The Enduring and Revolutionary Impact of Pierre De Fermat's Last Theorem

The Enduring and Revolutionary Impact of Pierre De Fermat's Last Theorem

Overview

Pierre de Fermat (1601-1665) was a contemporary of the renowned philosopher and mathematician René Descartes (1596-1650). Fermat, like Descartes, was fascinated with numbers and their properties and relationships, and indeed corresponded with Descartes about his insights and conjectures. Unlike Descartes, however, Fermat was neither a professional mathematician nor a professional philosopher. Nevertheless, though he was considered an amateur mathematician, Fermat now is known as the "Prince of Amateurs."

Despite his amateur status, Fermat contributed much to mathematics, including providing the necessary groundwork for the fields of analytic geometry and infinitesimal analysis. What is more, Fermat is credited with founding number theory, the calculus, and, along with Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), inventing probability theory.

Notwithstanding these incredible accomplishments, Fermat perhaps is most famous for his Last Theorem, a theorem whose solution evaded the brightest minds of mathematics for over 350 years, but whose solution—and quest for the same—revolutionized number theory. According to one contemporary mathematician, the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem, which was finally completed in the fall of 1994, is the historical and intellectual equivalent of "splitting the atom or finding the structure of DNA."

Background

Fermat was born into a wealthy family in the town of Beaumont-de-Lomagne in southwest France.

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