Join MoMath at Volumes, the MoMath book club, on May 18, to discuss The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets by Simon Singh.

Did you know that Homer Simpson disproved Fermat’s last theorem? He did, or so it seemed, when he scribbled 3987¹² + 4365¹² = 4472¹² on a blackboard in a 1998 episode of The Simpsons. If Homer is right, then he has proved that the great 17th-century mathematician Fermat was wrong! Math is everywhere in the Simpsons' world, from references that flash across the screen in an eye blink (such as Springfield’s Googolplex movie theater) to entire segments that explore deep mathematical concepts. Not content merely to point out the mathematical references, Singh uses them as a starting point for lively discussions of mathematical topics, anecdotes, and history. Even someone with no mathematical background will enjoy his accounts of the nature of infinity and the meaning of the number e, the life of the tragic genius Ramanujan, and the obsessions of Bill James, the oracle of baseball statistics.

Refreshments will be served.