History of Congruent Numbers problem
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From: GeoffTims on 11 Jul 2010 12:24 I am replying to myself as I have found the answer to my own question, I believe, and I want to be sure that if any one else searches for this, they can see the answer as well. The answer is that Fibonacci discovered 7 is a congruent number first and Euler also did after him, and this is perhaps why Koblitz attributes it to Euler. The answer is in Dickson, but a few pages past where I was looking, so I admit that I should have read farther originally, though I thought I had read the entire portion relating to Fibonacci and that would be enough. Dickson says in his history, Volume II: "L Euler noted (as had Leonardo) that p^2 +- 5q^2 are both squares for p=41, q=12; p^2 +- 7q^2 both squares for p=337, q=120." |