Fermat comes to America: Harry Schultz Vandiver and FLT (1914--1963). (Q1013666): Difference between revisions

From the text: Harry Schultz Vandiver (1882--1973) devoted nearly all of his professional life to resolving Fermat's Last Theorem (FLT), a quest that set him apart from his fellow mathematicians. For although FLT aroused curiosity among number-theorists, the problem remained on the margins of the field for decades. Remarkably few serious efforts were devoted to it during Vandiver's lifetime. Moreover, his research program involved the kind of massive calculations of individual cases that most number-theorists consciously avoided. Aided by electro-mechanical and, later on, electronic devices for making such calculations, Vandiver emerged as a prominent exponent of a research style that many of his contemporaries would have considered unworthy of a true mathematician's time. Nor has his reputation benefited posthumously from the lavish praise that Andrew Wiles's work received. Since Wiles's general proof came from a completely different direction that bore little relationship with Vandiver's train of ideas, the latter's contributions have either been overlooked or are seen today as devoid of direct interest for actual research in number theory. Nonetheless, from a historical point of view, Vandiver is a figure of considerable interest, not only because of his intense involvement with FLT but also for the role he played within the American mathematical community throughout his long and, in many ways, exotic career. The present article offers a portrait of that career, along with a brief sketch of Vandiver's activities in connection with FLT.