Fermat's Last Therom

I had never heard of Fermats Last Theorem, and was foreign with the concept of mathematical proofs outside of high school. It was horrendous to me that every sort of mathematical statement could create such an d sound outful series of events over the course of its 350 year history. Like unconditioned others before me, the concept seemed simple enough: prove Fermats Last Theorem, which states that x^n+ y^n= z^n has no non-trivial whole number solutions for n > 2. However, as the book describes, this particular proof turned out to be the mathematical equivalent of splitting the atom. To do the book justice, I will not attempt to paraphrase any of the stories and concepts it presents; I will highlight some of the more interesting aspects of an amazing mathematical journey through the life of a theorem.
Educationally, on that point are many concepts discussed in this book which apply to unhomogeneous mathematical pursuits. There are many fine descriptions and examples of proofs by induction, counterexample, and contradiction, and before taking Discrete Math, I had never read a more accurate explanation of the difference amongst scientific proofs and mathematical proofs as the one found in the very first chapter.




Historically, this book covers not only Fermats life, Wiles life, and the life and proof of the Theorem, however it also provides brief but explanations of the lives of various mathematicians whose contributions made the final proof possible. One of the nearly interesting stories is that of Paul Wolfskehl, a rich German industrialist and recreational number theorist whose plans to kill himself were stopped when he entered a library on the night he was to kill himself at midnight, because of a woman, not mathematics. While he was wandering round the library, Wolfskehl came across a book containing the last attempt at a proof and found a flaw in it. Thinking he would be the one to complete the proof, Wolfskehl worked all through the night trying to correct Kummers mistake. Although...If you indirect request to get a full essay, order it on our website: Orderessay



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