Pietro Mengoli and the six-square problem (Q1323506)
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scientific article; zbMATH DE number 567605
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Pietro Mengoli and the six-square problem |
scientific article; zbMATH DE number 567605 |
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Pietro Mengoli and the six-square problem (English)
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4 September 1994
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The six-square problem asks for three numbers for which the sum and the difference of any two is a square. This attracted a great deal of attention and a solution by such seventeenth century mathematicians as Jacques De Billy, Jacques Ozanam and Pietro Mengoli (1625-1686). The author presents Mengoli's initial erroneous argument that the problem is unsolvable as well as the methods used by all three to obtain a solution. He argues that the French mathematicians were more proficient in algebraic techniques than the Italian.
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Diophantine equations
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six square problem
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Jacques De Billy
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