cannot be written as a fraction—a claim that had eluded mathematicians for centuries.
At a 1978 conference in Marseille, Apéry presented a proof that cannot be written as a fraction—a claim that
It appears in quantum electrodynamics , specifically relating to the anomalous magnetic moment of the electron. The "Miraculous" 1978 Proof Significance: While even zeta values like have clear
ζ(3)=∑n=1∞1n3=1+123+133+…zeta open paren 3 close paren equals sum from n equals 1 to infinity of the fraction with numerator 1 and denominator n cubed end-fraction equals 1 plus the fraction with numerator 1 and denominator 2 cubed end-fraction plus the fraction with numerator 1 and denominator 3 cubed end-fraction plus … It is approximately 1.2020569 . Significance: While even zeta values like have clear closed forms involving , no such "neat" form exists for cannot be written as a fraction—a claim that
Roger Apéry was a French mathematician best known for the 1978 proof of the irrationality of the Riemann zeta function at 3, , now known as . Apéry’s Constant ( )