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Apostolos Doxiadis
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Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture Paperback – Import, January 1, 2001

by Apostolos Doxiadis (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 345 ratings
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Uncle Petros is a family joke - an ageing recluse in a suburb of Athens, playing chess and gardening. His young nephew soon discovers his uncle was once a celebrated mathematician who staked all on solving the problem of Goldbach's Conjecture.
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  1. Print length
    224 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Faber and Faber
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2001
  5. Dimensions
    5.12 x 0.55 x 7.83 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0571205119
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0571205110
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Faber and Faber (January 1, 2001)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0571205119
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0571205110
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.12 x 0.55 x 7.83 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 345 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Apostolos Doxiadis

    Apostolos Doxiadis

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    Admitted to Columbia University when he was 15, Apostolos Doxiadis has studied mathematics at both undergraduate and graduate level. An internationally recognised expert on the subjects of mathematics and narrative, he has also worked in film and theatre, and is the author of the international bestsellers Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture and Logicomix.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Apostolos K. Doxiadēs

    Apostolos K. Doxiadēs

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
345 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Joseph A. Schrock
5.0 out of 5 stars A Truly Great Novel!
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2011
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I recently read "Uncle Petros & Goldbach's Conjecture", and I found this to be the first novel I've ever really enjoyed reading. It was eloquently written, and it is full of episodes of both human folly and wisdom.

Given that I'm an amateur mathematician myself, and especially given my strong emphasis upon number theory, this novel struck a chord of enthrallment with me.

An example of the folly of human pride, to which we all can easily fall victim, the narrator has Uncle Petros state the following: "However, a mathematician who is just average -- I'm talking about a researcher, of course, not a high-school teacher -- is a living, walking tragedy..."

Such a characterization of a "merely average" mathematician is an arrogant repudiation of the wonderful successes achieved by such average mathematicians -- maybe never discovering any great theorems, or making any substantial contribution to mathematics, yet fulfilling a vital role in human society whose technical world is run largely by mathematical principles, with most of the technical successes being accomplished by more-or-less "average" technicians and mathematicians.

Uncle Petros ended up rather tragically, not because he had too little mathematical ability for a good, creative, and productive mathematical life, but rather because he got his bloated ego attached to an absurd characterization of what it is to be a successful mathematician. The sheer joy of doing mathematics is sufficient to render a life of "average" mathematical achievement worthy of respect and admiration.

The author of this novel, Doxiadis, did a masterful job of giving a hypothetical account of a mathematician of great potential who permitted his ego to run amok with an absurdly high benchmark for mathematical success. Uncle Petros is a classic example of how one should NOT do mathematics, and the author created an enchanting story to demonstrate the folly of the likes of Petros.

This book is a great read for the mathematically inclined among us.
2 people found this helpful
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Phred
4.0 out of 5 stars In the life of the mind what are the risks
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2016
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Bottom Line First: It is difficult to know who will like Apostolos Doxiadis’ Uncle Petros and Goldbach’s Conjecture. Much of the story telling is built around a failed attempt to solve a mathematical notion. Not just Mathematics, but Number Theory. This alone will scare off readers. Doxiadis has used what to some is a boring and highly esoteric topic to build a very human mystery. This is also a story about family loyalty, goal setting, failure and just how high level thinking and life can come together. I liked Uncle Petros and Goldbach’s Conjecture. I encourage you to step into this very real fiction about people. You may have to push your comfort zone. No violence, no sex, no particular politics, mild language and people who like and care for each other.

According to Wiki: “Goldbach's conjecture is one of the oldest and best-known unsolved problems in number theory and all of mathematics. It states: Every even integer greater than 2 can be expressed as the sum of two primes.” The fact that it is called a conjecture means that it is not much more than a guess. Is there a practical application for this conjecture? I do not know and no one in this book cares. What matters is that it represents to the right mathematical thinker a challenge. Solving or attempting to solve these kinds of problems have a history of producing secondary methodologies with some kinds of independent value, but this is settling for the invention of the ball bearing when your goal was to invent the automobile.

