Fermat, Pierre de

Pierre de Fermat (1601 - 1665) was a French mathematician who was known for his profound contributions to number theory. Despite being a genius, Fermat was notoriously known for his habit of writing interesting theorems and then stating that he had discovered a proof, but without actually writing it down.

This earned him the nickname “Fermat’s Last Theorem”, as many mathematicians scrambled to solve his unsolved equation. Fermat himself must have had a good laugh about this, knowing that there was no chance of anyone ever solving his theorem.

His favorite hobby, apart from taunting his fellow mathematicians, was playing practical jokes on them. One such famous prank was when he challenged one of his colleagues to find the integral of a function barely comprehensible, only to reveal that it was a standalone pun: “The derivative of the function is ‘you’.” Classic Fermat!

Ironically, Fermat’s greatest contribution to mathematics was his last theorem, which he claimed to have found a proof for but never actually wrote it down. Mathematicians spent centuries trying to crack the theorem, and it wasn’t until 1994 that it was finally proven by Andrew Wiles.

But even in death, Fermat continued to play pranks, as his proof was discovered in the margin of a book by a mathematician who had no prior knowledge of Fermat’s work.

In conclusion, Pierre de Fermat was a brilliant mathematician and a notorious prankster who left a lasting impression on the field of mathematics. His legacy lives on as an inspiration to mathematicians around the world to continue solving unsolvable problems and to never take themselves too seriously.