Is it a novel, a biography or a textbook? Toying with the boundaries of all
three, Apostolos Doxiadis’s entrancing Uncle Petros and Golbach’s
Conjecture mixes real maths and mathematicians with a fictional professor
who wastes his life shuffling beans in an attempt to prove that every even
number is the sum of two primes. It’s funny, sad and even teaches you a bit of
number theory. And if you do solve Golbach’s conjecture, you may win a million
pounds. Published by Faber & Faber, £9.99, ISBN 0571202039.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New ÒÁÈ˾þÃ
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New ÒÁÈ˾þà articles
1
A volcano has erupted remnants of Earth's primordial magma ocean
2
Orangutan mothers seem to plan playdates for their offspring
3
Huge crater in Australia may be the oldest impact structure on Earth
4
A type of fibre that stimulates GLP-1 release approved for use in food
5
Humans sleep the least of all apes – is it the secret to our success?
6
Random wobbles in time could finally solve gravity’s greatest mystery
7
‘Hobbit’ hominins scavenged meat left over by Komodo dragons
8
A new tectonic plate boundary could be forming in southern Africa
9
The 4 must-watch science-fiction films of the year so far
10
The world's fastest spider tops 3.5 metres per second
