"The Proof"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the video, "The Proof," a NOVA episode aired on PBS, which presents a look at one man's obsession with proving or disproving a theory, Fermat's Last Theorem, written over two hundred years ago and never proved. Specifically, it summarizes and reviews the video, with a focus on what the video tells us about how people learn to do mathematics. It looks at how "The Proof" is more than just a video about solving a complex mathematical problem and how it is a story of determination, setting goals, and finding out that solutions come from many different places and ideas.

From the Paper:

"The program then delves into how Wiles began obsessing about the "proof" when he was ten years old, and began a lifelong process of proving Fermat's Theorem. While the story is clearly mathematical, it becomes more than that during the course of the story. It becomes a tale about a man who cannot let go of his obsession, and how to creatively find the solutions to complex problems, whether they are mathematical or not. One mathematician in the show talks about making "good mistakes," and how difficult it is. This is the key to learning about mathematics, and solving mathematical problems. You will make mistakes. Learning how to make "good" mistakes is quite difficult. However, if you can learn from your mistakes, or your mistakes lead you in another direction, they are valuable, and can keep you always learning about mathematics, and other complex problems."

More papers on "The Proof":

• Book Review # 121420 : "Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence"
• Comparison Essay # 95018 : "The Morality of Science and the Literary Arts"
• Analytical Essay # 117531 : "A Contemporary Review of "The Great Gatsby"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: