Fermat's last theorem

Fermat's last theorem (sometimes abbreviated as FLT and also called Fermat's great theorem) is one of the most famous theorems in the history of mathematics. It states that:

Related Topics:
Theorem - History of mathematics

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:There are no positive integers x, y, and z such that x^n + y^n = z^n in which n is a natural number greater than 2.{{ref|eqn}}

Related Topics:
Integer - Natural number

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The 17th-century mathematician Pierre de Fermat wrote about this in 1637 in his copy of Claude-Gaspar Bachet's translation of the famous Arithmetica of Diophantus: "I have discovered a truly remarkable proof of this theorem that the margin of this page is too small to contain". (Original Latin: "Cuius rei demonstrationem mirabilem sane detexi hanc marginis exiguitas non caperet.") However, no correct proof was found for 357 years.

Related Topics:
17th-century - Mathematician - Pierre de Fermat - 1637 - Claude-Gaspar Bachet - Diophantus - Proof - Latin

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This statement is significant because all the other theorems proposed by Fermat were settled, either by proofs he supplied, or by rigorous proofs found afterwards. Mathematicians were long baffled, for they were unable either to prove or to disprove it. The theorem was not the last that Fermat conjectured, but the last to be proved. The theorem is generally thought to be the mathematical result that has provoked the largest number of incorrect proofs, perhaps because it is easy to understand.

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