Gargleblaster.org » mathematics http://www.gargleblaster.org Wed, 16 Jun 2010 08:34:07 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Russian Scientist Claims to Have Cracked Fermat’s Theorem http://www.gargleblaster.org/2005/08/24/russian-scientist-claims-to-have-cracked-fermat%e2%80%99s-theorem.html http://www.gargleblaster.org/2005/08/24/russian-scientist-claims-to-have-cracked-fermat%e2%80%99s-theorem.html#comments Wed, 24 Aug 2005 06:41:40 +0000 Merlijn http://www.gargleblaster.org/?p=171 Fermat’s great theorem states that there are no positive integers x, y, and z such that xn + yn = zn in which n is a natural number greater than 2.

A doctor of technical sciences from the Siberian city of Omsk has proved Fermat’s theorem and claims to have a “simple” proof.
In 1995, the English mathematician Andrew Wiles published a proof of this theorem. However, Wiles his proof is beyond the understanding of most mathematicians today whereas Fermat claimed his theorem had a truly marvelous proof. So, math institutes still receive thousands of letters with proofs of Fermat’s theorem.

Well, I know I didn’t understand Wiles’s proof (not that I really tried). However the BBC horizon documentary was fun to watch.
I’m looking forward to have this new proof explained to me.

the story on mosnews.com

The wikipedia on Fermat.

]]> http://www.gargleblaster.org/2005/08/24/russian-scientist-claims-to-have-cracked-fermat%e2%80%99s-theorem.html/feed 0 Databases http://www.gargleblaster.org/2005/05/03/databases.html http://www.gargleblaster.org/2005/05/03/databases.html#comments Tue, 03 May 2005 09:25:13 +0000 Merlijn http://www.gargleblaster.org/?p=154 YES!

I passed my databases exam!

Course description (Dutch).

I’m sooo happy.
Now on with Discrete Math.

]]> http://www.gargleblaster.org/2005/05/03/databases.html/feed 0 Discrete Math http://www.gargleblaster.org/2005/04/17/discrete-math.html http://www.gargleblaster.org/2005/04/17/discrete-math.html#comments Sun, 17 Apr 2005 17:22:03 +0000 Merlijn http://www.gargleblaster.org/?p=153 Having probably made my last databases-exam, I started a new course, Discrete Math A.
The last time I studied math was more than 9 years ago, and I found myself puzzling why
(2n+1)2 was not (4n2 + 1).

After 15 minutes of panic, I recalled my second grade math-classes:
(2n+1)2 = 4n2 + 4n + 1
because
(2n+1)2

=(2n+1) * (2n+1)
= 2n * 2n, 2n * 1, 1 * 2n, 1*1
= 4n2 + 2n + 2n + 1
= 4n2 + 4n + 1

pfeeuw.

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