All Exams Test series for 1 year @ ₹349 only
Question

Direction (Q. Nos. 3-6) : Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. Your answers to these questions should be based on the passage only :

Passage
Despite how closely the problem is related to the Pythagorean theorem, which has infinite solutions and hundreds of proofs, Fermat's subtle variation is much more difficult to prove. The 17th-century mathematician Pierre de Fermat wrote in 1637 in his copy of Claude Gaspar Bachet's translation of the famous Arithmetica of Diophantus : "I have a truly marvellous proof of this proposition which this margin is too narrow to contain." However, no correct proof was found for 357 years, until it was finally proven using very deep methods by Andrew Wiles in 1995 (after a failed attempt a year before). All the other theorems proposed by Fermat before and after this were eventually proven or disproven, either in his own proofs or by other mathematicians, in the two centuries following their proposition. The theorem was not the last that Fermat conjectured, but the last to be proven.

According to the passage, why did Pierre de Fermat not provide the proof for his proposition in his copy of Arithmetica?

The correct answer is
The margin on the page was insufficient to write it down

Fermat's Proof Margin Issue

The question asks for the reason Pierre de Fermat did not provide the proof for his proposition in his copy of Arithmetica, as stated in the passage.

The passage directly quotes Fermat's note regarding his proof: "I have a truly marvellous proof of this proposition which this margin is too narrow to contain."

This statement clearly indicates that the physical space on the page's margin was insufficient for him to write down the proof. Therefore, the margin on the page was insufficient to write it down.

Was this answer helpful?

Important Questions from Reading Comprehension

  1. Why, according to the writer can't people be motivated to use a resource prudently?

    1. They feel that others may overuse the resource

    2. It is possible to substitute the resource

    3. Abundance of the resource availability

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  2. When do people use resources exhaustively?

  3. The self-interest of people affects the use of renewable resources

  4. People rooted in a locality

  5. Which among the following is closest in meaning with the word 'deplete'?

Need Expert Advice?

Start Your Preparation with Prepp Mobile App

Download the app from Google Play & App Store
Download the app from Google Play & App Store
Prepp Mobile App