Covering some of the most intriguing mathematical problems, this book gives a detailed insight into the history and applications of mathematics. The problems introduced became famous either because they took many years to solve or they remain to this day to be proved.
A wide range of topics are covers, such as the Goldbach conjecture. This suggests that all numbers greater than 2 can be written as the sum of two primes. In the book, Stewart explains in simple terms first what is meant by a prime number before going on to explain the conjecture in more detail.
Containing 6 chapters in all, the book introduces progressively higher mathematics as it goes on. This means that for anyone without background mathematical knowledge may struggle with later chapters, although Stewart does explain new concepts in a lot of detail.
This book not only gives the reader a broader understanding of mathematics as a whole but also highlights the importance of mathematics as a whole. Stewart also introduces new concepts which the reader can then go on to research further if they want to.
