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Fermat's last theorem

[ fer-mahz ]
/ fɛrˈmɑz /
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noun Mathematics.
the unproved theorem that the equation xn + yn = zn has no solution for x, y, z nonzero integers when n is greater than 2.
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Origin of Fermat's last theorem

First recorded in 1860–65; named after P. de Fermat

Words nearby Fermat's last theorem

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for Fermat's last theorem

Fermat's last theorem
/ (fɜːˈmæts) /

noun
(in number theory) the hypothesis that the equation x n + y n = z n has no integral solutions for n greater than two
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Fermat's last theorem

Fermat's last theorem
[ fĕr-mäz ]

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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