E-Book Overview
The celebrated mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras left no writings. But what if he had and the manuscript was never found? Where would it be located? And what information would it reveal? These questions are the inspiration for the mathematical mystery novel Pythagoras' Revenge. Suspenseful and instructive, Pythagoras' Revenge weaves fact, fiction, mathematics, computer science, and ancient history into a surprising and sophisticated thriller. The intrigue begins when Jule Davidson, a young American mathematician who trolls the internet for difficult math riddles and stumbles upon a neo-Pythagorean sect searching for the promised reincarnation of Pythagoras. Across the ocean, Elmer Galway, a professor of classical history at Oxford, discovers an Arabic manuscript hinting at the existence of an ancient scroll--possibly left by Pythagoras himself. Unknown to one another, Jule and Elmer each have information that the other requires and, as they race to solve the philosophical and mathematical puzzles set before them, their paths ultimately collide. Set in 1998 with flashbacks to classical Greece, Pythagoras' Revenge investigates the confrontation between opposing views of mathematics and reality, and explores ideas from both early and cutting-edge mathematics. From academic Oxford to suburban Chicago and historic Rome, Pythagoras' Revenge is a sophisticated thriller that will grip readers from beginning to surprising end.
E-Book Content
PYTHAGORAS’
REVENGE
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A RTURO SANGALLI
PYTHAGORAS’
REVENGE A Mathematical Mystery
Princeton University Press Princeton and Oxford
Copyright © 2009 by Princeton University Press Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 6 Oxford Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TW All Rights Reserved ISBN: 978-0-691-04955-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2008944149 British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available This book has been composed in Minion Printed on acid-free paper ∞ press.princeton.edu Printed in the United States of America 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Contents
Preface
ix
List of Main Characters
xi xiii
Prologue
PART I A TIME CAPSULE? Chapter 1. The Fifteen Puzzle Chapter 2. The Impossible Manuscript Chapter 3. Game Over Chapter 4. A Trip to London Chapter 5. A Letter from the Past Chapter 6. Found and Lost Chapter 7. A Death in the Family
3 10 19 25 32 38 46
PART II AN EXTRAORDINARILY GIFTED MAN Chapter 8. The Mission Chapter 9. Norton Thorp
53 63
vi
❂
Contents
Chapter 10. Random Numbers Chapter 11. Randomness Everywhere Chapter 12. Vanished
69 76 82
PART III A SECT OF NEO-PYTHAGOREANS Chapter 13. The Mandate Chapter 14. The Beacon Chapter 15. The Team Chapter 16. The Hunt Chapter 17. The Symbol of the Serpent Chapter 18. A Professional Job Chapter 19. With a Little Help from Your Sister
85 87 98 106 115 122 126
PART IV PYTHAGORAS’ MISSION Chapter 20. All Roads Lead to Rome Chapter 21. Kidnapped Chapter 22. The Last Piece of the Puzzle
139 152 158
Epilogue
169
Appendix 1: Jule’s Solution
171
Appendix 2: Infinitely Many Primes
173
Appendix 3: Random Sequences
175
Appendix 4: A Simple Visual Proof of the Pythagorean Theorem
177
Contents
❂
vii
Appendix 5: Perfect and Figured Numbers
178
Notes, Credits, and Bibliographical Sources
181
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Preface
W
hen I first proposed the idea for this book to Princeton University Pres