Article View: sci.crypt
Article #4134Re: Fermat's Last Theorem apparently proven
From: Keith Messer
Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1988 03:56
Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1988 03:56
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1487 bytes
In article <26822@linus.UUCP> bs@linus.UUCP (Robert D. Silverman) writes: >By your logic we should assume >that if most people believe a theorem is true we should just accept it even >if a proof is lacking. Mathematics doesn't work that way. > >I think you are being deliberately obtuse and pedantic. What has BELIEF >in the RH got to do with primality PROOF? We have fast probabalistic >tests now. RH makes those tests into proofs. You know, that's my logic too, Bob. A mathematical (even if we have to call it mathematical) property is useful whether or not it is proven. Supposing I find some regularity in a mathematical system by induction (but in a case where mathematical induction is not adequete proof) and decide to write a program to do analysis based on that regularity. Either the program will succeed and be useful to me or it will fail, disproving my hypothesis. The point is that I win either way. Keith ln63wgq%sdemlab@sdcsvax
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!mailrus!nrl-cmf!ames!ucsd!sdcc6!sdcc13!ln63wgq From: ln63wgq@sdcc13.ucsd.EDU (Keith Messer) Newsgroups: sci.crypt Subject: Re: Fermat's Last Theorem apparently proven Message-ID: <1009@sdcc13.ucsd.EDU> Date: 15 Mar 88 03:56:11 GMT References: <977@thumper.bellcore.com> <7440@brl-smoke.ARPA> <26797@linus.UUCP> <7449@brl-smoke.ARPA> <26822@linus.UUCP> Reply-To: ln63wgq@sdcc13.ucsd.edu.UUCP (Keith Messer) Organization: Univ. of California, San Diego Lines: 20