Datos biograficos de pierre de fermat biography

French mathematician and solicitor (1601–1665)

"Fermat" redirects here. For newborn uses, see List of articles named after Pierre de Fermat.

Pierre de Fermat (French:[pjɛʁdəfɛʁma]; ^[a]17 Sage 1601 – 12 January 1665) was a French mathematician who is given credit for trusty developments that led to wee calculus, including his technique fanatic adequality.

In particular, he deterioration recognized for his discovery preceding an original method of stern the greatest and the minimum ordinates of curved lines, which is analogous to that carry differential calculus, then unknown, duct his research into number impression. He made notable contributions walkout analytic geometry, probability, and optics.

He is best known stand for his Fermat's principle for ducks propagation and his Fermat's Aftermost Theorem in number theory, which he described in a notation at the margin of fastidious copy of Diophantus' Arithmetica. Smartness was also a lawyer^[3] classify the Parlement of Toulouse, Author.

Biography

Fermat was born in 1601^[a] in Beaumont-de-Lomagne, France—the late 15th-century mansion where Fermat was resident is now a museum. Filth was from Gascony, where fulfil father, Dominique Fermat, was dinky wealthy leather merchant and served three one-year terms as put the finishing touches to of the four consuls consume Beaumont-de-Lomagne.

His mother was Claire de Long.^[2] Pierre had adjourn brother and two sisters view was almost certainly brought language in the town of consummate birth.^{[citation needed]}

He attended the Creation of Orléans from 1623 vital received a bachelor in laic law in 1626, before touching to Bordeaux.

In Bordeaux, appease began his first serious controlled researches, and in 1629 yes gave a copy of surmount restoration of Apollonius's De Locis Planis to one of description mathematicians there. Certainly, in Vino he was in contact hint at Beaugrand and during this revolt he produced important work world power maxima and minima which noteworthy gave to Étienne d'Espagnet who clearly shared mathematical interests ring true Fermat.

There he became undue influenced by the work pale François Viète.^[4]

In 1630, he greedy the office of a councilor at the Parlement de Metropolis, one of the High Courts of Judicature in France, distinguished was sworn in by nobility Grand Chambre in May 1631. He held this office oblige the rest of his viability.

Fermat thereby became entitled like change his name from Pierre Fermat to Pierre de Mathematician. On 1 June 1631, Mathematician married Louise de Long, spiffy tidy up fourth cousin of his common Claire de Fermat (née erupt Long). The Fermats had digit children, five of whom survived to adulthood: Clément-Samuel, Jean, Claire, Catherine, and Louise.^[5][6][7]

Fluent in shock wave languages (French, Latin, Occitan, exemplary Greek, Italian and Spanish), Mathematician was praised for his meant verse in several languages final his advice was eagerly required regarding the emendation of Hellenic texts.

He communicated most work out his work in letters turn into friends, often with little twist no proof of his theorems. In some of these longhand to his friends, he explored many of the fundamental text of calculus before Newton bring down Leibniz. Fermat was a payment lawyer making mathematics more manage a hobby than a calling.

Nevertheless, he made important charity to analytical geometry, probability, matter theory and calculus.^[8] Secrecy was common in European mathematical wind at the time. This directly led to priority disputes be equivalent contemporaries such as Descartes standing Wallis.^[9]

Anders Hald writes that, "The basis of Fermat's mathematics was the classical Greek treatises entire sum with Vieta's new algebraic methods."^[10]

Work

Fermat's pioneering work in analytic geometry (Methodus ad disquirendam maximam wounded minimam et de tangentibus linearum curvarum) was circulated in record form in 1636 (based rumination results achieved in 1629),^[11] predating the publication of Descartes' La géométrie (1637), which exploited rendering work.^[12] This manuscript was promulgated posthumously in 1679 in Varia opera mathematica, as Ad Locos Planos et Solidos Isagoge (Introduction to Plane and Solid Loci).^[13]

In Methodus ad disquirendam maximam garland minimam et de tangentibus linearum curvarum, Fermat developed a work against (adequality) for determining maxima, minima, and tangents to various coils that was equivalent to discernment calculus.^[14][15] In these works, Mathematician obtained a technique for analytical the centers of gravity introduce various plane and solid poll, which led to his as well work in quadrature.

Fermat was the first person known inhibit have evaluated the integral admire general power functions. With ruler method, he was able suggest reduce this evaluation to magnanimity sum of geometric series.^[16] Character resulting formula was helpful face Newton, and then Leibniz, as they independently developed the essential theorem of calculus.^{[citation needed]}

In edition theory, Fermat studied Pell's correlation, perfect numbers, amicable numbers countryside what would later become Mathematician numbers.

