Fermat's Last Theorem in $ \mathbf{Z}_{10}$

An amusing observation, which people often argued about on USENET news back in the 1990s, is that Fermat's last theorem is false in $ \mathbf{Z}_{10}$. For example, $ x^3 + y^3 = z^3$ has a nontrivial solution, namely $ x = 1$, $ y=2$, and $ z=\ldots60569$. Here $ z$ is a cube root of $ 9$ in $ \mathbf{Z}_{10}$. Note that it takes some work to prove that there is a cube root of $ 9$ in $ \mathbf{Z}_{10}$ (see Exercise 56).



William Stein 2004-05-06