By the author of "Fermat's Last Theorem", this title sheds light on a convoluted mathematical theory while providing a portrait of a complex man, George Cantor (1845-1918), whose work on the "continuum problem" drove him mad and into an asylum.

Autorentext

Amir D. Aczel

Klappentext

"Aleph" tells the story of Georg Cantor (1845-1918), a Russian-born German who created set theory, the concept of infinite numbers, and the "continuum hypothesis", which challenged the very foundations of mathematics. Illustrations.

Zusammenfassung
From the end of the nineteenth century until his death, one of history's greatest mathematicians languished in an asylum, driven mad by an almost Faustian thirst for universal knowledge. THE MYSTERY OF THE ALEPH tells the story of Georg Cantor (1845-1918), a Russian born German whose work on the 'continuum problem' would bring us closer than any mathemetician before him in helping us to comprehend the nature of infinity. A respected mathematician himself, Dr. Aczel follows Cantor's life and traces the roots of his enigmatic theories. From the Pythagoreans, the Greek cult of mathematics, to the mystical Jewish numerology found in the Kabbalah, THE MYSTERY OF THE ALEPH follows the search for an answer that may never truly be trusted.