Mathematician Recognized for Proof of Fermat’s Last

Theorem Mark Thek

Introduction Mark Thek is the author of the book Quantification

of Human Emotion and the president of Esterline Power Systems, a subsidiary of the Esterline Corporation. As an engineer and physicist, Mark Thek is also interested in new developments in the field of mathematics.

The mathematical world and the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters recently celebrated the discovery of a proof for a 350-year old mathematics problem by awarding British professor Andrew Wiles the prestigious Abel Prize.

Fermat’s Last Theorem The Academy said Wiles received the prize, called

“the Nobel of mathematics,” because his proof launched a new age in number theory. Now working at Oxford University, Wiles will receive an award and prize money for his contribution.

In 1994, Wiles and a former student, Richard Taylor, developed a proof of Fermat's Last Theorem, an equation that had been puzzling mathematicians since 1637. Wiles spent years working on the problem and was teaching at Princeton University when he developed the proof.