Fermat's Last Theorem in fiction
Encyclopedia
The famous problem in number theory
known as "Fermat's Last Theorem
" has repeatedly received attention in fiction and popular culture.
Number theory
Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers. Number theorists study prime numbers as well...
known as "Fermat's Last Theorem
Fermat's Last Theorem
In number theory, Fermat's Last Theorem states that no three positive integers a, b, and c can satisfy the equation an + bn = cn for any integer value of n greater than two....
" has repeatedly received attention in fiction and popular culture.
- In the Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
episode "The Eleventh HourThe Eleventh Hour (Doctor Who)"The Eleventh Hour" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One and BBC HD on 3 April 2010....
", the Doctor provides "the real" proof of Fermat's theorem (presumably Fermat's Last Theorem) to show his bona fides.
- In "The RoyaleThe Royale (TNG episode)"The Royale" is a second season episode of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.-Overview:Riker, Data and Worf become trapped in a strange hotel on a planet otherwise incapable of supporting human life.-Plot:...
", an episode (first aired 27 March 1989) of Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
, Captain PicardJean-Luc PicardCaptain Jean-Luc Picard is a Star Trek character portrayed by Patrick Stewart. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
states that the theorem had gone unsolved for 800 years. At the end of the episode Captain PicardJean-Luc PicardCaptain Jean-Luc Picard is a Star Trek character portrayed by Patrick Stewart. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
says, "Like Fermat's theorem, it is a puzzle we may never solve." Wiles' proof was released five years after the particular episode aired. This was subsequently mentioned in a Star Trek: Deep Space NineStar Trek: Deep Space NineStar Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
episode called "FacetsFacets (DS9 episode)"Facets" is an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the 25th and penultimate episode of the third season. It is rated 4.2/5 on the official Star Trek Website....
" during June 1995 in which Jadzia DaxJadzia DaxJadzia Dax , played by Terry Farrell, was a main character during the first six seasons of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine....
comments that one of her previous hosts, Tobin Dax, had "the most original approach to the proof since Wiles over 300 years ago." http://www.twiztv.com/scripts/ds9/season3/ds9-325.txt This reference was generally understood by fans to be a retroactive continuity for "The Royale".
- A sum, proved impossible by the theorem, appears in an episode of The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, "Treehouse of Horror VITreehouse of Horror VI"Treehouse of Horror VI" is the sixth episode of The Simpsons seventh season and the sixth episode in the Treehouse of Horror series. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 29, 1995, and contains three self-contained segments...
". In the three-dimensional world in "Homer3", the equation
is visible, just as the dimension begins to collapse. The joke is that the twelfth root of the sum does evaluate to 1922 due to rounding errors when entered into most handheld calculators; notice that the left hand side is odd, while 
is even, so the equality cannot hold. Instead of 1922, it actually is 1921.999999995. A second 'counterexample' appeared in a later episode, "The Wizard of Evergreen TerraceThe Wizard of Evergreen Terrace"The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" is the second episode of the tenth season of The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 20, 1998, and was viewed in approximately 7.95 million households that day. In the episode, Homer has a midlife crisis realizing his...
":
. These agree to 10 of 44 decimal digits, but notice that simple divisibility rules show 3987 and 4365 are multiples of 9 so that a sum of their powers is also. The same rule reveals that 4472 is not divisible by 9, so that this "equation" cannot hold either.
- In Tom StoppardTom StoppardSir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...
's play ArcadiaArcadia (play)Arcadia is a 1993 play by Tom Stoppard concerning the relationship between past and present and between order and disorder and the certainty of knowledge...
, Septimus Hodge poses the problem of proving Fermat's Last Theorem to the precocious Thomasina Coverly (who is perhaps a mathematical prodigy), in an attempt to keep her busy. Thomasina's (perhaps perceptive) response is simple—that Fermat had no proof, and it was a joke to drive posterity mad.
- Arthur PorgesArthur PorgesArthur Porges [pórdžIs], was an American author of numerous short stories, most notably in the 1950s and 1960s, though he continued to write and publish stories until his death.-Life:...
