The Poincaré Conjecture In Search of the Shape of the Universe

The Poincar� Conjecture tells the story behind one of the world�s most confounding mathematical theories. Formulated in 1904 by Henri Poincar�, his Conjecture promised to describe the very shape of the universe, but remained unproved until a huge prize was offered for its solution in 2000. Six years later, an eccentric Russian mathematician had the answer. Here, Donal O�Shea explains the maths behind the Conjecture and its proof, and illuminates the curious personalities surrounding this perplexing conundrum, along the way taking in a grand sweep of scientific history from the ancient Greeks to Christopher Columbus. This is an enthralling tale of human endeavour, intellectual brilliance and the thrill of discovery.