Fermat's Last Theorem: Unlocking the Secret of an Ancient Mathematical Problem

Fermat’s Last Theorem: Unlocking the Secret of an Ancient Mathematical Problem – Amir Aczel

In Fermat’s prolific life as a mathematician, he produced many theories and theorems, the most puzzling of which came to be known as “Fermat’s Last Theorem” due to the longevity of the mystery. In a margin, Fermat wrote that an+bn=cn cannot be true for any value of “n” greater than 2 (those are supposed to be exponents), but because of the space of the margin, he could not write the proof that supported this statement. Aczel traces the history of Fermat’s Last Theorem throughout the whole history of mathematics, outlining the developments in math that occurred before he wrote his theorem, and how it evolved after his death until the theorem was finally proved to be true almost 350 years after Fermat first wrote it. With brief biographies about each of the great mathematicians who helped expand the word of math and descriptions about how their theories contributed to the understanding of Fermat’s last theorem, Aczel outlines the various circumstances that lead to this tremendous achievement.

“Fermat’s Last Theorem” is certainly an intriguing story because it was a puzzle left unsolved for centuries despite relentless pursuit by mathematicians in every generation following Fermat. Aczel effectively hooks the reader at the beginning of the book by describing the breathless and expectant atmosphere when Fermat’s Last Theorem was finally proven, then proceeds to outline the mathematical history that made it possible. The evolution of math itself is a surprisingly compelling story the way Aczel tells it. Notable figures in the history of math were not only brilliant and revolutionary in their contributions to the field, but often lead personal lives that were as intriguing as their theories. However, the descriptions of the mathematical theories needed to solve Fermat’s Last Equation were not as compelling. Rather, they seemed unfortunately reminiscent of stereotypical math that confuses more than it clarifies. Although Aczel is adept at telling the history of math, his explanations of math processes left something to be desired.

As I tried to explain this book to various people, it invariably came to some statement about how “it’s really interesting, but I won’t remember any of it.” Someone responded by saying that he “doesn’t explain math for the everyday idiot,” and unfortunately, I agree with this sentiment. The history of math was surprisingly interesting, but I couldn’t tell you anything about Fermat’s Last Theorem except that it was finally proven to be true. I was stuck for a few minutes trying to discern the difference between integers, numerals, and numbers, and when it finally came back to numbers, there were even more to consider: rational, irrational, ideal, and so many more. Aczel seems to be making a lot of assumptions about the people reading this book. While the history is interesting, the math is not. Perhaps a different book would more adequately explain it.