The Bridges to Fermat's Last Theorem - Numberphile

Показать описание

Ken Ribet - a key player in the solution to Fermat's Last Theorem - gives a taste of how real mathematics is done... piece by piece and by human beings.
More links & stuff in full description below ↓↓↓

NUMBERPHILE

Videos by Brady Haran

Рекомендации по теме

Комментарии

I've always loved the fact that a major contributor to the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem was André Weil and then the final proof was done by Andrew Wiles.

PopeLando

Ken Ribet comes across as such a brilliant but humble person. He gave Wiles his due without overstating his own integral contributions to the proof. Salute! :)

PrashantParikh

Your name to be included in the history of math and a theorem to be yours are the greatest gifts for any mathematicians. Ribet is so brilliant and genius!

eushearia

Ever since Simon Singh's documentary about Wiles' proof, I have found the story of Fermat's last theorem utterly fascinating; thanks very much, Brady, for bringing this incredibly interesting interview and please do more like this that illuminate details of the story.

jwt

I remember the episode of Nova. They asked a much-younger Ken Ribet for a brief lay-person-friendly explanation of what a modular form was. He laughed...

marsgal

I sit here in Saarbruecken, eating dinner while watching Numberphile.
Then the clip reaches minute 5:22. It's a small world ^^

matthiasries

Ken Ribet clearly has a brilliant mind but he also comes across as a thoroughly decent bloke. What a wonderful story, and how amazing to be immortalized.

Mark-xl

I really like the idea of mathematics being a series of bridges and Islands. sometimes the Islands Are really pretty (like fermat's last theorem), sometimes the Islands Are important connection points to lots of different Islands (like Riemanns Hypothesis) and sometimes the method of building a New kind of bridge is Even more important (like Wiles)

bolerie

A suggestion: maybe doing a video on all of the millennium problems? You've covered two out of seven, might as well make a playlist out of it!

ryansynk

Every once in a while I come back to this video and enjoy it all over again. It's always and adventure thinking about this beautiful problem that still captivates many, including myself!

music_with_adi

this guy is gonna be my Discrete Mathematics Professor next semester!!!! so hyped to takes this class

manishs

With the success of movies like a Beautiful Mind, Good Will Hunting, The Imitation game etc. I'm surprised no one has made a movie about this story yet

KevinsFamousChili

Fantastic video, Andrew. This is one of the most epic and engrossing stories in all of mathematics and I never get sick of hearing it from any perspective. Its also the most bizarre story of 'collaboration' in any research undertaking I've ever heard of. Ken Ribet must have the patience of a saint!

picknikbasket

The really, really, really watered down version of how Fermat's Last Theorem(FLT) was solved.

Step 1.   The general equation for FLT can be put into an elliptical form. (Fact)
Step 2.    ALL elliptical equations can be transformed into a "modular" form. (Conjecture)
Step 3.   If there is an elliptical equation solution for FLT, then it is such a strange equation that it can NOT be put into modular form (Proven).

What Andrew Wiles proved was step 2. By proving step 2 then he showed that step 3 can never happen and therefore there is no solution for FLT.


vanish

One of the most amazing ways to wake up in the middle of the night: Having an Insight into a problem that was bothering you for days.

Doesn't happen often, but definitely the best way to wake up. Just make sure you find a piece of paper before you forget what you wanted to write down. :-)

liquidminds