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Fermat's Last Theorem (view source)

Revision as of 16:50, August 26, 2007

747 bytes added , 16:50, August 26, 2007

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[[Image:Pierre de Fermat.jpg|thumb|right|Pierre de Fermat]]

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Fermat's Last Theorem was conjectured by the French mathematician [[Pierre de Fermat]]. He said he had proved this problem but that there was not enough room in the margin to state his proof.

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Fermat's Last Theorem was conjectured by the French mathematician [[Pierre de Fermat]]. He said he had proved this problem but that there was not enough room in the margin to state his proof:<ref>Nagell 1951, p. 252.</ref>

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:"Cubum autem in duos cubos, aut quadrato-quadratum in duos quadrato-quadratos, et generaliter nullam in infinitum ultra quadratum potestatem in duos eiusdem nominis fas est dividere cuius rei demonstrationem mirabilem sane detexi. Hanc marginis exiguitas non caperet."

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The English translation of Fermat's Latin statement is:<ref>http://mathworld.wolfram.com/FermatsLastTheorem.html</ref>

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:"It is impossible for a cube to be the sum of two cubes, a fourth power to be the sum of two fourth powers, or in general for any number that is a power greater than the second to be the sum of two like powers. I have discovered a truly marvelous demonstration of this proposition that this margin is too narrow to contain."

This problem has confounded mathematicians for centuries, and there still is no proof for it using [[elementary techniques]]. Most doubt that Fermat was able to prove it himself.

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