Officially open to the public since July 6 in Beaumont-de-Lomagne (Tarn-et-Garonne), the new Fermat museum, named after the brilliant 17th century mathematician born in the Lomagnole bastide, allows you to stimulate your brain while having fun.
Beaumont-de-Lomagne (Tarn-et-Garonne), its garlic, its racecourse and… its genius unjustly unknown, except by the scientific establishment, the cultured Beaumontois and a few Toulousains who attended the famous high school that bears his name. It was time to put Pierre de Fermat back in the spotlight, and to be honest, to his just reputation. It’s done.
Since July 6, 2024 in Beaumont-de-Lomagne, in what was (part of) his birthplace at the very beginning of the 17th century, a museum has been opening at the crossroads of science, heritage and stimulating tourism. Fermat, a magistrate in civilian life, was an amateur mathematician, in the strong sense of the term, who spent his life delving into dizzying calculations, generating theorems and principles, the effects of which are still alive 400 years later. Optics, number theory, probability… From there, after a few descendants, come GPS, the bank card code, our modern statistics, etc.
The mysteries of the “last theorem”
The museum does justice to this fertile brain by means of playful installations, as many ways of repeating his experiences. The first spaces immerse us in his genealogy, from the bourgeois already notable at the time, very close to ennoblement by office, in his library of a man with a broad mind, capable of writing in Greek or Latin, and not just anyone: Pascal, Descartes, Torricelli, Roberval, Father Mersenne, in short the French and European genius of the moment.
Fermat is also known for his “last theorem”, one of the most difficult mathematical problems of all time. Hundreds of mathematicians tried to solve it, without success, until a certain Andrew Wiles in 1995. A special room is reserved for this extraordinary story, cleverly told in comics, and accompanied by an exclusive interview with the British researcher.
In the meanders of AI
Fermat did not publish his work, he had a bit of a ham side, informing his prestigious correspondents that he had developed a method to solve a particular problem, without giving any details! It was up to them to redo the work!
The last stop on this museum tour, in addition to the view of the Lomagnole bastide from the top of the 14 m tower, is a very well-designed exhibition on artificial intelligence. Its promises, kept or not, its risks, fantasized or not, and more prosaically how to use it wisely. An essential visit, don’t miss it.
Fermat Museum. Journey to the heart of mathematics and heritage. Opening hours in August: Tuesday to Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
