Contents
Pierre de Fermat
Posing Fermat’s Last Theorem and pioneering number theory and probability.
Maxima and minima · Probability correspondence
- Born
- Unknown
- Birthplace
- Beaumont-de-Lomagne, France
- Died
- 12 January 1665
More people
Pierre de Fermat
French magistrate whose mathematical correspondence helped shape several fields without becoming a professional academic.
Early life
Merchant family
Grew up in a prosperous family in southwestern France.
Legal education
Studied law at Orléans before beginning his legal career.
Career
- 1620s–1630s
Law and mathematics
Developed mathematical interests while entering the judicial profession.
- 1630s–1650s
Correspondence
Exchanged problems and results with leading mathematicians across Europe.
- 1650s–1660s
Later investigations
Continued work in probability, number theory and optics alongside judicial duties.
Contributions
Maxima and minima
Developed methods for finding extreme values and tangents.
Probability correspondence
Worked with Blaise Pascal on the mathematics of games of chance.
Principle of least time
Explained light’s path through a principle based on travel time.
Beyond mathematics
Magistrate
Served in the Parlement of Toulouse for much of his adult life.
Languages and poetry
Studied classical texts and wrote verse in several languages.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and references ↗Biography and contributions ↗Photo: Unknown artist; painted portrait. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
