Prof Sir Andrew Wiles, arguably the world’s most famous mathematician, talked about how he proved Fermat’s Last Theorem when he delivered the inaugural Leys Lecture at the Great Hall Festival (November 11-15) at The Leys, Cambridge – his alma mater.
Sir Andrew was just 10 years old when he took up the challenge of proving the theorem which had defeated the finest mathematical brains for 350 years. His success in the 1990s brought him such fame that his achievement inspired a musical and was the subject of a joke in The Simpsons.
He told his audience he felt a “tinge of nostalgia” for the days of his long quest but was glad to hand on the baton of mathematical challenges to others.
In a witty and accessible speech, he concluded that all successes required a bit of luck – and his “Golden Ticket” had been the note from his Housemaster which excused him from Rugby!
Sixth-form pupil Isabelle Gaffney, who presented Sir Andrew with a thank you gift on behalf of the school, said: “I’ve read the book Fermat’s Last Theorem by Simon Singh and it was really special to meet the man whose success inspired that book. The amount of time and energy he invested in solving the Fermat problem is truly inspirational and it is a great story of a childhood dream come true. It is fantastic that one of the best mathematicians alive today is an Old Leysian and that he took the time to talk to all of us.”
The Festival, a celebration of artistic and intellectual excellence, was organised to mark the completion of Great Hall, a £9.5 million development encompassing a 600-seat theatre, science laboratories, dance and drama studios and rehearsal rooms.