The Music of the
Primes Why an Unsolved Problem in Mathematics Matters
Marcus du Sautoy
Fourth Estate
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF
This edition published by Harper Perennial 2004
First published by Fourth Estate 2003
Copyright © Marcus du Sautoy 2003
PS section copyright © Josh Lacey 2004
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Marcus du Sautoy asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
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Source ISBN: 9781841155807
Ebook Edition © MAY 2012 ISBN: 9780007375875
Version: 2017-05-03
From the reviews of The Music of the Primes:
‘A gripping, entertaining and thought-provoking book. Du Sautoy is certainly a brilliant storyteller and introduces us to some great personalities … Even if you don’t understand the maths, this is still a fascinating book. And if you do understand some of it, it will have you running for your calculator as you try to work out some of the riddles along the way’
Independent on Sunday
‘Delightfully entertaining … [Du Sautoy] has been successful in setting up a compelling dramatis personae of mathematicians, with every character vividly illuminated with anecdotes and felicitous comment’
Guardian
‘Du Sautoy … laces the ideas with history, anecdote and personalia – an entertaining mix that renders an austere subject palatable … Even those with a mathematical allergy can enjoy du Sautoy’s depictions of his cast of characters’
The Times
‘The subject is daunting, but du Sautoy writes with admirable clarity and verve’
Daily Mail
‘An engaging and accessible history of work on prime numbers and the Riemann hypothesis’
Economist
‘Entertaining … looks certain to be a great success’
Nature
For the memory of
Yonathan du Sautoy October 21, 2000
Contents
1 Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?
3 Riemann’s Imaginary Mathematical Looking-Glass
4 The Riemann Hypothesis: From Random Primes to Orderly Zeros
5 The Mathematical Relay Race: Realising Riemann’s Revolution
6 Ramanujan, the Mathematical Mystic
7 Mathematical Exodus: From Göttingen to Princeton
9 The Computer Age: From the Mind to the Desktop
11 From Orderly Zeros to Quantum Chaos
12 The Missing Piece of the Jigsaw
Portrait of Marcus du Sautoy