Pierre de Fermat |
1601-1665 |
Fermat was born near Toulousse in 1601. He died in Castres in 1665. He was the son of a leather merchant and received his early education at home.
As he was a lawyer, he spent most of his spare time doing mathematics. He published little during his life. Some call him the greatest mathematician of the seventeenth century.
Five years after his death, his son published an edition of his Arithmetica. There were many errors in this edition.
Fermat is most famous for his Last Theorem:
It was stated in the margin of a book, and Fermat said he could not include the proof, though he had one, as the margin was too narrow. Many mathematicians have attempted a proof. This proof has had the most number of incorrect proofs published for it.
Sites About Fermat |
Description |
| Fermat's Last Theorem | A discussion of Fermat's Last Theorem. |
| Fermat's Last Theorem | Compelte with an indepth look at his mathematical contributions. |