Fermat's Last Theorem

In 1637, the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat wrote a note on a margin of Diophantus' Arithmetica, claiming to have found a most elegant proof for the idea that no three integers can satisfy the formula aⁿ + bⁿ = cⁿ for any value of n greater than 2. In other words, aⁿ + bⁿ = cⁿ only works for the Pythagorean Theorem.

Rather conveniently, the margin of the classic text was too small for Fermat to demonstrate his ingenious proof, and the puzzle of whether his theorem was correct has haunted mathematicians ever since.

In 1993, however, and after having secretly worked for seven years on a proof for the theorem, mathematician Andrew Wiles announced he had found it thanks to a serendipidous insight originally proposed by Gerhard Frey: if he could prove the Taniyama-Shimura conjecture, he would automatically prove Fermat's theorem. Though complex in its execution, Wiles' solution was the culmination of a childhood dream brought to fruition.

Unfortunately, there was a fatal, fundamental flaw with his proof and Wiles had to go back to work. Missing the calm of his previous secrecy, Wiles was confronted with the pressure to succeed in the eyes of professional academia. Two years later, in a promethean stroke combining all sorts of state-of-the-art 20th century mathematics, Wiles finally demonstrated a proof for which he will go down in history as a mathematical hero.

I'm no mathematician, but I was just thinking about Fermat's last theorem for the past few minutes, and I think I may have just found a much simpler proof for it?!? Somebody call the Annals of Mathematics! :)

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