The Alternative Form of Fermat's Equation

Abstract

An alternative form of Fermats equation[1] is proposed. It represents a portion of the identity that includes three terms of Fermats original equation. This alternative form permits an elementary and compact proof of the first case of Fermats Theorem (FT) for a number of specific exponents. Proofs are given for exponents n equal to 3, 5, 7,11 and 13. All these cases have already been proven using the original Fermats equation, not to mention the fact that a complete proof of FT was given by A. Wiles [2]. In view of this, the results presented here carry a purely methodological interest. They illustrate the effectiveness and simplicity of the method,compared with the well-known classical approach. An alternative form of the equation permits use of the criterion of the incompatibility of its terms, avoiding the labor-intensive and sophisticated calculations associated with traditional approach.