Fermat's Last Theorem (Complete)

BBC Horizon programme. Simon Singh's moving documentary of Andrew Wiles' extraordinary search for the most elusive proof in number theory.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[007rosin]

I don't get it. Why can't 1^3+2^3=3^3 ?

[Dave Kahn]

1^3 = 1. 2^3 = 8. 3^3 = 27. 1 + 8 < 27.

[Francisco Martinez]

nice documentary! and a good soundtrack too ;)

[Dave Kahn]

If you like the classical sounding minimalist music on the soundtrack, check out the Penguin Cafe Orchestra and their descendents Penguin Cafe.

[Francisco Martinez]

oh thanks! but actually i was looking for the name of the piano song at 23:50 ;)

[Dave Kahn]

I'm pretty certain it's the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. I think a piece called Southern Jukebox Music.

[Dave Kahn]

Watch it again.

[Dave Kahn]

Looks implausible - there is an infinity of numbers to choose from to find the single required counter-example. Simple enough that a child can understand the idea but takes the world's finest minds 300 years to prove it. Cannot be solved by brute force computing. Has surprising implications for many ideas in current mathematics.

[Ho Mathew]

Even Math And The Rise Of Civilization CD talked about it.Coolio!

[Michael Craig George McGee]

It does sound weird, but is probably true. Will need to look into it

[Steve Veasey]

'All you need to do is add on some gamma zero m structure and run through your argument and it still works...Simple as it sounds I just hadn't thought of that'

Are these beings from another planet?

[Steve Veasey]

I know, I read the book and got lost after about 30 pages..I can't believe there are so many brilliant human beings who get obsessed with numbers like this. , I'm pleased that there is something of limited practical value that doesn't revolve around trying to make as much money as possible that attracts genius level intellects, mind you I think its also a massive ego thing - imagine solving something that Bernouilli or Hilbert couldn't, that's got to put you in the Mathematics Hall of Fame!

[Frost Atronach]

If you are trying to say limit as n -> inf+ of 1^n, then I think this is 1. I think this is true simply because if we let n > M and we choose M = 0. For any e > 0, we can bound e > |1^n - 1| (simply because for n in R+\{0}, 1^n = 1 and 1 - 1 = 0). However, if you are trying to say 1^ infinity is indeterminate, then I agree with you. BTW, the proof is going off of the definition of infinite limits (if n > M => e > |1^n - 1| > 0, then lim 1^n = 1 as n approaches infinity).

[Pierre-Louis Terry]

Ok, sorry, I didn't catch these because there are weird things in maths so I thought this could be another one. By weird I was referring to the theorem that says for example that 1 to the power of n is NOT equal to one when n grows infinitely. That's why I thought maybe some mathematicians had developed an approach of large number values ;)