What is your favorite theorem ?
I have 2 theorems which trigger my love of Math :
- Chinese Remainder Theorem:韩信点兵, named after a 200 BCE Han dynasty genius general Han Xin (韩信) who applied this modern “Modular Arithmetic” in battle fields.
- Fermat’s Last Theorem:The Math “prank” initiated by the 17CE amateur Mathematician Pierre de Fermat kept the world busy for 380 years until 1974 proved by Andrew Wiles.
Note 1: Lycée Pierre de Fermat (Classe Préparatoire) happens to be my alma mater named after this great Mathematician born in the same southern France “Airbus City” Toulouse.
Note 2: His another Fermat’s Little Theorem is used in modern computer cryptography.