OVERVIEW


I've included both PostScript versions and \TeX\ source files of the
lectures I am currently giving to undergraduates. These are lectures on the
occasion of the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem rather than any serious
attempt to describe the proof. And I should emphasise that the actual
lectures are rather less ferocious; these are notes to amplify the talks. I
hope you find some useful ideas and amusing remarks. My motive is to
mention lots of partly comprehensible ideas so that bright students obtain
some vague notion as to where their otherwise boring regular lectures are
trying to go. It's much the experience we have at most colloquia.

Current contents and plans:
FLT1 :  Elementary quasi-historical introduction
FLT2 :  Remarks on unique factorisation and the like
FLT3 :  Sophie Germain, Abel's formulae, Mirimanoff-Wieferich etc
FLT4 :  Kummer's arguments
FLT5 :  Why do we believe Wiles? More quasi-history.
FLT6 :  A pre-history of diophantine equations generally
FLT7 :  A child's introduction to elliptic functions
FLT8 :  Local and global

The \TeX\ source files in this section should be:

      logo.art               to produce a pretty picture using DVIPS

      logo.art.hqx           for Macintosh users who should use it
                             to automatically get the bitmap files 
                             when using Textures. Sorry, I have no
                             views on what to do with OzTeX.

AND an apology. I've been a little too clever with the picture, and
things threaten to blow up if you have neither TeXtures nor DVIPS 
(and in particular its epsf file). An easy fix is {\it inter alia\/} to
uncomment the line

         \def\centrelogo{\relax}\def\smallcentrelogo{\relax} 

near the line \Part x in each lecture; sorry about that.  Of
course you'll miss out on the picture. Tant pis.  I've worked on a
tidier way   --- download the PostScript versions FLTx.ps.

For the \TeX\ you'll definitely also need

      AlfPreamble            necessary to deal with eccentric macros
                             of mine

      FermatTopmatter        to save repeating the topmatter for each 
                             section of my notes


Then come the sections of the threatened notes, felicitously
called

      FLTx    (currrently at 93.09.03 with $1\le x\le7$)


I'll send subsequent sections as I complete them (and will repeat the
present stuff as I correct it).

All of this uses AMSTeX 2.1 and it assumes one having the latest
fonts, otherwise some of my careful formatting will be ruined. By the
way, although I of course assumed A4 pages I have been careful to
assure that all important stuff will appear on a US page.

For the those who have \TeX, not, I have induced my colleague
ross@mpce.mq.edu.au <Ross Moore> to include PostScript versions
(concocted with DVIPS). Good luck. Those files are of some 120 Kb each.

Please presume that this message concludes with all necessary
disclaimers and obvious copyright notices --- but I would appreciate
being told of the use to which these notes are put. I've had close to zilch
feedback: may I ask that these notes be deemed e-ware? In other words, you
are morally obliged to e-mail me to complain that the files are corrupt, or
whatever.  Or even that you like them. I wouldn't mind getting suggestions
as to what subsequent sections should chat about.


At this time the notes may of course be reproduced as is but I retain
copyright in the event that I am able to do something more substantial with
them at which point, I guess, permission to reproduce as is would have to
be deemed withdrawn. 

My University would no doubt wish me to add disclaimers to the effect that
its management knows no mathematics at all and therefore does not hold any
opinions I may express.

Alf van der Poorten 
ceNTRe for Number Theory Research 
Macquarie University  NSW 2109 
AUSTRALIA

alf@mpce.mq.edu.au