Thoughts on Simon Singh's Fermat's Last Theorem

I found this book of Simon Singh on Fermat's Last Theorem in a bookstore in HK, and I did not hesitate to snap it up!  I remember studying Fermat's Last Theorem in college and remembering how rigid the mathematical proofs had to be.  Truth is, even after reading this book, I haven't fully understood the proof since it would need some form of serious mathematical education to get it but I did get insights into how the truly mathematical mind works!

Here are some of the insights and things I've learned after reading this book -

#1  If only women were allowed to study before, and I mean before a hundred years ago, you could just imagine how fast mankind would've progressed.  Unfortunately, female mathematicians had to study in private since women were not allowed in universities then.  Some women even had to pretend to be a man!

#2  New fields of mathematics are created whenever new proofs are discovered - imagine that!  I didn't know that before.  And sometimes, these fields may not have any practical uses first, not until other scientists discover what they are for!

#3  Nothing beats hardwork and concentration!  Andrew Wiles, the one who solved Fermat's Theorem spent seven years working on it in isolation, keeping it a secret!  Of course, that set-up did not last forever since mathematicians also need to work with their peers, but the point is, Wiles was able to hide the real reason for all his inquiry.

#4  It was through this book that I saw how beautiful numbers were! They all just had unique characteristics which are absolute!  I am actually interested in getting Singh's other book, which teaches how to break codes!