Fermat's Last Theorem for Amateurs

ISBN-13: 9781475772869 / Angielski / Miękka / 2013 / 407 str.

Paulo Ribenboim

Opis

In 1995, Andrew Wiles completed a proof of Fermat's Last Theorem. Although this was certainly a great mathematical feat, one shouldn't dismiss earlier attempts made by mathematicians and clever amateurs to solve the problem. In this book, aimed at amateurs curious about the history of the subject, the author restricts his attention exclusively to elementary methods that have produced rich results.

Recenzje

From the reviews:

MATHEMATICAL REVIEWS

"The history of elementary approaches to Fermat is very rich indeed, and Ribenboim has arranged these approaches in a way that makes them accessible to interested readers without extensive mathematical backgrounds...both readable and fairly comprehensive. This book would likely be of great interest to an enthusiastic undergraduate with a basic knowledge of rings and fields. In addition to describing the history of one of the great problems in number theory, the book provides a gentle and well-motivated introduction to some important ideas in modern number theory...any reader who spends a few hours with this book is guaranteed to learn something new and interesting about Fermat's last theorem."

Spis treści

The Problem.- Special Cases.- 4 Interludes.- Algebraic Restrictions on Hypothetical Solutions.- Germain’s Theorem.- Interludes 5 and 6.- Arithmetic Restrictions on Hypothetical Solutions and on the Exponent.- Interludes 7 and 8.- Reformulations, Consequences, and Criteria.- Interludes 9 and 10.- The Local and Modular Fermat Problem.- Epilogue.

O autorze

Preliminary Booksellers Text: Do Not Use. In 1995, Andrew Wiles published two papers containing a proof of Fermat's Last Theorem. BRAVO FOR THIS GREAT MATHEMATICAL FEAT! Nevertheless, one shouldn't dismiss the earlier attempts to solve the problems. From giants in mathematics to clever amateurs, all did their best. In this book, aimed at amateurs, teachers, and mathematicians curious about the unfolding of the subject, the author restricts his attention exclusively to elementary methods. There are other books about Wiles' proof but the reader without an extended solid background may prefer to stay with this book.