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Fall
2001
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Date
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Presenter(s)
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Title
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19Sep01
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Video
Presentation
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The Proof
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Description
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| Around
1637, French mathematician Pierre de Fermat proposed the following: The
equation x^n + y^n = z^n has no solution for n > 2. Fermat claimed
to have a "truly marvelous demonstraton of this proposition", but never
bothered to write it down. "Fermat's Last Theorem" became the world's
greatest mathematical problem, and its solution eluded mathematicians until
1994, when Andrew Wiles completed his prize-winning work. Please
join us as we watch this NOVA episode which illuminates the tenacity, ingenuity,
and humanity of Professor Wiles and his fellow mathematicians. The
story of this quest bears similarities to investigations in physics and
chemistry, and consequently should be of special interest to students of
these subjects. |
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