Transcript Proof Project Presentation

“The Proof” Video and Project
Objectives:
1. To watch and discuss NOVA’s “The
Proof”
2. To research and present various
unproven mathematical conjectures
Fermat’s Last Theorem
For an integer n > 2, there exists no nonzero
integer solutions to the equation
a b c
n
n
n
What does this equation look like?
The Pythagorean Theorem
In a right triangle, if a and b are the lengths
of the legs and c is the length of the
hypotenuse, then a2 + b2 = c2.
Can you name any
whole number
solutions to this
equation?
These are called
Pythagorean Triples.
Example 1
How many examples would you have to
check to prove Fermat’s Last Theorem?
How many examples would you have to find
to disprove it?
Andrew Wiles
While working at
Princeton University,
this handsome
gentleman was the first
to give a deductive
proof for Fermat’s Last
Theorem, which
technically was a
conjecture before
Wiles’s proof.
For Love or Money?
In “The Proof” Wiles said
that when he
completed his proof,
there was a moment
when he knew
something that the rest
of the human race did
not. For some this
would be reason
enough to do anything.
For Love or Money?
For others, that feeling
would need to
augmented by lots of
green pieces of paper.
So in addition to
fulfilling his life dream,
Wiles was also
awarded the Shaw
Prize in 2005,
amounting to $1 million.
Nova’s “The Proof”
Follow the links below to
watch “The Proof” on
YouTube.
Warning: I cannot
control the asinine
things that people
write in the comments
section, so beware!
Nova’s “The Proof”
Follow the links below to
watch “The Proof” on
YouTube.
• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
Project: Description
Individually, you will be creating a
PowerPoint Presentation or a poster that
will explain the role of reasoning in
mathematics and highlight a particular
theorem and an unproven conjecture. It
will be worth a test grade and will be due
November 3.
Project: Description
Here is a list of items your project must
contain:
1. Explanation of the relationship between
inductive and deductive reasoning
2. Explanation of the relationship between
conjectures, theorems, and proof
3. Description of a mathematical theorem
with any appropriate illustrations,
examples, applications
Project: Description
4. Description of a famous mathematical conjecture
with any appropriate illustrations or examples
– Who formulated it?
– Why can’t it be proven by testing examples?
– How can it be disproven?
5. Works Cited with hyperlinks
Turning In Your Project
• Poster
– Bring it to class on 11/3
– Works Cited on the back
• PowerPoint
– Email a copy to [email protected] by 11/3
– Print a Handout to turn in on 11/3
– You might bring a backup copy just in case
Printing a Handout
To print a Handout:
1. Choose Print as
usual.
2. Under the Print
what pull down
menu, choose
Handouts.
Printing a Handout
3. Under the Slides
per page drop
down menu,
choose 9.
4. (Optional): Click
Preview and add
a heading with
your name under
Print Options.
Project: Warning
Plagiarism is
punishable
by death!