Fermat's Last Theorem: Unlocking the Secret of an Ancient Mathematical Problem - Hardcover

Azcel, Amir D.

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9780670876389: Fermat's Last Theorem: Unlocking the Secret of an Ancient Mathematical Problem

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670876380 ISBN 13: 9780670876389

Publisher: Viking, 1997

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Fermat's last theorem states that while the square of a whole number can be broken down into two other squares of whole numbers, the same cannot be done with cubes or any higher powers. After Fermat's death, in the seventeenth century, many mathematicians spent lifetimes trying to prove the theorem.In 1995, a British mathematician based at Princeton announced, in a paper that had taken eight years to write, that he had proved Fermat's last theorem. FERMAT'S LAST THEOREM combines philosophy and hard science with investigative journalism to create a previously untold, real-life detective story of the intellect.

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Synopsis:

Written by 17th-century mathematician Pierre de Fermat, Fermat's theorem has long puzzled other mathematicians. It states that while a square of a whole number can be broken down into two other squares of whole numbers, the same cannot be done with cubes. In 1995, a British mathematician working at Princeton University claimed to have solved the question. This account examines the theorem from Greeks to modern science.

About the Author:

Amir D Aczel studied at the University of California at Berkeley. He is Associate Professor of Statistics at Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts, and is the author of several books.

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