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
Mind
What is love? Even a meeting on the subject can't find the answer
News
Mind
How I used psychology to come back from the worst year of my life
Features
Health
The 3 things you need to know about protein, according to an expert
Comment
Health
The Ebola emergency shines a light on the urgent need for new vaccines
News
Popular articles
Trending New ÒÁÈ˾þà articles
1
The ‘doomsday’ glacier’s giant ice shelf is about to break away
2
The hidden pockets of the universe where the future can cause the past
3
How I used psychology to come back from the worst year of my life
4
Why autism pioneer Uta Frith wants to dismantle the spectrum
5
Asteroid set to fly very close to Earth
6
SpaceX is about to launch tallest and most powerful rocket in history
7
CAR T-cell therapy bolstered by stiffening up cancer cells first
8
Rebooting stem cells builds aged muscles and assists injury recovery
9
Where did the laws of physics come from? I think I've found the answer
10
Himalayan wolf-dog hybrids emerge as a threat to wolves and people
