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Kepler鈥檚 Conjecture by George Szpiro, Wiley, 拢18.50, ISBN 0471086010 Reviewed by Ben Longstaff

PROVING the obvious is often seen as something of a dirty habit that scientists just won鈥檛 kick, and among the disciplines regularly criticised for indulging in this shameful time-wasting, mathematics looms large. But any good scientist, especially a mathematician, will tell you that 鈥渙bvious鈥� facts are tricky beasts indeed.

Here is a case in point. Why did mathematicians spend several hundred years proving Johannes Kepler鈥檚 guess that the most efficient way to pack spheres into a space is the way you see oranges stacked in layers at the market? George Szpiro鈥檚 Kepler鈥檚 Conjecture answers with panache and passion. It is an invigorating affirmation of maths鈥� endless allure, and a neat lesson in why it pays to take nothing for granted.