[fer-mahz] 
| the unproved theorem that the equation xn + yn = zn has no solution for x, y, z nonzero integers when n is greater than 2. |
| Fer·mat's last theorem (fěr-mäz') n. The theorem that the equation an + bn = cn has no solutions in positive integers a, b, c if n is an integer greater than 2. It was stated as a marginal note by Pierre de Fermat around 1630 and not proved until 1994 by the British mathematician Andrew Wiles (born 1953). |
| Fermat's last theorem (fěr-mäz') Pronunciation Key
A theorem stating that the equation an + bn = cn has no solution if a, b, and c are positive integers and if n is an integer greater than 2. The theorem was first stated by the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat around 1630, but not proved until 1994. |