' short story "The Devil and Simon Flagg" features a mathematicianMathematicianA mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
who bargains with the DevilDevilThe Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
that the latter cannot produce a proof of Fermat's Last Theorem within twenty-four hours. The devil is not successful and is last seen beginning a collaboration with the hero. The story was first published in 1954 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
- Fermat's equation also appeared in the movie BedazzledBedazzled (2000 film)Bedazzled is a 2000 film remake of the 1967 film Bedazzled , originally written by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, which was itself a comic retelling of the Faust legend...
with Elizabeth HurleyElizabeth HurleyElizabeth Jane Hurley is an English model and actress who became known as a girlfriend of Hugh Grant in the 1990s. In 1994, as Grant became the focus of worldwide media attention due to the global box office success of his film Four Weddings and a Funeral, Hurley accompanied him to the film's Los...
and Brendan FraserBrendan FraserBrendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. Fraser portrayed Rick O'Connell in the three-part Mummy film series , and is known for his comedic and fantasy film leading roles in major Hollywood films, including Encino Man , George of the Jungle , Dudley Do-Right , Monkeybone ,...
. Hurley played the devil who, in one of her many forms, appeared as a school teacher. In one particular scene, the blackboard behind her reads: "Tonight's homework: Prove
, solve for n>2".
- In Elizabeth KayElizabeth KayElizabeth Kay, born July 9, 1949 in London, is an English writer. She is the author of The Divide trilogy, a series of children's fantasy novels, originally published by Chicken House Press, then picked up by Scholastic Books-Biography:...
's book Jinx on the DivideThe Divide trilogyThe Divide trilogy is a fantasy young adult novel trilogy by Elizabeth Kay, which takes place in an alternate universe. The three books are The Divide , Back to The Divide , and Jinx on The Divide...
, the main character intrigues a mythological griffinGriffinThe griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
with the theorem; the griffin solves it in less than a week.
- In the online game the Lost ExperienceLost ExperienceThe Lost Experience was an alternate reality game that was part of the American television drama Lost. The game was developed by ABC in the United States, Channel 4 in the UK, and Channel 7 in Australia. It was written by Jordan Rosenberg and created by the agency Hi-ReS!...
, which is directly related to the television series LostLost (TV series)Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
, the equation is said to have been originally solved by a scientist by the name of Enzo Vallenzetti sometime in the late 1960s, but that due to his eccentric nature, after having the proof verified by his colleagues, Vallenzetti is said to have burned his work so that, according to his assistant, "others could have as much fun solving it as he did".
- In the book The Oxford MurdersThe Oxford Murders (novel)The Oxford Murders is a novel by the Argentine author Guillermo Martínez, first published in 2003. There is a 2005 translation by Sonia Soto....
by Guillermo MartinezGuillermo MartínezGuillermo Martínez is an Argentine novelist and short story writer.Martínez was born in Bahía Blanca, Argentina. He gained a PhD in mathematical logic at the University of Buenos Aires....
, Wiles's announcement in Cambridge of his proof of Fermat's Last Theorem forms a peripheral part of the action.- Its 2007 film versionThe Oxford Murders (film)The Oxford Murders is a 2008 film directed by Álex de la Iglesia. This thriller film is adapted from the novel of the same name by the Argentine mathematician and writer Guillermo Martínez. The film stars Elijah Wood, John Hurt and the Spanish actress Leonor Watling.-Plot:It is 1993...
shows "Professor Henry Wilkins"' (Martin Nigel Davey) proof of "Bormat"'s Last Theorem at Cambridge.
- Its 2007 film version
- In the anime series Earth Girl ArjunaEarth Girl Arjunais a Japanese animated television series created by Shoji Kawamori. The series follows Juna Ariyoshi, a high school girl chosen to be the "Avatar of Time" and entrusted with saving the dying Earth....
directed and written by Shoji KawamoriShoji Kawamoriis a Japanese anime creator, screenwriter and mechanical designer, having created or co-created such notable series as The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, The Vision of Escaflowne, Earth Maiden Arjuna, Genesis of Aquarion, Macross 7, and Macross Frontier. He is currently executive director at the...
