Fermat's Last Theorem

17th century mathematician, Fermat, solved an old puzzle: that the square of a whole number could be split into 2 other squares of whole numbers - 5 squared equals 4 squared plus 3 squared - but it couldn't be done with cubes. His solution was lost but a Briton has now solved it and Aczel tells the story of this scientific mystery.

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Written by 17th-century mathematician Pierre de Fermat, Fermat's theorem has long puzzled other mathematicians. It states that while a square of a whole number can be broken down into two other squares of whole numbers, the same cannot be done with cubes. In 1995, a British mathematician working at Princeton University claimed to have solved the question. This account examines the theorem from Greeks to modern science.