Journal 4 Guidelines
Assigned: November 10, 2011.
MA203J Contemporary Mathematics
Due: December 9, 2011.
Grading: This journal entry will be graded out of 28 points: grammar, punctuation, and style count for
7 points, and content counts for 21 points. Extra creativity may earn you up to 2 extra credit points,
but only if it does not detract from the presentation of the main content.
Guidelines: This journal entry should be three or more pages in length. It must be typed, double spaced,
and written in 12 point or smaller font. All margins should be one inch.
Content: I expect you to do some thinking. If I cannot discern from your journal that you have actively
thought about the material, you will lose content points. A good way to ensure that I know you have
thought about the material is to restate any technical terms in your own words. For example, if your
journal discusses prime numbers, make sure to define what a prime is in your own words.
Submit this journal via SafeAssign on Blackboard by 5pm on the due date. I will not accept
emailed journals or hardcopies.
References: When you use a quotation or specific information from a source, put a footnote1 or an
endnote2 at the end of the passage.3 Include a short works cited section at the end of your journal entry.
Any standard works cited format is acceptable. You are responsible for producing at least two pages of
content; quoted passages and works cited do not count as your own content (although they may enhance
the quality of your paper).
This journal assignment has two parts.
Part 1:
Background: You may have learned in high school geometry about the Pythagorean Theorem, which
says that for a right triangle, with legs of lengths a and b, and hypotenuse of length c, then it is always
true that a2 + b2 = c2 . Fermat’s Last Theorem, on the other hand, states that there are no positive integer
solutions to the equation an + bn = cn for n > 2. Pierre de Fermat claimed that this was true in the margin
of a book in 1637; however, the note in the margin merely claims he found a marvelous proof, and that
the margin was too small to contain it. In June of 1993, Andrew Wiles announced that he had a proof of
Fermat’s Last Theorem.4
Assignment: Pretend it is June of 1993, and Andrew Wiles has just announced that he has completed
a proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem. Also pretend that you are a writer for a newspaper (or magazine) of
your choice. Your boss has given you the assignment of writing a piece about Fermat’s Last Theorem and
Andrew Wiles’ claim that he has found a proof of the theorem.
Details: Your journal assignment is to write a two page article describing Fermat’s Last Theorem and its
proof. Your article should include details on:
• The history of Fermat’s Last Theorem. This is a broad requirement: an expansion of the background
above could be useful/interesting, as could explanations of failed attempts at proving the theorem,
or other things. Have fun with this assignment!
• Biographical information about Andrew Wiles that was relevant in 1993. Discussing biographical
information that is newer than 1993 doesn’t make sense for this assignment. Please don’t do it.
• A description of what the theorem says in your own words. My statement above is very vague and
possibly hard to understand. Your article should be accessible to the average person who reads the
magazine or newspaper you’re writing for.
1
4
Footnotes show up on the bottom of the page.
The proof is VERY complicated, and I do not fully understand it!
Journal 4 Guidelines
MA203J Contemporary Mathematics
• If you want to be an over-achiever, you could also try to explain a bit about the actual proof. However,
this should be near the end of your article, since it is highly likely that your editor will cut it out.
Other Information: You’ll need to do some independent research for this journal article since we’re
not talking about Fermat’s Last Theorem in class. There are many internet and print sources about the
theorem as it is fairly famous. If you need help finding sources, let me know.
Part 2:
Reflect on the Course: Write a page or more reflecting on the course as a whole. Answer some or all
of the following questions, or make up your own questions to answer!
Reflect on what you’ve learned over the course of the semester. What was your favorite subject? What
was your least favorite? Discuss your opinions about the content of the course. Was the subject material
interesting to you? How did you like the textbook? Was the pace of the course too fast, too slow, or about
right for you? Would you recommend this course to other students? What would make this course the
best course ever?
Notes
2
3
Endnotes, as opposed to footnotes, get lumped together at the end of the assignment.
Footnotes versus endnotes? It’s up to you.