The students were fascinated by what they listened, and Mr. Kong spoke impassionedly.

"It's game over. In Germain's next letter to Gauss, she reluctantly reveals her true identity. Gauss was not at all angry at being deceived, and he happily wrote her back, praising Germain's contribution to mathematics in his heart. ”

Such a woman has to be respected, in order to learn mathematics, but never give up, Kong Jidao said with emotion: "A woman who must have encountered many more difficulties than men in order to understand these difficult studies in the eyes of the world and prejudices, and finally succeeds in overcoming all kinds of obstacles to gain insight into the most puzzling parts, then there is no doubt that she must have the noblest courage, constant intellect and outstanding creative power." ”

It was thanks to Germain's initiative that in 1825, thanks to the work of two mathematicians, Dirichlet and Legendre, who were a generation apart, that Germain's method was a complete success for the first time. Legendre was an old man in his 7o years old who experienced the political upheavals of the French Revolution. By the time he had made his work on Fermat's theorem, he was in poverty. ”

"Dirichlet, on the other hand, is an aspiring young number theorist who is just 2o years old. Both of them independently proved that there is no zài solution to the power of five cases, but their proof was done on the basis of Germain, and thus they owe their success to Germain. Fourteen years later, the French made another breakthrough work. Lamet made some further and ingenious additions to Germain's method and proved the power-of-seven case. ”

As soon as Germain's idea was proposed. Fermat's theorem made great progress one after another, and the whole French mathematical community was excited again, because everyone felt that the light was ahead. Fermat's theorem can be solved right away. So at that time, the French Academy of Sciences allocated a large sum of 3ooo francs and a gold medal, saying that since the breakthrough is in sight, we will give a little ruthless, give a big temptation, as the saying goes, the eyes are black, but the silver is white!"

"Now. In addition to the prestige of proving Fermat's theorem, the challenge comes with a huge prize money attached. So at that time, many people in the French mathematical community put their energy into Fermat's theorem. Among them, there are two standouts, one is called Kosi. One is named Lame, and the two work separately, but they both write down their research results on paper and seal them in envelopes. It was sent to the French Academy of Sciences. ”

"The cause of the incident was a mathematical salon in Paris. On March 1, 1847, the Academy of Sciences held a dramatic meeting. The Academy's bulletin describes how Rame took to the podium and announced to the most eminent mathematicians of his time that he had almost proved Fermat's theorem. He admits that his proof is incomplete, but he outlines his method and confidently predicts that in a few weeks he will present a complete proof in the Journal of the Academy of Sciences. ”

The whole audience was stunned. But as soon as Lame left the podium, Cauchy, another of the best mathematicians in Paris, asked for permission to speak. Cauchy announced to the Academy of Sciences that he had been conducting research in a similar way to Lame, and that he was about to present a complete proof. ”

"Both Cauchy and Lame realized that time was of the essence. Whoever can hand in a complete proof first will receive the most authoritative and lucrative prize in mathematics. While neither of them has complete proof, both competitors are eager to put up a stake to mark ownership. So after only three weeks, they each declared that they had deposited a sealed envelope at the Academy of Sciences. ”

This was a common practice at the time, and it allowed mathematicians to record their thoughts. without divulging the exact details of their research work. If there is a later dispute as to the origin of the idea, a sealed envelope will provide the necessary evidence to determine who owned the idea first. ”

Throughout April, expectations grew as Cauchy and Lame presented their sultry but vague details of their credentials in the Academy of Sciences bulletin. While the entire mathematical community was eager to see a completed proof, many of them secretly hoped that it would be Lame, not Cauchy, who would win the race. ”

According to various circulatory accounts, Cauchy was a man of self-righteous integrity, a fanatical believer, and was especially unpopular with his colleagues. It was only because of his outstanding talent that he was able to stay in the Academy of Sciences. In addition to Gauss, two short-lived mathematical geniuses of the 19th century, Abel and Galois, were both planted in the hands of Cauchy, and this person's contribution to mathematics was far less than the hindrance of mathematics. ”

When Kong Jidao said this, he couldn't help but be angry. Liu Meng noticed that it seemed that when it came to Abel and Galois, Mr. Kong would be very angry, this was the case when he talked about Gauss before, and now it is the same when it comes to Cauchy, both of whom turned a blind eye to the talents of Abel and Galois.

