Gerhard Frey

German mathematician

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June 26, 2026

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Gerhard Frey is a German mathematician known for his work connecting Fermat's Last Theorem to conjectures about elliptic curves. In 1980, Frey proposed that if Fermat's Last Theorem were false, the resulting equation would define a curve with properties that contradicted the Taniyama-Shimura conjectures. This observation, refined by Jean-Pierre Serre and proven by Ken Ribet, demonstrated that proving the Taniyama-Shimura conjectures would, in turn, prove Fermat's Last Theorem. Andrew Wiles later established these conjectures, solving Fermat's Last Theorem.1

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mathematics
Developments in pure mathematics
Meanwhile, Gerhard Frey of Germany had pointed out that, if Fermat’s last theorem is false, so that there are integers u, v, w such that u^p + v^p = w^p (p greater than 5), then for these values of u, v, and p the curve y²
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Meanwhile, Gerhard Frey of Germany had pointed out that, if Fermat’s last theorem is false, so that there are integers u, v, w such that u^p + v^p = w^p (p greater than 5), then for these values of u, v, and p the curve y²
Read More