through a dictionary of prime facts and conclusions and non-conclusions (it's a book about primes), the subject is vast, and Wells flys through the matters of the primes in number theory in a readable and thorough listing of those facts he illustrates. Buy Primes, I know you'll love it as much as I did.
    15 people found this helpful
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  • T. McG.
    2.0 out of 5 stars Organized chaos
    Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2017
    Yes, as others have said, this book is more like a dictionary or an encyclopedia than a textbook or an introduction to primes. The primary problem with this approach is that the subjects are presented in alphabetical order. There is thus no cohesiveness or continuity to the material. For example, the abundant numbers are discussed on p.7, but the closely related deficient numbers don't appear until p.40, and the perfect numbers, related to both, don't show up until p.170. They should all be discussed in the same section.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • John Matlock
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Mathematical Comedy
    Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2005
    This book is a mathematical comedy. For most of us prime numbers have no value beyond a bit of curiosity -- if you're into cryptology of course then you're looking at a horse of an entirely different color.

    Prime numbers have been thought about, played with, studied, been the subject of prizes. The Clay prizes were offered on May 24, 2000. They offer a million dollars (yes, $1,000,000) for the solution to each of seven problems. Of course the first problem is the Riemann hypothesis, which people have been trying to solve for about a hundred and fifty years.

    This book is light and entertaining. As I said, almost a comedy. For instance Cicadas of the genus Magicidada (an insect) appear once every 7, 13, or 17 years -- all prime numbers -- why?

    An entertaining book for the mathematician.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • K. Long
    5.0 out of 5 stars Mathematics for senior citizaens
    Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2006
    I do not have much of a mathematical background and I am 75. I was able to work my way straight through this book. I don't pretend to have understood some parts of it but the many parts I did understand were enthralling. I was able to read it straight through, albeit it slowly, and my interest never flagged. Thanks.
    25 people found this helpful
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  • J. Young
    5.0 out of 5 stars Reviewing the numbers!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2006
    Haven't read through the entire book yet but so far there are a lot of theorem equations I've never heard before that are very interesting to consider. I've been trying to find my own way to find any possible prime number and this book is very helpful in showing you whats already been done and could influence you to maybe think of an equation or method yourself (for finding prime numbers that is). Other than that. I don't have too much detailed information on this book yet.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • pete
    2.0 out of 5 stars Compendium of unconnected number factoids
    Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2005
    This a dictionnary comprised of number theory factoids. Admittedly it is well researched, but I found it dry and hard to get into. You must know quite a bit of number theory to appreciate the subject matter, which will limit the appeal of the book to the layman.

    I just happen to think that what makes MATH interesting is the interconnectedness of ideas and facts?

    Let's hope Wells can get back to writing an ideas book, instead of yet another dictionary.

    sigh...
    11 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • ian potts
    5.0 out of 5 stars Prime Numbers
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Good book. Certainly not divisive.
    Report
  • ab..c
    3.0 out of 5 stars Huge dump of knowledge of the many forms of prime numbers
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    * Physical

    Its a hardback book covering the different sciences of Prime Numbers. The paper is lower quality and its discoloured on my bookshelf.

    * Commentary

    The book covers a lot of known information about the different forms of Prime Numbers. It's a lot to take in if you read it from start to finish. I read this book over 4 + hours at one sitting. The forms are described but not really explained in depth So its structure is flat rather than in-depth. Its lack of structure and shallow depth is a limit on the fun you can get from this, but it's readable say the A-level book type.
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