Then, on May 24, a statement was read out that put an end to all speculation. Neither Cauchy nor Lame, but Liu Wei talking at the Academy table. Liu Weil shocked the audience by reading the contents of a letter from the German mathematician Kummer. ”

"Kummer was a number theorist of the highest order, but for many years of his life, a strong patriotism born out of hatred of Napoleon diverted him from his true cause. When Kummer was a child, the French invaded his hometown of Solawu, bringing them an epidemic of typhus. ”

Kummer's father was the town's doctor, and he died of the disease a few weeks later. This experience traumatized Kummer's psyche, and he vowed to do his best to save his country from another blow, and as soon as he finished college, he immediately used his knowledge to study the ballistic curves of artillery shells. ”

"Eventually, he taught ballistics at the Military Academy in Berlin. In parallel with his military career, Kummer actively pursued the study of pure mathematics. He was well aware of the events of his birth in the French Academy of Sciences. He read the Academy of Sciences bulletin from beginning to end, analyzing the few details that Cauchy and Lame dared to reveal. It was clear to Kummer that the two Frenchmen were heading for the same logical dead end, and he outlined his reasons in this letter to Lyauville. ”

"Kummer has proved that you two are all wrong, and Kummer has gone one step further by proving precisely that with the mathematical tools of the time, man could not prove Fermat's theorem at all. This is also a step forward in mathematics, but it is an unprecedented dark time for Fermat's theorem, because the dawn that has just been lit has been extinguished. ”

"Time flies, and decades have passed, and what the French could not solve, it is now the turn of the Germans to push it. At the beginning of the 2O century, there was a German entrepreneur, his name was Folfsk, he was very amorous when he was young, he fell in love with a girl, confessed to others, but was ruthlessly rejected by the girl, this Vrfsk couldn't stand it, he actually wanted to commit suicide, put the gun here, said that I shot myself at 12 o'clock in the morning tonight, before I died, I did a little work, write a will or something. ”

As a result, the Germans worked very efficiently, and as a result, they finished all the wills and arrangements behind them early, and they had nothing to do, and when they were still a few hours before 12 o'clock, they grabbed a book by their side, what was this book, the book that Kosi and Lame solved Fermat's great theorem half a century ago. As a result, when I looked at it, it was interesting, and I was fascinated by it, and when I looked at it, I missed the time of 12 o'clock in the morning. ”

Speaking of this, the students laughed, after listening to it for such a long time, I really think that there are too many things caused by this Fermat's theorem and it is too funny, there are a lot of neurotic feelings in mathematicians, and I don't think the eyes that look at Kong Jidao are very strange.

Kong Jidao turned a blind eye and talked to himself.

"By the time he got to this, this Furvsk didn't want to die, because the problem was very interesting, and I hadn't solved it yet, so I forgot about the girl, and from then on I started to solve it, of course, he was an amateur, and he wasn't an amateur mathematician like Fermat, who we talked about earlier, so of course he didn't help solve the problem. ”

But he was grateful for the life-saving grace given to him by Fermat's theorem, so when he died in 19o8, this Folfsk set up a fund of 1o million marks of all the property he had accumulated in his life, and within a hundred years after his death, whoever was the first to prove Fermat's theorem would be the first to pay the money. ”

So at the beginning of the twentieth century, there was another craze in the mathematical community around the world to solve Fermat's theorem, and since then Fermat's theorem has become the most famous problem in the history of mathematics, because there is money behind it. So a lot of people all over the world wrote to this committee at that time, and I solved it! I solved it!"

So at that time, mathematics amateurs and some foolish people all over the world tried to solve this problem, but unfortunately, although the problem is becoming more and more famous, it seems that its solution is still far away. ”

"Because there were so many people who wrote from them, the professor who presided over the whole committee had to print a special postcard later, saying that the paper you sent was wrong on a certain page and a certain line, so your proof is wrong, so you can take it back, and the prize has nothing to do with you. It is said that these postcards are stacked three meters high, which is the height of a one-story building. ”

The students who listened were really anxious and exclaimed, "How did Fermat's theorem solve it? Who solved it? What method was used? Even Gauss and Euler can't figure it out, who else can do it." ”

Kong Jidao smiled impressively, and after selling a pass, he said: "The solution of Fermat's great theorem is actually not far away, just in 1995, the person who solved it was neither French nor German, but an Englishman living in the United States, his name is Wiles. (To be continued......)

PS: Probably only the Germans can do such a thing.

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