From owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Mon May 1 02:54:04 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 44B9D16A400 for ; Mon, 1 May 2006 02:54:04 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from anonymous@borg.phpwebhosting.com) Received: from borg.phpwebhosting.com (borg.phpwebhosting.com [69.93.48.194]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with SMTP id 04F6343D66 for ; Mon, 1 May 2006 02:54:00 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from anonymous@borg.phpwebhosting.com) Received: (qmail 16833 invoked by uid 99); 1 May 2006 00:44:33 -0000 Date: 1 May 2006 00:44:33 -0000 Message-ID: <20060501004433.16832.qmail@borg.phpwebhosting.com> To: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org From: Larry Shiller MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.5 Subject: Your May 2006 ShillerMath Tidbit X-BeenThere: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list Reply-To: ShillerMath List-Id: Non technical items related to the community List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 02:54:04 -0000 ShillerMath Tidbits: Biography Series #2 [parentzone.gif] Fermat and Wiles: A 330 year relationship A 220 page margin intertwined two lives... A Frenchman, lawyer, and "only" an amateur mathematician, Pierre de Fermat lived from 1601 to 1665 and gained a well-deserved reputation for original work in geometry and number theory. A surprising footnote is that he survived the plague in 1653. Another is that he found errors in the works of both Galileo and Descartes - for which the latter tried to destroy Fermat's reputation! Fermat's Last Theorem states that the equation x^n + y^n = z^n has no non-zero integer solutions for x, y and z when n > 2. Until 1994, it was also known as Fermat's Last Conjecture: Fermat wrote, in the margin of Bachet's translation of Diophantus's Arithmetica, "I have discovered a truly remarkable proof which this margin is not large enough to contain." Little did he realize it would take 340 years and a 220 page margin for others to discover! The British mathematician Andrew Wiles apparently proved Fermat's conjecture in June 1993. But close examination revealed that one piece of the proof - the proof of the Taniyama-Shimura conjecture - which required the bridging of two seemingly unrelated branches of mathematics, was not complete. The person who proved the Taniyama-Shimura conjecture would get the credit for proving Fermat's Last theorem. In November 1994 it was again Wiles who claimed to have a complete and correct proof, which has now been accepted. Born April 11, 1953, Sir Andrew John Wiles enjoys a distinguished career as a brilliant number theorist. He was educated at The Leys School Cambridge, graduated from the University of Oxford in 1974, and earned his Ph.D. at Clare College of the University of Cambridge in 1979. Sir Wiles is now a Professor and Chair of the Mathematics Department at Princeton University. In the future we will take a look at other great unsolved math mysteries. In the next ShillerMath Tidbit we debunk a common math learning myth. [funnybone.gif] Mathematics and the Arts... For those of you who love math and partake in such mundane matters as watching movies or TV, here is a short don't-miss titles list: Numb3rs. On this TV show in its 3rd season, David Krumholtz plays Charlie Eppes, TV's first major character who is a mathematician - and a pretty darn good one at that! Proof. Written by David Auburn, this play features mathematicians in three of the four main roles. Alas it attempts to prove more than just theorems but that's where things get interesting... Fermat's Last Tango. A musical by Joshua Rosenblum and Joanne Sydney Lessner with numbers (sorry!) like "AfterMath" and ""Math Widow" (golf, anyone?). The perfect follow-up to this month's tidbit. I hope you enjoyed this short math break. Sincerely, [lssig.jpg] Larry Shiller Publisher After months of creative and detailed work by our staff, ShillerMath now has a new web site, with free white papers, downloads, and diagnostic tests for ages 4-12. Please [1]visit and get your freebies today! Did you enjoy this Tidbit? Please tell your friends, family, and fellow parents, teachers, administrators, librarians, and local homeschool groups. Thank you for [2]spreading the word! _________________________________________________________________ What is ShillerMath? ShillerMath publishes research-based math curriculum, music, manipulatives, and worksheets for ages 4-12, with beautifully designed lessons, diagnostic tests with answer keys, catchy math songs, and Montessori-based manipulatives. No Montessori or math knowledge is required and there's zero lesson preparation - just read what's in quotes and you're good to go! Students using this approach consistently outperform their peers. Larry Shiller, ShillerMath founder and President, has a math degree from MIT. The ShillerMath curriculum includes authoritative materials and lessons used by thousands of Montessori schools and is the math curriculum of choice for public, private, and homeschooled students throughout the world. 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