Fermat's Last Theorem (edit title)

Beanspuss edited the table of contents of Fermat's Last Theorem 4 days ago.

• 1. `I Think I'll Stop Here`
  2. The Riddler
  3. A Mathematical Disgrace
  4. Into Abstraction
  5. Proof by Contradiction
  6. The Secret Calculation
  7. A Slight Problem
  8. Epilogue

Shelfari edited the description of Fermat's Last Theorem Friday, July 31 2009.

• The story of the solving of a puzzle that has confounded mathematicians since the 17th century. The solution of Fermat's Last Theorem is the most important mathematical development of the 20th century. In 1963, a schoolboy browsing in his local library stumbled across the world's greatest mathematical problem: Fermat's Last Theorem, a puzzle that every child can understand but which has baffled mathematicians for over 300 years. Aged just ten, Andrew Wiles dreamed that he would crack it. Wiles's lifelong obsession with a seemingly simple challenge set by a long-dead Frenchman is an emotional tale of sacrifice and extraordinary determination. In the end, Wiles was forced to work in secrecy and isolation for seven years, harnessing all the power of modern maths to achieve his childhood dream. Many before him had tried and failed, including a 18-century philanderer who was killed in a duel. An 18-century Frenchwoman made a major breakthrough in solving the riddle, but she had to attend maths lectures at the Ecole Polytechnique disguised as a man since women were forbidden entry to the school.

Shelfari edited the contributors of Fermat's Last Theorem Wednesday, July 22 2009.

• Added a contributor: Simon Singh: (Primary Author)

Shelfari edited the first sentence of Fermat's Last Theorem Thursday, July 16 2009.

• It was the most important mathematics lecture of the century.