In Tom Stoppard's play Arcadia, Septimus Hodge poses the problem of proving Fermat's Last Theorem to the precocious Thomasina Coverly (who is perhaps a mathematical prodigy), in an attempt to keep her busy. Thomasina's (perhaps perceptive) response is simple—that Fermat had no proof, and it was a joke to drive posterity mad.
(please show the work in the margin)
ReplyDeleteIn Tom Stoppard's play Arcadia, Septimus Hodge poses the problem of proving Fermat's Last Theorem to the precocious Thomasina Coverly (who is perhaps a mathematical prodigy), in an attempt to keep her busy. Thomasina's (perhaps perceptive) response is simple—that Fermat had no proof, and it was a joke to drive posterity mad.
intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to do some research...funny how that is my pat response to everything now.
knowledge glutton that I am.
i don't get it, but it's kind of a neat-looking equation anyway.
ReplyDeleteCheck wik, they have a great explanation. Personally, I think this is how we divorced labour from their profits.
ReplyDeleteI'm all about the labour theory of value these days.