So much for the central narrative driver of the book. Nephew Papachritos becomes fascinated by his remote and disparaged, failed Uncle the one time mathematical prodigy, Petros. Risking his father’ wrath and later hisown future the Nephew immerses himself in an effort to comprehend the world of Math at its highest and most remote thinking. His purpose is less to achieve any great breakthroughs as to fully understand the motives and meaning of his uncle’s life.

Among the way we are introduced to great minds like G. H. Hardy, Kurt Godel, Bertrand Russell and Alan Turing. First their minds and later their fates as humans. For many the life at the forward edge of mathematical thinking ends young and their life as humans, punishing.

This is good story telling. You are invited to stretch your mind. Doxiadis asks you to enter the world of those who can think these kinds of thoughts, without forcing you to try and think at this level. Instead the real story is about the humans. What are their motives and what costs are they risking to follow where their brains take them?
13 people found this helpful
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Mick Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars I was captivated the entire novel
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2020
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I suspect this won't be everybody's cup of tea but I was completely enthralled. I have myself been working on an unsolved problem (at least I think it is) for about a year and I was recognizing many of the thoughts and feelings expressed in the book. I am definitely not a mathematician but I perked up at concepts such as intermediate results discovered while on my quest. It was fun seeing historical figures inserted in believable ways and being reminded of their enormous contributions to math.

One complaint that might confuse or befuddle readers without math skills is that the transcription in the Kindle edition is not 100% accurate. My *guess* is that a program scanned a manuscript and didn't *quite* pull it off. Two examples that illustrate the point involved superscripts not being interpreted correctly:
"The words that 299 (that's one half of 2^100)". Obviously, 299 is not half of 2 to the hundredth power. 2^99 is half of 2^100. The other one was when Harding was visiting Ramanujan in the hospital and commented that the license plate of a cab of 1729, which he didn't find very interesting. Ramanujan replied that it was interesting because it is the smallest number that can be described as the sum of 2 cubes in two ways. The footnote "clarified" this with:
1729 = 123 + 13 = 103 +93. You might tend to read that and think: Huh? Superscripts again: 1729 = 12^3 +1^3 = 10^3 + 9^3.
Those are, however, minor quibbles since I suspect most people reading this will have an interest in math and not get too freaked out by the apparent nonsense.

This book was the first in a long time that I read all at once. We often hear about "page-turners" and "I couldn't put it down". This book did that for me.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Som
5.0 out of 5 stars The agony and ecstasy of high-level mathematics
Reviewed in India on April 12, 2021
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An unusual book that I picked up off a contact’s reading list, and I’m thankful for the happy serendipity. This is a wonderful book that captures the romance of mathematics at the highest level, and illustrates the chance that governs fame and obscurity. Well worth reading for anyone who loves mathematics.
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Sabiño
5.0 out of 5 stars Ondo
Reviewed in Spain on November 6, 2019
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Oso ondo etorri zaigu gure helbururako: euskarara itzultzea
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Albert
5.0 out of 5 stars Beauty and Mystery.
Reviewed in Canada on September 10, 2017
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From the beginning in the book, I relived my young joy in discovering mathematics.
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Père Plexe
5.0 out of 5 stars Très drôle, et apprend des notions fondamentales de mathématiques
Reviewed in France on July 11, 2017
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C'est sans doute le meilleur roman avec les mathématiques comme sujet que j'ai lu. Beaucoup d'humour, mélangé avec une vraie pédagogie sur des notions fondamentales en logique (incomplétude de Gödel). Je l'ai donné à lire à des non mathématiciens (certains complétement allergiques aux mathématiques) et à des mathématiciens, et tous l'ont beaucoup apprécié.
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon カスタマー
5.0 out of 5 stars ありがとうございました。
Reviewed in Japan on August 1, 2020
Verified Purchase
しっかりした包装で予定より早く受け取りました。
本の内容も素晴らしく、一気に完読しました。
ありがとうございました。
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