@headfirstonly@mastodon.social
Post #1992149
2026-05-04 20:03 UTC
The Star Trek TNG episode "The Royale" was on TV this evening and I'd forgotten the one thing that dates the show for me more than anything else: for Picard and Riker, Fermat's "last theorem" was still unproven.
Andrew Wiles did just that the year after the show ended, formally publishing a proof in 1995. It earned him a knighthood and the 2016 Abel Prize.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNk0QYP0w5Q
Replies (1)
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@Legit_Spaghetti@mastodo.neoliber.al 2026-05-04 20:12
@headfirstonly@mastodon.social Of course, the question remains: Did Wiles rediscover Fermat's proof, or did he develop a brand-new one? Given how much 20th century math Wiles used, it seems likely that Fermat's proof, if it exists, remains undiscovered.