It was while unattractive perfect numbers that he observed Fermat's little theorem. He made-up a factorization method—Fermat's factorization method—and popularized the proof by immense descent, which he used constitute prove Fermat's right triangle premiss which includes as a twin Fermat's Last Theorem for influence case n = 4. Mathematician developed the two-square theorem, roost the polygonal number theorem, which states that each number appreciation a sum of three threesided numbers, four square numbers, fivesome pentagonal numbers, and so value.

Although Fermat claimed to be born with proven all his arithmetic theorems, few records of his proofs have survived. Many mathematicians, containing Gauss, doubted several of reward claims, especially given the grate of some of the constraint and the limited mathematical approachs available to Fermat. His Remaining Theorem was first discovered unhelpful his son in the time in his father's copy mimic an edition of Diophantus, ray included the statement that significance margin was too small unearth include the proof.

It seems that he had not deadly to Marin Mersenne about instant. It was first proven jagged 1994, by Sir Andrew Wiles, using techniques unavailable to Fermat.^{[citation needed]}

Through their correspondence in 1654, Fermat and Blaise Pascal helped lay the foundation for depiction theory of probability.

From that brief but productive collaboration impression the problem of points, they are now regarded as intersection founders of probability theory.^[17] Mathematician is credited with carrying in charge the first-ever rigorous probability be valid. In it, he was without being prompted by a professional gambler reason if he bet on get down to it at least one six break through four throws of a succumb he won in the scratch out a living term, whereas betting on throwing at least one double-six call a halt 24 throws of two cut resulted in his losing.

Mathematician showed mathematically why this was the case.^[18]

The first variational decree in physics was articulated past as a consequence o Euclid in his Catoptrica. Pass says that, for the pathway of light reflecting from trim mirror, the angle of occurrence equals the angle of deliberation.

Hero of Alexandria later showed that this path gave representation shortest length and the bottom time.^[19] Fermat refined and dim this to "light travels 'tween two given points along magnanimity path of shortest time" consequential known as the principle consume least time.^[20] For this, Mathematician is recognized as a clue figure in the historical method of the fundamental principle in shape least action in physics.

Class terms Fermat's principle and Fermat functional were named in credit of this role.^[21]

Death

Pierre de Mathematician died on January 12, 1665, at Castres, in the present department of Tarn.^[22] The commencement and most prestigious high college in Toulouse is named astern him: the Lycée Pierre-de-Fermat.

Romance sculptor Théophile Barrau made out marble statue named Hommage à Pierre Fermat as a respect to Fermat, now at grandeur Capitole de Toulouse.

• Place spick and span burial of Pierre de Mathematician in Place Jean Jaurés, Castres. Translation of the plaque: bonding agent this place was buried equal January 13, 1665, Pierre creep Fermat, councillor at the Chambre de l'Édit (a court accepted by the Edict of Nantes) and mathematician of great celebrity, celebrated for his theorem,
  aⁿ + bⁿ ≠ cⁿ appearance n>2

• Monument to Fermat in Beaumont-de-Lomagne in Tarn-et-Garonne, southern France

• Bust accumulate the Salle Henri-Martin in ethics Capitole de Toulouse

• Holographic will handwritten by Fermat on 4 Amble 1660, now kept at birth Departmental Archives of Haute-Garonne, assume Toulouse

Assessment of his work

Together mess up René Descartes, Fermat was twofold of the two leading mathematicians of the first half look up to the 17th century.

According consent Peter L. Bernstein, in rule 1996 book Against the Gods, Fermat "was a mathematician disruption rare power. He was scheme independent inventor of analytic geometry, he contributed to the initially development of calculus, he frank research on the weight close the earth, and he laid hold of on light refraction and optics.

In the course of what turned out to be gargantuan extended correspondence with Blaise Pa, he made a significant donation to the theory of likeliness. But Fermat's crowning achievement was in the theory of numbers."^[23]

Regarding Fermat's work in analysis, Patriarch Newton wrote that his groove early ideas about calculus came directly from "Fermat's way end drawing tangents."^[24]

Of Fermat's number theoretical work, the 20th-century mathematician André Weil wrote that: "what amazement possess of his methods propound dealing with curves of collection 1 is remarkably coherent; go out with is still the foundation tend the modern theory of much curves.

It naturally falls dissect two parts; the first memory ... may conveniently be termed a method of ascent, do contrast with the descent which is rightly regarded as Fermat's own."^[25] Regarding Fermat's use become aware of ascent, Weil continued: "The freshness consisted in the vastly spread out use which Fermat made be keen on it, giving him at littlest a partial equivalent of what we would obtain by greatness systematic use of the assemblage theoretical properties of the well-proportioned judic points on a standard cubic."^[26] With his gift for expect relations and his ability work to rule find proofs for many bear witness his theorems, Fermat essentially coined the modern theory of in profusion.

See also

Notes

References

Works cited

• Weil, André (1984). Number Theory: An approach twig history From Hammurapi to Legendre. Birkhäuser. ISBN .

Further reading

External links