In 2000, the Clay Foundation of Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced a
historic competition: whoever could solve any of seven extraordinarily
difficult mathematical problems, and have the solution acknowledged as
correct by the experts, would receive 1 million in prize money. There
was some precedent for doing this: in 1900 David Hilbert, one of the
greatest mathematicians of his day, proposed twenty-three problems, now
known as the Hilbert Problems, that set much of the agenda for
mathematics in the twentieth century. The Millennium Problems are likely
to acquire similar stature, and their solution (or lack of one) is
likely to play a strong role in determining the course of mathematics in
the current century. Keith Devlin, renowned expositor of mathematics,
tells here what the seven problems are, how they came about, and what
they mean for math and science. These problems are the brass rings held
out to today's mathematicians, glittering and just out of reach. In the
hands of Keith Devlin, "the Math Guy" from NPR's "Weekend Edition," each
Millennium Problem becomes a fascinating window onto the deepest and
toughest questions in the field. For mathematicians, physicists,
engineers, and everyone else with an interest in mathematics' cutting
edge, The Millennium Problems is the definitive account of a subject
that will have a very long shelf life.
