Professor Wins £500k After Solving A 300-Year-Old Maths Problem

A British professor solved a 300-year-old maths equation that has baffled mathematicians for centuries.

'Fermat's Last Theorem' was first posed by French mathematician Pierre de Fermat in 1637.

Here it is:

"There are no whole number solutions to the equation xn+ yn = zn when n is greater than 2."

Yeah, I have no idea either.

Weirdly, Oxford professor Andrew Wiles actually solved it back in the 90s, but is only just receiving the prize now. It has been awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, with an official ceremony taking place in May of this year.

He initially became obsessed with the problem when he found a copy of Fermat's Last Theorem at his local library in Cambridge when he was just 10 year old.

He said: "I knew from that moment that I would never let it go.

"I had to solve it."

The Abel Committee told CNN: "Wiles is one of very few mathematicians -- if not the only one -- whose proof of a theorem has made international headline news.

"In 1994 he cracked Fermat's Last Theorem, which at the time was the most famous, and long-running, unsolved problem in the subject's history."

Fair play. Can you lend me a tenner, Andrew?

Topics: Maths

Mel Ramsay

Mel Ramsay has been a Senior Journalist for Tyla and LADbible since 2015. She started her career writing obituaries and funeral guides online. Since then, her work has been published in a wide variety of national and local news sites. She is part of the BBC's Generation project and has spoken about young people, politics and mental health on television, radio and online. Contact her - [email protected]

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