Fermat becomes his

1993/09/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Matematika

In a letter sent by mathematician and friend Jabi Duoandikoetxea he told us: XVII. As noted by the French mathematician Fermat (lawyer by profession in Toulouse) of the 20th century, the equation ^{x2 +} y2 = ^z2 has solutions with integers and positive numbers (32 + 42 = ⁵² for example), but when the exponent of this equation is ³ or higher, it has no integer and positive solution. The previous one was written by Fermat in a corner of the book of Arithmetic of the Greek Diofanto, while he said that he did not fit the demonstration.

It's been 300 years and many people have proven this. Despite the construction of beautiful mathematical theories, until recently a total demonstration has not been achieved, but partial results.

At a conference held in June at the University of Cambridge, English mathematician Andrew Wiles, professor at Princeton University, demonstrated the demonstration of theorem. It is not the first time this happens, as they have already been tested. Others, much more serious, have always had some mistake, but in some cases they have not been able to demonstrate the theorem at all, but they have taken steps. This Wiles demonstration still needs expert confirmation (which is very technical) and it is not easy to verify all the steps. However, this time it seems that there is a great tendency to take for good. The development of the demonstration was not unforeseen, as all hoped to base themselves on the theory of modular functions.

Wiles has not directly tested Fermat's theorem, but the conjecture of Taniyama-Shimura-Weil, because a few years ago it was seen that Fermat's theorem was the result of that aiero. It also seems that it has kept the result silent for a long time because it has not wanted to publish it without contrasting it. Although we will still have to wait to hear the last word of experts, the favorable opinion seems broad.

At the beginning of this century, in 1908 Dr. Walfskehel offered a prize of 100,000 marks for those who demonstrated the theorem, which would last until 2007. Although the amount for that time was something and today is little, something corresponds to Wiles. However, he will get more than money if his name is associated with the ultimate Fermer theorem.