University of Oxford professor Sir Andrew Wiles has solved an old mathematical problem and been awarded the Abel Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in the field. Sir Andrew Wiles’ proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem also earned him the prize of £500,000 for proving a theory that has bewildered mathematicians since it was proposed by its creator nearly 400 years ago, and who ran out of jotting paper before finishing the proof of his own theory. Tech Times reports: Sir Andrew Wiles, a 62-year-old number theorist, was awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters with the 2016 Abel Prize for his work on Fermat’s Last Theorem. The Abel Prize, which is regarded as the Nobel Prize for mathematics, is worth 6 million kroner (equivalent to £500,000 or $700,000). Wiles’ work had opened new tools that allowed researchers to make great and ambitious strides to bring together disparate branches of mathematics. The academy described the achievement as an “epochal moment” for academics. The Oxford professor said solving the theorem gave him an overwhelming sense of fulfilment. “It is a tremendous honor to receive the Abel Prize and to join the previous laureates who have made such outstanding contributions [...]