Story Basket Keyword Topic Author Page Jsums27, 30 Age-old maths problem finally starts to add NEW YORK: June 23 AP Geniuses of the world, take note: Finish that symphony, paint that masterpiece, discover the secret of perpetual motion. Your efforts at solving Fermat’s Last Theorem are probably no longer needed. A mathematician claims to have solved the most famous problem in mathematics with a twisting, 200-page argument proving Fermat’s theorem. “When we heard it, people started walking on air,” the chairman of Princeton University’s mathematics
read sums127 EPORT HDR (Form Read)Depth 115.0 mm Width 324.0 pointsJustified E Length 115.0 mm Story Edit Styl Output Loc Category ,gm,30 Age-old maths problem[QC]finally starts to add upleg, NEW YORK: June 23 AP Geniuses of the world, take note: Finish that symphony, paint that masterpiece, discover the secret of perpetual motion. Your efforts at solving Fermat’s Last Theorem are probably no longer needed.A mathematician claims to have solved the most famous problem in Page1 Story continues …
Enter N for more mathematics with a twisting, 200-page argument proving Fermat’s theorem. “When we heard it, people started walking on air,” the chairman of Princeton University’s mathematics department, Simon Kochen, said. “It was an incredible feeling that this has been done after all this time.” The proof was presented at a conference of mathematicians at Cambridge University by Andrew Wiles, a Princeton mathematics professor. Now, for Mr Wiles, the waiting be[<-]gins. Experts will spend days poring over his argument, trying to find flaws. “There have been proofs claimed in the past, and eventually somebody found an error. Until it is checked and actually published, it’s hard to say,” Tom Apostol, a mathematician at Page2 Story continues … Enter N for more the California Institute of Technology, said. The theorem was stated by the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat, who, with Rene Descartes, was considered one of the leading mathematicians of the 17th century. The problem is intriguingly simple: If “n” represents any whole there is no solution to the equation “x to the nth power plus y to the nth power equals z to the nth power”. There are solutions if “n” equals two for example, three squared (9) plus four squared (16) equals five squared (25). But if n equals three or more, according to Fermat, there are no solutions. Interest in the problem has been especially keen because of a mischievous note Fermat left in the margin of a Page3 Story continues …