Presents an approach to algebraic geometry of curves that is treated as the theory of algebraic functions on the curve. This book discusses such topics as the theory of divisors on a curve, the Riemann-Roch theorem, $p$-adic completion, and extensions of the fields of functions (covering theory) and of the fields of constants.
This book is an introduction to the theory of algebraic numbers and algebraic functions of one variable. The basic development is the same for both using E Artin's legant approach, via valuations. Number Theory is pursued as far as the unit theorem and the finiteness of the class number. In function theory the aim is the Abel-Jacobi theorem describing the devisor class group, with occasional geometrical asides to help understanding. Assuming only an undergraduate course in algebra, plus a little acquaintance with topology and complex function theory, the book serves as an introduction to more technical works in algebraic number theory, function theory or algebraic geometry by an exposition of the central themes in the subject.
This book serves to introduce the general notions, the concepts, and the methods which underlie the theories of algebraic numbers and algebraic functions, primarily in one variable. It also introduces the theory of elliptic modular functions, which has deep applications in analytic number theory.
The fields of algebraic functions of one variable appear in several areas of mathematics: complex analysis, algebraic geometry, and number theory. This text adopts the latter perspective by applying an arithmetic-algebraic viewpoint to the study of function fields as part of the algebraic theory of numbers. The examination explains both the similarities and fundamental differences between function fields and number fields, including many exercises and examples to enhance understanding and motivate further study. The only prerequisites are a basic knowledge of field theory, complex analysis, and some commutative algebra.
This book is the first English translation of the classic long paper Theorie der algebraischen Functionen einer Veranderlichen (Theory of algebraic functions of one variable), published by Dedekind and Weber in 1882. The translation has been enriched by a Translator's Introduction that includes historical background, and also by extensive commentary embedded in the translation itself. The translation, introduction, and commentary provide the first easy access to this important paper for a wide mathematical audience: students, historians of mathematics, and professional mathematicians. Why is the Dedekind-Weber paper important? In the 1850s, Riemann initiated a revolution in algebraic geometry by interpreting algebraic curves as surfaces covering the sphere. He obtained deep and striking results in pure algebra by intuitive arguments about surfaces and their topology. However, Riemann's arguments were not rigorous, and they remained in limbo until 1882, when Dedekind and Weber put them on a sound foundation. The key to this breakthrough was to develop the theory of algebraic functions in analogy with Dedekind's theory of algebraic numbers, where the concept of ideal plays a central role. By introducing such concepts into the theory of algebraic curves, Dedekind and Weber paved the way for modern algebraic geometry.
This is a translation of Iwasawa's 1973 book, Theory of Algebraic Functions originally published in Japanese. Because the book treats mainly the classical part of the theory of algebraic functions, emphasizing analytic methods, it provides an excellent introduction to the subject from the classical viewpoint. Directed at graduate students, the book requires some basic knowledge of algebra, topology, and functions of a complex variable.