, Mr. Sakurai, Juna's Math teacher in her school, passionately describes the breath-taking vastness and the empowering use of the equation and briefly explains the theory's history . Juna does not understand nor comprehend his explanation but feels that she heard his "true" voice.
- In the manga and anime series Zatch Bell!Zatch Bell!Zatch Bell!, known in Japan as is a shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Makoto Raiku. It was published in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday...
, Ponygon's question given to him by Unko Tin Tin is to prove Fermat's theorem, which Kiyo Takamine realizes is absurd. He asks Unko Tin Tin to solve it himself, which he cannot do.
- Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
has used the theorem repeatedly:- In the book The Light of Other DaysThe Light of Other DaysThe Light of Other Days is a 2000 science fiction novel written by Stephen Baxter based on a synopsis by Arthur C. Clarke, which explores the development of wormhole technology to the point where information can be passed instantaneously between points in the space-time continuum.- Characters...
, by Clarke and Stephen BaxterStephen BaxterStephen Baxter is a prolific British hard science fiction author. He has degrees in mathematics and engineering.- Writing style :...
, technology was developed which allowed the general public to look back into time. A 12 year old was able to read Fermat's actual proof and copy it to the present. - In one of the Rama seriesRendezvous with RamaRendezvous with Rama is a novel by Arthur C. Clarke first published in 1972. Set in the 22nd century, the story involves a cylindrical alien starship that enters Earth's solar system...
books, the problem is supposed to have been solved very simply and elegantly (probably the way Fermat himself had intended it) by a young girl. - Clarke, together with Frederik PohlFrederik PohlFrederik George Pohl, Jr. is an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years — from his first published work, "Elegy to a Dead Planet: Luna" , to his most recent novel, All the Lives He Led .He won the National Book Award in 1980 for his novel Jem...
, later went on to write an entire novel, The Last TheoremThe Last TheoremThe Last Theorem is a 2008 science fiction novel written by Arthur C. Clarke and Frederik Pohl. It was first published in the United Kingdom by HarperVoyager in July 2008, and in the United States by Del Rey Books in August 2008...
, that tells of the rise to fame and world prominence of a young Sri Lankan mathematician who devises an elegant proof of the theorem.
- In the book The Light of Other Days
- The rock metal band KINETO has a song entitled "Theorem" that describes Fermat's Last Theorem.
- In Jasper FfordeJasper FfordeJasper Fforde is a British novelist. Fforde's first novel, The Eyre Affair, was published in 2001. Fforde is mainly known for his Thursday Next novels, although he has written several books in the loosely connected Nursery Crime series and begun two more independent series: The Last Dragonslayer...
's book First Among Sequels, 9 year-old Tuesday Next, seeing the equation on the sixth-form's math classroom's chalkboard, and thinking it homework, finds a simple counterexampleCounterexampleIn logic, and especially in its applications to mathematics and philosophy, a counterexample is an exception to a proposed general rule. For example, consider the proposition "all students are lazy"....
.
- In Stieg LarssonStieg LarssonKarl Stig-Erland Larsson , who wrote professionally as Stieg Larsson, was a Swedish journalist and writer, born in Skelleftehamn outside Skellefteå. He is best known for writing the "Millennium series" of crime novels, which were published posthumously...
's 2006 book Flickan som lekte med elden (The Girl Who Played With FireThe Girl Who Played with FireThe Girl Who Played with Fire is the second novel in the best-selling "Millennium series" by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson. It was published posthumously in Swedish in 2006 and in English in January 2009....
