Perfect Rigor: A Genius and the Mathematical Breakthrough of the Century

Gessen, Masha

ISBN 10: 015101406X / ISBN 13: 9780151014064

Edité par Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009

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In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title!

N° de réf. du vendeur Q-015101406X

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Perfect Rigor: A Genius and the Mathematical Breakthrough of the Century
• Éditeur: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Date de parution: 2009
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 015101406X
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780151014064
• Reliure: hardcover
• État de l'article: New
• Poids: 15 onces

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Synopsis

A gripping and tragic tale that sheds rare light on the unique burden of genius

 

In 2006, an eccentric Russian mathematician named Grigori Perelman solved the Poincare Conjecture, an extremely complex topological problem that had eluded the best minds for over a century. A prize of one million dollars was offered to anyone who could unravel it, but Perelman declined the winnings, and in doing so inspired journalist Masha Gessen to tell his story. Drawing on interviews with Perelman’s teachers, classmates, coaches, teammates, and colleagues in Russia and the United States—and informed by her own background as a math whiz raised in Russia—Gessen uncovered a mind of unrivaled computational power, one that enabled Perelman to pursue mathematical concepts to their logical (sometimes distant) end. But she also discovered that this very strength turned out to be Perelman's undoing and the reason for his withdrawal, first from the world of mathematics and then, increasingly, from the world in general.

Revue de presse

PRAISE FOR BLOOD MATTERS "Blood Matters is valuable reading to almost anyone facing a huge health decision, not only for the literary commiseration it offers, but also for the inspired example of medical sleuthing on one's own behalf that it provides. Gessen keeps an inflammatory topic at room temperature, writing elegantly and without self-pity. The book is very funny in places ... It's also very lucid, even when the science gets complex. It's a liberating book. Strange as it sounds, it would make a great Mother's Day present. ... The enduring memory one takes away is Gessen's intelligence and wit as she's staring down the barrel of a gun."--The New York Times PRAISE FOR ESTER AND RUZYA
"Gessen's family memoir Ester and Ruzya comes as a welcome corrective. This is not the official version shown in hagiographic documentaries on Russian state television, but the real one narrated around countless Russian kitchen tables, where the chaos and senseless brutality on both sides of the front coexisted with genuine heroism and the mundane business of living."--Washington Post Book World