Your May 2006 ShillerMath Tidbit
Aaron Holmes
aaron at aaronholmes.net
Mon May 1 03:01:50 UTC 2006
dumbass
Larry Shiller wrote:
> ShillerMath Tidbits: Biography Series #2
>
> [parentzone.gif]
> Fermat and Wiles: A 330 year relationship
>
> A 220 page margin intertwined two lives...
> A Frenchman, lawyer, and "only" an amateur mathematician, Pierre de
> Fermat lived from 1601 to 1665 and gained a well-deserved reputation
> for original work in geometry and number theory. A surprising footnote
> is that he survived the plague in 1653. Another is that he found
> errors in the works of both Galileo and Descartes - for which the
> latter tried to destroy Fermat's reputation!
> Fermat's Last Theorem states that the equation x^n + y^n = z^n has no
> non-zero integer solutions for x, y and z when n > 2. Until 1994, it
> was also known as Fermat's Last Conjecture: Fermat wrote, in the
> margin of Bachet's translation of Diophantus's Arithmetica, "I have
> discovered a truly remarkable proof which this margin is not large
> enough to contain." Little did he realize it would take 340 years and
> a 220 page margin for others to discover!
> The British mathematician Andrew Wiles apparently proved Fermat's
> conjecture in June 1993. But close examination revealed that one piece
> of the proof - the proof of the Taniyama-Shimura conjecture - which
> required the bridging of two seemingly unrelated branches of
> mathematics, was not complete. The person who proved the
> Taniyama-Shimura conjecture would get the credit for proving Fermat's
> Last theorem. In November 1994 it was again Wiles who claimed to have
> a complete and correct proof, which has now been accepted.
> Born April 11, 1953, Sir Andrew John Wiles enjoys a distinguished
> career as a brilliant number theorist. He was educated at The Leys
> School Cambridge, graduated from the University of Oxford in 1974, and
> earned his Ph.D. at Clare College of the University of Cambridge in
> 1979. Sir Wiles is now a Professor and Chair of the Mathematics
> Department at Princeton University.
>
> In the future we will take a look at other great unsolved math
> mysteries. In the next ShillerMath Tidbit we debunk a common math
> learning myth.
> [funnybone.gif]
>
> Mathematics and the Arts...
> For those of you who love math and partake in such mundane matters as
> watching movies or TV, here is a short don't-miss titles list:
>
> Numb3rs. On this TV show in its 3rd season, David Krumholtz plays
> Charlie Eppes, TV's first major character who is a mathematician - and
> a pretty darn good one at that!
>
> Proof. Written by David Auburn, this play features mathematicians in
> three of the four main roles. Alas it attempts to prove more than just
> theorems but that's where things get interesting...
>
> Fermat's Last Tango. A musical by Joshua Rosenblum and Joanne Sydney
> Lessner with numbers (sorry!) like "AfterMath" and ""Math Widow"
> (golf, anyone?). The perfect follow-up to this month's tidbit.
>
> I hope you enjoyed this short math break.
> Sincerely,
> [lssig.jpg]
> Larry Shiller
> Publisher
> After months of creative and detailed work by our staff, ShillerMath
> now has a new web site, with free white papers, downloads, and
> diagnostic tests for ages 4-12. Please [1]visit and get your freebies
> today!
>
> Did you enjoy this Tidbit? Please tell your friends, family, and
> fellow parents, teachers, administrators, librarians, and local
> homeschool groups. Thank you for [2]spreading the word!
> _________________________________________________________________
>
> What is ShillerMath?
> ShillerMath publishes research-based math curriculum, music,
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> lessons, diagnostic tests with answer keys, catchy math songs, and
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