Prime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics (2003) is a historical book on mathematics by John Derbyshire, detailing the history of the Riemann hypothesis and some of its applications. It is written for a popular audience, so even though it includes college-level mathematics, rigorous proofs are not provided, and much is taken on faith. Much historical background is provided, starting from the work of Carl F...
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Prime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics (2003) is a historical book on mathematics by John Derbyshire, detailing the history of the Riemann hypothesis and some of its applications. It is written for a popular audience, so even though it includes college-level mathematics, rigorous proofs are not provided, and much is taken on faith. Much historical background is provided, starting from the work of Carl Friedrich Gauss and continuing well into the twentieth century.
The book is written such that even-numbered chapters present historical elements related to the development of the conjecture, and odd-numbered chapters deal with the mathematical and technical aspects.
The book was awarded the Mathematical Association of America's inaugural Euler Book Prize.
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