fermat

[newton1]

did fermat proof the Fermat's Last Theorem??
or did he know how to proof it??
what are you think of this??

[brian0918]

If I recall correctly, he wrote something in the margin next the theorem that said he had proven it, but never gave the proof. There's some info here:

http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.fermat.html

[quartodeciman]

That margin comment has been the teaser through the centuries. But it is doubtful that generations of fine mathers completely missed something that Fermat got correctly. The history of the problem shows much wreckage of battered hopes for easy solutions to it, so Fermat was probably wrong about having a valid proof. The problem now, following the solution by Wiles, Shimura, Taniyama and a bunch of other mathers, is to find a solution that is at least somewhat easier than this.

link --->
PBS Nova: the Proof - TVSCRIPT (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2414proof.html)

The public seldom gets this much chance to see topnotch mathers talking over something important in almost understandable terms.

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'mathers' is just my personal slang for 'mathematicians'; no insults intended.