Mario Livio is an internationally known astrophysicist, a bestselling author, and a popular lecturer. He is married to Sofie, a microbiologist, and they have three children, Sharon, Oren, and Maya.

Below you can find information about his new book, The Equation that Couldn’t Be Solved. The book shows how symmetry permeates everything, from perception and mate selection to art, music, and theories of the universe.

The Equation that Couldn’t be Solved

For thousands of years mathematicians solved progressively more difficult algebraic equations, from the simple quadratic to the more complex quartic equation, yielding important insights along the way. Then they were stumped by the quintic equation, which resisted solutions for three centuries until two great prodigies independently proved that quintic equations cannot be solved by simple formula. These geniuses, a young Norwegian named Niels Henrik Abel and an even younger Frenchman named Evariste Galois, both died tragically. Galois, in fact, spent the last night before his fatal duel (at the age of twenty) scribbling a brief summary of his proof, occasionally writing in the margin of his notebook “I have no time.” Some of the mysteries surrounding his death, which have lingered for more than 170 years, are finally resolved in this book.

Galois’ work gave rise to group theory, the “language” that describes symmetry. Group theory explains much about the esthetics of our world, from the choosing of mates to Rubik’s cube, Bach’s musical compositions, the physics of subatomic particles and the popularity of Anna Kournikova.

Coming September 2005, The Equation That Couldn’t Be Solved is the first popular level book to explore group theory, not through abstract formulas but in a beautifully written and dramatic account of the lives and work of some of the greatest mathematicians in history.

What the experts are saying:

“Symmetry is one of the guiding principles of mathematics and its story deserves to be told in a way that reaches a large audience. Created by two young and tragic geniuses, Abel and Galois, it has a romantic appeal that transcends technicalities. Mario Livio has undertaken this task with insight and literary skill, producing a highly readable and illuminating book.

—Sir Michael Atiyah, Fields Medalist 1966, and Abel Prize Laureate 2004

Mario Livio tells a gripping tale of humanity’s discovery of the language of symmetry, with its colorful, romantic characters and dramatic historical incident. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how the apparently remote concerns of pure mathematics can lead to deep and practical insights into the natural world.

–Ian Stewart, author of Flatterland and Concepts of Modern Mathematics

I found Mario Livio’s book extremely instructive and entertaining. The author has done a marvelous job combining the gripping human saga of the lives of two mathematical geniuses who died young with the key mathematical ideas of symmetry and structure. The author explains important mathematical concepts with both clarity and precision, making them understandable to every reader. This is one of the best books about mathematics I have ever read.

–Amir Aczel, author of Fermat’s Last Theorem and Chance