Mathematical disputes offer indisputable proof that great minds are calculating in more ways than one. Fueled by greed, ambition and ego, they have plots worthy... » 

Mathematical disputes offer indisputable proof that great minds are calculating in more ways than one. Fueled by greed, ambition and ego, they have plots worthy of a soap opera, father against son, and student against mentor. Cardano and Tartaglia battled over credit for finding a method for solving cubic and quardratic equations. Descartes battled Fermat over analytic geometry and optics. The Bernoulli brothers fought over calculus problems. Hellman explores both the mathematics and the spirit of the times in this fascinating book. «