Pierre de Fermat is probably best known for Fermat’s Last Theorem. He was a lawyer and mathematician who was a native of the Midi-Pyrénées region of France. He studied law at the University of Orléans and graduated in 1626. Following graduation he became an attorney in the high court of the city of Bordeaux.
Whilst working as an attorney Fermat began carrying out mathematical research. During his lifetime he made highly significant contributions in several areas of mathematics and is often referred to as the founder modern number theory. He played a leading role in the invention of calculus and with Pascal invented probability theory.
Fermat’s last theorem states: no three positive integers a, b, and c can satisfy the equation aⁿ + bⁿ = cⁿ for any integer value of n greater than two. He wrote the theorem in the margin of his copy of Arithmetica, a book by the Greek mathematician Diophantus. His theorem remained unproven until 1994.
Pierre de Fermat was born in Beaumont-de-Lomagne, France in the year 1601 On This Day.
Pierre Fermat by tornad3 on 2011-11-17 10:25:13
Pierre de Fermat – Alexandre Falguière – Copie by Pierre-Selim on 2011-10-31 16:24:28