), the main character Lisbeth SalanderLisbeth SalanderLisbeth Salander is a fictional character created by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson. She is the heroine of Larsson's award-winning "Millennium series", first appearing in the novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo...
is mesmerizedAnimal magnetismAnimal magnetism , in modern usage, refers to a person's sexual attractiveness or raw charisma. As postulated by Franz Mesmer in the 18th century, the term referred to a supposed magnetic fluid or ethereal medium believed to reside in the bodies of animate beings...
by the Theorem. She spends a great deal of time trying to prove it herself, stubbornly avoiding the presented proof, eventually seeing through the riddle at a pivotal point in the action. Salander's final solution is different from that of Wiles, and the reader never discovers it. Salander claims that the solution was something implied by Fermat's declaration that the margin of the book that the Theorem was printed in was too small for the solution to be shown. The new solution that Salander discovered was later forgotten by her after she is shot in the head. This causes concern about her photographic memory as she has never before forgotten anything. However, she no longer craves an answer to the riddle.
- In Poul AndersonPoul AndersonPoul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories...
's book The Boat of a Million YearsThe Boat of a Million YearsThe Boat of a Million Years is a science fiction novel by Poul Anderson first published in 1989 and nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel that same year. It was also nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel and the Prometheus Award in 1990....
, the main character Hanno writes the statement of Fermat's Last Theorem on the graffiti covered wall of a restroom in a hospital, and below the statement he writes that he has a marvelous proof of this theorem, but there's not enough space on the wall to include it.
- In Robert ForwardRobert ForwardRobert Lull Forward — known as Robert L. Forward — was an American physicist and science fiction writer...
's 1984/1985 science fiction novel RocheworldRocheworldRocheworld is a science fiction novel by Robert Forward in which he uses a light sail propulsion system to set the crew on an interstellar mission. The spaceship and crew of 20 have to travel 5.9 light-years Rocheworld (first published in serial form in 1982; first book publication, under the...
, Fermat's Last Theorem is unsolved far enough into the future for interstellar explorers to describe it to one of the mathematically inclined natives of another star system. The native fairly quickly finds a solution.
- In The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, KyonKyonis a fictional character, protagonist and narrator of the Haruhi Suzumiya light novel series and the anime series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, voiced by Tomokazu Sugita in the original version of the anime, and Crispin Freeman in the English dubbed edition. The name Kyon is actually a...
wonders if Itsuki KoizumiItsuki Koizumiis a fictional character from the Haruhi Suzumiya light novel series; in the anime he is voiced by Daisuke Ono in the original version, and Johnny Yong Bosch in the English dubbed edition. Itsuki is the last member to have joined the SOS Brigade, having been recruited by Haruhi as a "mysterious...
would be able to explain Fermat's Last Theorem.
- Fermat's Last Tango is a stage musical by Joanne Sydney Lessner and Joshua Rosenblum. Protagonist "Daniel Keane" is a fictionalized Andrew Wiles. The characters include Fermat, Pythagoras, Euclid, Newton, and Gauss, the singing, dancing mathematicians of "the aftermath". A DVD of the New York Theater Company production is available from the Clay Mathematics Institute.
- Fermat's Theorem is the story of Fermat's Last Theorem, told in comic book form by Alexandre Kha.
- In most of Don LawrenceDon LawrenceDonald Southam Lawrence was a British comic book artist and author.Lawrence is best known for his comic strips The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire in the British weeklies Ranger and Look and Learn and the Storm series, first published in the Dutch weekly Eppo...
's StormStorm (Don Lawrence)Storm is a soft science fiction/fantasy comic book series originally drawn by Don Lawrence. The series is primarily available in Dutch, although all the books are translated in English and German, and some in French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Croatian, Serbian,...
, the (immortal) living planet Pandarve, in search for intellectual entertainment, is trying to come up with a proof for Fermat's Last Theorem. This keeps her mind so busy that she has little time for anything else, such as keeping an eye on the people who live on her surface, to whom she is a goddess. In need of her help to avoid a planetary catastrophe, Storm mentions Wiles' proof; when asked why he never spoke of it before, he says that he did not want to wake a sleeping goddess. To appease her wrath, however, he then tells Pandarve about Goldbach's conjectureGoldbach's conjectureGoldbach's conjecture is one of the oldest unsolved problems in number theory and in all of mathematics. It states:A Goldbach number is a number that can be expressed as the sum of two odd primes...
.