Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009 at 8 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009 at 8 p.m.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 8 p.m.Andrew Wiles
Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008 · 8 p.m.
The Story of an Equation
Location: Grand Hall, Rice Memorial Center (building 57 on the campus map)
Before 1993, it was unprecedented for leading international newspapers such as the New York Times and Le Monde to proclaim a mathematical breakthrough on their front pages. But that year, Andrew Wiles earned the honor by solving Fermat’s Last Theorem, which had become the most famous mathematical problem of all time by resisting solutions by eminent mathematicians for nearly 360 years.
The problem has its roots in a very simple formula: the equation x2+ y2 = z2 admits integer solutions x, y, and z. For example, if x=3 and y=4, then z=5. Infinite integer solutions exist for this equation, but the situation changes when x2, y2 and z2 are replaced by xn, yn and zn, where n is an integer larger than 2. Fermat claimed there were no integer solutions (apart from x=y=z=0) but did not offer a proof.
Thousands of false proofs of Fermat’s last theorem have been published over the years, and the problem was considered impossible to solve until Wiles’ proof, which involves some of the most advanced and abstract mathematical concepts and techniques applied without the use of computers. The story of this equation, the numerous unsuccessful attempts to solve it and Wiles’ own contribution is fascinating, often dramatic and, at times, tragic. Wiles’ lecture, which is aimed at a general, nonspecialized audience, will introduce the art, beauty and mystery of mathematical creativity.
