Abel's Proof: An Essay on the Sources and Meaning of Mathematical Unsolvability
"Peter Pesic's tale of how maths came to be is as exciting as any fiction." Economist"A unique book. Peter Pesic's chronicle of the long road mathematicians traveled toward understanding when an equation can be solved—and when it can't—is enjoyable, lucid, and user-friendly. The author takes pains to credit less familiar names such as Viète and Ruffini and requires of his readers no more than basic algebra—and most of that placed conveniently apart from the main text." Tony Rothman, Department of Physics, Bryn Mawr College"Peter Pesic writes about Abel's work with enthusiasm and sensitivity, beautifully evoking this marvelous moment in the development of algebra."--Barry Mazur, Gerhard Gade University Professor, Harvard University"Pesic's book is a good place to begin to learn about this important piece of intellectual history." Fernando Q. Gouvea American Scientist"A unique book. Peter Pesic's chronicle of the long road mathematicians traveled towards understanding when an equation can be solved -- and when it can't -- is enjoyable, lucid and user-friendly. The author takes pains to credit less familiar names such as Viete and Ruffini and requires of his readers no more than basic algebra -- and most of that placed conveniently apart from the main text."--Tony Rothman, Department of Physics, Bryn Mawr College