Jump to content

Talk:Fermat polygonal number theorem

Page contents not supported in other languages.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

Note

Does anybody know a proof or a sketch of the proof of this theorem to be added in this article? Or is there a proof available online? --Matikkapoika 20:02, 8 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

The references now have two references to Nathanson's proof.

Accuracy

The article about Lagrange's Four Square Theorem says he proved the case of squares in 1770, not 1772.

Sketchy statement

I don't like the phrasing of this theorem: "Every positive integer is a sum of at most n n-polygonal numbers". Clearly 4 = 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 is a counterexample by that 1 is a 3-gonal number. It should be more like "Expressing any positive integer as a sum requires at most n n-gonal numbers."

Yup, fixed.  Done RobHar (talk) 04:17, 21 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]