The ultimate mathematical troll! Pierre de Fermat was the original clickbaiter of the 17th century. His "Big Theorem" (actually called Fermat's Last Theorem) famously claimed he had a proof that wouldn't fit in the margin of his book. Spoiler: he probably didn't have one, and mathematicians spent the next 358 years trying to solve it until Andrew Wiles finally cracked it in 1994 with a 200-page proof. Meanwhile, Fermat's "Little" Theorem is actually quite useful in number theory and cryptography. Classic mathematician move—leaving a mathematical cliffhanger that tortured brilliant minds for centuries. The ultimate "I know something you don't know" flex!
The Original Mathematical Cliffhanger

math-memes, fermat-memes, theorems-memes, number-theory-memes, mathematical-history-memes | ScienceHumor.io