Table of Contents

Preface. Cannonballs and Melons. The Puzzle of the Dozen Spheres. Fire Hydrants and Soccer Players. Thue s Two Attempts and Fejes Toth s Achievement. Twelve s Company, Thirteen s a Crowd. Nets and Knots. Twisted Boxes. No Dancing at This Congress. The Race for the Upper Bound. Right Angles for Round Spaces. Wobbly Balls and Hybrid Stars. Simplex, Cplex, and Symbolic Mathematics. But Is It Really a Proof? Beehives Again. This Is Not An Epilogue. Mathematical Appendices. Bibliography. Index.

About the Author

GEORGE G. SZPIRO, Ph.D., is a mathematician turned journalist. He is currently the Israel correspondent for the Swiss daily Neue Zurcher Zeitung.

Reviews

"...gives an entertaining and readable account of the history of the problem and the attempts to solve it..." (Nature, 11 September 2003) "...an invigorating affirmation of math s endless allure, and a neat lesson in why it pays to take nothing for granted..." (New Scientist, 13 September 2003) "...the perfect balance of tone between mathematical explanation and historical exposition..." (M2 Best Books, 18 August 2003) "...well crafted piece of popular science writing..." (Mathematical Intelligencer, Vol 26: No. 1) a nicely written approach explained and presented in a conveniently readable manner. (Zentralblatt MATH, March 2007)