Pierre de Fermat

Children's Literature - Carlee Hallman

Born in Toulouse, France, in 1601, Pierre as a young man visits Bordeaux, meets other mathematicians, and becomes interested in the work in the mathematics of Francois Viete. Fermat returns to Toulouse, begins a career in Parliament, and gets married. Some friends from Bordeaux move to Paris and make Fermat's work known in mathematical circles there. Through correspondence with Marin Mersenne in Paris, Fermat gets into a dispute with Descarte. When Fermat writes other mathematicians, he asks a mathematical question, sends the answer, and challenges them to work out the method. He does not always share his method of solving the problem. This frustrates and angers many. In 1994, "Andrew Wiles finally proved Fermat's infamous Last Theorem correct." The theorem is "one piece of a vast body of work created by one of the most intuitive thinkers in the history of numbers." Fermat's interest in pure numbers was a diversion for him, like some today work Sudokos. Sidebars give diagrams and formulas. This is one of the "Profiles in Mathematics" series. A time line, source notes, bibliography, websites, glossary, and an index are included. The "Introduction" asks whether mathematics is discovered or invented. Youth interested in pure numbers will enjoy this journey into the world of mathematics. Reviewer: Carlee Hallman