Fermat’s Last Theorem

Early in 1983, the mathematical world was stunned by the news that a 29 year old German mathematician had obtained a partial solution to the famous problem of Fermat's Last Theorem. Exactly what Gerd Faltings of Wuppertal University did was to prove correct the Mordell Conjecture, a problem which had resisted all attempts at solution since its formulation in 1922. A precise statement of the Mordell Conjecture is not possible here, since it involves mathematical concepts not familiar to most people. What can be explained is how Faltings’ result provides a partial solution to the Fermat Problem (as ‘Fermat’s Last Theorem' is known as to present day mathematicians).