The Fermat prize of
mathematical
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
research
Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...
biennially rewards research works in fields where the contributions of
Pierre de Fermat
Pierre de Fermat (; between 31 October and 6 December 1607 – 12 January 1665) was a French mathematician who is given credit for early developments that led to infinitesimal calculus, including his technique of adequality. In particular, he ...
have been decisive:
* Statements of
variational principle
In science and especially in mathematical studies, a variational principle is one that enables a problem to be solved using calculus of variations, which concerns finding functions that optimize the values of quantities that depend on those func ...
s
* Foundations of
probability
Probability is the branch of mathematics concerning numerical descriptions of how likely an Event (probability theory), event is to occur, or how likely it is that a proposition is true. The probability of an event is a number between 0 and ...
and
analytic geometry
*
Number theory
Number theory (or arithmetic or higher arithmetic in older usage) is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers and arithmetic function, integer-valued functions. German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777â ...
.
The spirit of the prize is focused on rewarding the results of research accessible to the greatest number of professional
mathematicians
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.
History
One ...
within these fields. The Fermat prize was created in 1989 and is awarded once every two years in
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
by the
Institut de Mathématiques de Toulouse
''Institut de Mathématiques de Toulouse'' (Toulouse Mathematics Institute; IMT) is a research laboratory of the mathematics community of the Toulouse area in France. It is partially supported by the French public research agency CNRS as unit UMR ...
. The amount of the Fermat prize has been fixed at 20,000 Euros for the twelfth edition (2011).
Previous prize winners
Pierre Fermat medal
There has also been a ''Pierre Fermat medal'', which has been awarded for example to chemist
Linus Pauling (1957), mathematician
Ernst Peschl (1965) and botanist
Francis Raymond Fosberg
Francis Raymond Fosberg (20 May 1908 – 25 September 1993) was an American botanist. A prolific collector and author, he played a significant role in the development of coral reef and island studies.
History
Ray Fosberg was born in Spokane ...
.
Junior Fermat Prize
The Junior Fermat Prize is a mathematical prize, awarded every two years to a student in the first four years of university for a contribution to mathematics. The amount of the prize is 2000
Euro
The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
s.
See also
*
List of mathematics awards
References
External links
Fermat Prize official web site
Junior Fermat Prize official web site
Annales de la faculté des sciences de Toulouse
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fermat, Prize
Mathematics awards
Awards established in 1989
Variational principles
.