Friday math movie: Fermat’s Last Theorem
By Murray Bourne, 26 Jul 2013
Fermat's Last Theorem, like all good problems, was deceptively simple, yet extraordinarily difficult to solve.
It goes:
There are no integer solutions for a, b, and c for the equation an + bn = cn, where n > 2.
Fermat claimed to have a proof 350 years ago, but he wrote there was "not enough room in the margin" to write it. It's now doubted that Fermat actually did have a proof, since he didn't have access to enough mathematical techniques in his day.
The video below is Simon Singh's BBC Horizon documentary on the fascinating story surrounding the proof of this theorem.
If you get a chance, read Fermat's Enigma, Singh's easily digested book covering the same span of ideas.
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