Birth of a Theorem: A Mathematical Adventure byCédric Villani – review
To really appreciate mathematics, you have to see it evolve, to work through the twists and turns yourself; it's almost never enough for someone to just tell you about it. These wise words from my secondary school maths teacher have stuck with me ever since. Ci(C)dric Villani knows this, too. To put it in his words: "Appreciating a theorem in mathematics is like watching an episode of Columbo: the line of reasoning by which the detective solves the mystery is more important than the identity of the murderer." Villani should know. He is widely regarded as one of the most talented mathematicians of his generation. His work has won him almost every prize going: the Fermat prize (a big deal) the Poincari(C) prize (a very big deal) and even the Fields medal (off-the-chart big deal). For those who aren't familiar, the Fields medal is often referred to as the Nobel prize of mathematics but, as it is only awarded once every four years, and even then only to mathematicians under 40, it is much, much harder to win. Villani's medal was awarded in 2010 for his work in mathematical physics describing the behaviour of particles in gases and plasmas.
The Birth of a Theorem is written as a diary, taking us through the early evolution of the idea in Lyon in 2008, through six months of frustration trying to wrestle the beast of a theorem to the ground at Princeton (his words, not mine) and culminating in the news that he has won the most coveted prize.
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