The above is the link to “The Proof” on Princeton’s Professor Andrew Wiles quest to solve “Fermat’s Last Theorem” (FLT):
The equation has no non-trivial integer solution for X, Y and Z for values of When , the equation has infinitely many Pythagorean triples as solutions. For example
Euler published a proof for the case (1747) and also for the more difficult case (1770). Gauss, Legendre, Dirichlet and others settled the cases and . That still leaves FLT for infinitely many values of n unresolved!
This problem is called Fermat’s Last Theorem since after Pierre de Fermat, a French lawyer and mathematician, died in 1665, the following note was found on the margin of a book he had been reading: [after stating the problem]
“I have discovered a truly wonderful proof which this margin is too narrow to contain”.
However, no proof by Fermat was ever found and generations of mathematicians have since cursed the narrowness of that margin. For over 300 years, the best mathematical minds struggled to prove this simple proposition, to no avail. Till Prof. Wiles entered the scene, intending to tackle this monster of a problem…..
After watching the video, write a 2 or 3 page paper (double space) explaining both the problem and the quest to prove it. Make sure to also write about your own impressions and views with regard to this chapter of mathematical history, the notion of proof in math, and the documentary itself. Make sure your paper is tidy and well written. Presentation matters!