Number Theory in Science and Communication introductes non-mathematicians to the fascinating and diverse applications of number theory. This best-selling book stresses intuitive understanding rather than abstract theory. This revised fourth edition is augmented by recent advances in primes in progressions, twin primes, prime triplets, prime quadruplets and quintruplets, factoring with elliptic curves, quantum factoring, Golomb rulers and "baroque" integers.
"Number Theory in Science and Communication" is a well-known introduction for non-mathematicians to this fascinating and useful branch of applied mathematics . It stresses intuitive understanding rather than abstract theory and highlights important concepts such as continued fractions, the golden ratio, quadratic residues and Chinese remainders, trapdoor functions, pseudo primes and primitive elements. Their applications to problems in the real world are one of the main themes of the book. This revised fifth edition is augmented by recent advances in coding theory, permutations and derangements and a chapter in quantum cryptography. From reviews of earlier editions – "I continue to find [Schroeder’s] Number Theory a goldmine of valuable information. It is a marvelous book, in touch with the most recent applications of number theory and written with great clarity and humor.’ Philip Morrison (Scientific American) "A light-hearted and readable volume with a wide range of applications to which the author has been a productive contributor – useful mathematics outside the formalities of theorem and proof." Martin Gardner
"Beauty is the first test: there is no permanent place in the world for ugly mathematics. " - G. H. Hardy N umber theory has been considered since time immemorial to be the very paradigm of pure (some would say useless) mathematics. In fact, the Chinese characters for mathematics are Number Science. "Mathematics is the queen of sciences - and number theory is the queen of mathematics," according to Carl Friedrich Gauss, the lifelong Wunderkind, who hirnself enjoyed the epithet "Princeps Mathematicorum. " What could be more beautiful than a deep, satisfying relation between whole numbers. {One is almost tempted to call them wholesome numbersJ In fact, it is hard to come up with a more appropriate designation than their learned name: the integers - meaning the "untouched ones". How high they rank, in the realms of pure thought and aesthetics, above their lesser brethren: the real and complex number- whose first names virtually exude unsavory involvement with the complex realities of everyday life! Yet, as we shall see in this book, the theory of integers can provide totally unexpected answers to real-world problems. In fact, discrete mathematics is ta king on an ever more important role. If nothing else, the advent of the digital computer and digital communication has seen to that. But even earlier, in physics the emergence of quantum mechanics and discrete elementary particles put a premium on the methods and, indeed, the spirit of discrete mathematics.
Number Theory in Science and Communication is an introduction for non-mathematicians. The book stresses intuitive understanding rather than abstract theory and highlights important concepts such as continued fractions, the golden ratio, quadratic residues and Chinese remainders, trapdoor functions, pseudoprimes and primituve elements. Their applications to problems in the real world is one of the main themes of the book. This third edition is augmented by recent advances in primes in progressions, twin primes, prime triplets, prime quadruplets and quintruplets, factoring with elliptic curves, quantum factoring, Golomb rulers and "baroque" integers.
This book provides an overview of the theory and practice of science communication. It deals with modes of informal communication such as science centres, television programs, and journalism and the research that informs practitioners about the effectiveness of their programs. It aims to meet the needs of those studying science communication and will form a readily accessible source of expertise for communicators.
7 Les Houches Number theory, or arithmetic, sometimes referred to as the queen of mathematics, is often considered as the purest branch of mathematics. It also has the false repu tation of being without any application to other areas of knowledge. Nevertheless, throughout their history, physical and natural sciences have experienced numerous unexpected relationships to number theory. The book entitled Number Theory in Science and Communication, by M.R. Schroeder (Springer Series in Information Sciences, Vol. 7, 1984) provides plenty of examples of cross-fertilization between number theory and a large variety of scientific topics. The most recent developments of theoretical physics have involved more and more questions related to number theory, and in an increasingly direct way. This new trend is especially visible in two broad families of physical problems. The first class, dynamical systems and quasiperiodicity, includes classical and quantum chaos, the stability of orbits in dynamical systems, K.A.M. theory, and problems with "small denominators", as well as the study of incommensurate structures, aperiodic tilings, and quasicrystals. The second class, which includes the string theory of fundamental interactions, completely integrable models, and conformally invariant two-dimensional field theories, seems to involve modular forms and p adic numbers in a remarkable way.
Scientific knowledge grows at a phenomenal pace--but few books have had as lasting an impact or played as important a role in our modern world as The Mathematical Theory of Communication, published originally as a paper on communication theory more than fifty years ago. Republished in book form shortly thereafter, it has since gone through four hardcover and sixteen paperback printings. It is a revolutionary work, astounding in its foresight and contemporaneity. The University of Illinois Press is pleased and honored to issue this commemorative reprinting of a classic.
This witty introduction to number theory deals with the properties of numbers and numbers as abstract concepts. Topics include primes, divisibility, quadratic forms, and related theorems.
Unusually clear, accessible introduction covers counting, properties of numbers, prime numbers, Aliquot parts, Diophantine problems, congruences, much more. Bibliography.
This textbook effectively builds a bridge from basic number theory to recent advances in applied number theory. It presents the first unified account of the four major areas of application where number theory plays a fundamental role, namely cryptography, coding theory, quasi-Monte Carlo methods, and pseudorandom number generation, allowing the authors to delineate the manifold links and interrelations between these areas. Number theory, which Carl-Friedrich Gauss famously dubbed the queen of mathematics, has always been considered a very beautiful field of mathematics, producing lovely results and elegant proofs. While only very few real-life applications were known in the past, today number theory can be found in everyday life: in supermarket bar code scanners, in our cars’ GPS systems, in online banking, etc. Starting with a brief introductory course on number theory in Chapter 1, which makes the book more accessible for undergraduates, the authors describe the four main application areas in Chapters 2-5 and offer a glimpse of advanced results that are presented without proofs and require more advanced mathematical skills. In the last chapter they review several further applications of number theory, ranging from check-digit systems to quantum computation and the organization of raster-graphics memory. Upper-level undergraduates, graduates and researchers in the field of number theory will find this book to be a valuable resource.
