Explore the history of Fermat's Last Theorem and the 350-year delay in proving it. Delve into Pythagoras' theorem and its practical applications. Learn about the lost work of an extraordinary mathematician and the contributions of various mathematicians to the theorem. Discover how a woman mathematician surpassed renowned mathematicians. Uncover the intrigue surrounding Fermat's last theorem and the connection between elliptic curves and modular forms. Finally, dive into Andrew Wiles' proof and its practical applications.
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Quick takeaways
Fermat's Last Theorem is rooted in the study of Pythagoras' theorem, which deals with right-angled triangles.
Andrew Wiles famously proved Fermat's Last Theorem in 1994 by establishing the finiteness of solutions for equations of the form x^n + y^n = z^n.
Deep dives
The Roots of Fermat's Last Theorem
Fermat's Last Theorem is rooted in the study of Pythagoras' theorem, which deals with right-angled triangles. The question arose whether there are other triangles with whole number side lengths that satisfy this equation. This search led to the discovery of more triangles, like the famous trio 3-4-5, that satisfy the equation. This search for whole number solutions to equations like Pythagoras' theorem continued and eventually led to the formulation of Fermat's Last Theorem.
Fermat's Enigmatic Assertion
Fermat, a 17th-century French mathematician, made an intriguing assertion in the margin of a book. He claimed to have a 'truly wonderful' proof of an equation like x^n + y^n = z^n, where n is greater than 2. However, he never revealed his proof, leaving mathematicians baffled for centuries. His assertion, known as Fermat's Last Theorem, became one of the most famous unsolved problems in mathematics.
Mathematical Contributions and Advances
Over the centuries, mathematicians from different countries and cultures made significant contributions to understanding Fermat's Last Theorem. Euler made progress with cubic equations, while Sophie Germain explored Fermat's theorem for various exponents. In the 19th century, mathematicians like Kummer and Mordell advanced the field by studying related concepts and making profound mathematical discoveries. The 20th century brought the breakthroughs of Taniyama, Shimura, and eventually Andrew Wiles, who connected Fermat's Last Theorem to modular forms and elliptic curves.
Andrew Wiles' Proof
Andrew Wiles, an English mathematician, famously proved Fermat's Last Theorem in 1994. Building on the ideas of previous mathematicians, Wiles made use of the Taniyama-Shimura conjecture, which establishes a connection between elliptic curves and modular forms. By showing the modularity of elliptic curves associated with Fermat's equation, Wiles established the finiteness of solutions for equations of the form x^n + y^n = z^n, where n is greater than 2. Wiles' proof was a monumental achievement and provided closure to a centuries-old mathematical puzzle.
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Fermat's Last Theorem. In 1637 the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat scribbled a note in the margin of one of his books. He claimed to have proved a remarkable property of numbers, but gave no clue as to how he'd gone about it. "I have found a wonderful demonstration of this proposition," he wrote, "which this margin is too narrow to contain". Fermat's theorem became one of the most iconic problems in mathematics and for centuries mathematicians struggled in vain to work out what his proof had been. In the 19th century the French Academy of Sciences twice offered prize money and a gold medal to the person who could discover Fermat's proof; but it was not until 1995 that the puzzle was finally solved by the British mathematician Andrew Wiles.
With:
Marcus du Sautoy
Professor of Mathematics & Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford
Vicky Neale
Fellow and Director of Studies in Mathematics at Murray Edwards College at the University of Cambridge
Samir Siksek
Professor at the Mathematics Institute at the University of Warwick.
Producer: Natalia Fernandez.
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