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...