Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watarts.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!watarts!kevyn From: kevyn@watarts.UUCP (KCT) Newsgroups: net.math Subject: Proofs of Fermat's Last Theorem Message-ID: <8209@watarts.UUCP> Date: Tue, 8-Jan-85 20:41:15 EST Article-I.D.: watarts.8209 Posted: Tue Jan 8 20:41:15 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 9-Jan-85 03:13:23 EST Distribution: net Organization: U of Waterloo, Faculty of Mathematics Lines: 16 Please excuse my last article; the terminal screwed up. My question is this: A previous article stated that Fermat's Last Theorem may not even be provable by "elementary" methods. What, exactly, is an "elementary" method? Furthermore, what is the basis for the meta-mathematics used by Godel and others to produce items like Godel's Theorem? Are these basic axioms interchangable? How "basic" is "basic"? I don't really expect a definite answer to each of these questions, of course, but in light of the news of the "proof" of FLT, it's hard not to ask! { andthisbunchofdrivelishereso"ask!"won'tfeelallalone } Yours truly, Kevyn Collins-Thompson , University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, CANADA !! ....{allegra|clyde|utzoo|ihnp4|decvax}!watmath!watarts!kevyn