The Mathematical Career of Pierre De Fermat, 1601-1665

The Mathematical Career of Pierre De Fermat, 1601-1665

2nd Edition

Paperback (29 Nov 1994)

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Publisher's Synopsis

Hailed as one of the greatest mathematical results of the twentieth century, the recent proof of Fermat's Last Theorem by Andrew Wiles brought to public attention the enigmatic problem-solver Pierre de Fermat, who centuries ago stated his famous conjecture in a margin of a book, writing that he did not have enough room to show his "truly marvelous demonstration." Along with formulating this proposition--xn+yn=zn has no rational solution for n > 2--Fermat, an inventor of analytic geometry, also laid the foundations of differential and integral calculus, established, together with Pascal, the conceptual guidelines of the theory of probability, and created modern number theory. In one of the first full-length investigations of Fermat's life and work, Michael Sean Mahoney provides rare insight into the mathematical genius of a hobbyist who never sought to publish his work, yet who ranked with his contemporaries Pascal and Descartes in shaping the course of modern mathematics.

Book information

ISBN: 9780691036663
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Pub date:
Edition: 2nd Edition
DEWEY: 510.92
DEWEY edition: 20
Language: English
Number of pages: 432
Weight: 652g
Height: 229mm
Width: 152mm
Spine width: 25mm