By: Miguel Vega

PIERRE DE FERMAT

BIRTH AND DEATH

• Pierre was born in Beaumage France on august ,20 ,1601.

• Died on January 12, 1665 in Casters France.

WHERE PIERRE LIVED AND WORKED • He studied in the University of Toulouse. He lived in Bordeaux France in the late1620’s. Then he later

moved to Toulouse France where he started his career as a mathematician. Fermat also went to the university of Orleans were he studied law. (he was also a lawyer)

BACKGROUND INFO (FAMILY) • His father Dominique was a prosperous leather merchant.

• His mother Clair de long came from a wealthy family that had legal careers.

MAJOR DISCOVERIES OR CONTRIBUTIONS TO MATH.

• He is the founder of the modern theory of numbers.

• Pierre developed the principles of analytic geometry. Which is geometry and analyses combine.

• He also found the theory of probability.

• He found many sorts of analyses for diverse problems, numerical, and geometrical problems.

• He is also the founder of Fermat's last theorem.

HOW WE USE THIS IN THE REAL WORLD/CLASS • Every one that studies math has to use Fermat's modern theory of numbers. Because it uses

prime and composite numbers.

• Fermat's is the founder of probability and this is used every where in the real world and in class.

• Probability = the number of ways of achieving success the total number of possible outcomes

Example of probability:

1. The probability of flipping a coin and landing heads is ½ .

1 way to get heads. 1

2 outcomes (heads or tails) = 2

GREATEST DISCOVERY.• Fermat's greatest discovery is Fermat's last theorem. (Fermat's last theorem (so called

because it was the last of the results which Fermat claimed and which had not been proved) states that if n > 2 then the equation xn + yn = zn has no positive integer solutions).

• Fermat's last theorem is a number theory.

• This theorem states that

xn + yn = zn In June 1993 a British mathematician Andrew Wiles, discovered how to solve it.

WHO HE WORKED OR STUDIED WITH.• He worked with several French mathematicians and some of the most important

mathematicians that ever lived like Blais Pascal, and Martin Mersenne.

OTHER INTERESTING FACTS • Pierre became a judge and the kings counselor.

• He was called “prince of the amateurs” for his intelligence.

• He could also speak fluent Latin , Greek and other foreign languages.

• He also discovered a law in how light travels.

SUMMARY• Pierre de Fermat was a French mathematician that studied the number theory and discovered

Fermat's last theorem.

• In my opinion Pierre de Fermat is a great mathematician because he created theory's and to create a theory you must be great.

Andrew Wiles teaching how he solved Fermat's last theorem.

CREDITS • Created by Miguel Vega

• Contributions to Pierre de Fermat.

REFERENCES• O'Connor J J and Robertson E F “Pierre de Fermat” 1996 December <http://www-

groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Fermat.html> 05 September 2010.

• < http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Glossary/fermats_last_theorem.html>

• Pinkney Mathew “Probability” < http://www.gcseguide.co.uk/probability.htm >05 September 2010.