Number theory, the branch of mathematics that studies the properties of the integers, is a repository of interesting and quite varied problems, sometimes impossibly difficult ones. In this book, the authors have gathered together a collection of problems from various topics in number theory that they find beautiful, intriguing, and from a certain point of view instructive.
Many of the important and creative developments in modern mathematics resulted from attempts to solve questions that originate in number theory. The publication of Emil Grosswald’s classic text presents an illuminating introduction to number theory. Combining the historical developments with the analytical approach, Topics from the Theory of Numbers offers the reader a diverse range of subjects to investigate.
News about this title: — Author Marty Weissman has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for 2020. (Learn more here.) — Selected as a 2018 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title — 2018 PROSE Awards Honorable Mention An Illustrated Theory of Numbers gives a comprehensive introduction to number theory, with complete proofs, worked examples, and exercises. Its exposition reflects the most recent scholarship in mathematics and its history. Almost 500 sharp illustrations accompany elegant proofs, from prime decomposition through quadratic reciprocity. Geometric and dynamical arguments provide new insights, and allow for a rigorous approach with less algebraic manipulation. The final chapters contain an extended treatment of binary quadratic forms, using Conway's topograph to solve quadratic Diophantine equations (e.g., Pell's equation) and to study reduction and the finiteness of class numbers. Data visualizations introduce the reader to open questions and cutting-edge results in analytic number theory such as the Riemann hypothesis, boundedness of prime gaps, and the class number 1 problem. Accompanying each chapter, historical notes curate primary sources and secondary scholarship to trace the development of number theory within and outside the Western tradition. Requiring only high school algebra and geometry, this text is recommended for a first course in elementary number theory. It is also suitable for mathematicians seeking a fresh perspective on an ancient subject.
One of the oldest branches of mathematics, number theory is a vast field devoted to studying the properties of whole numbers. Offering a flexible format for a one- or two-semester course, Introduction to Number Theory uses worked examples, numerous exercises, and two popular software packages to describe a diverse array of number theory topi
Written by an authority with great practical and teaching experience in the field, this book addresses a number of topics in computational number theory. Chapters one through five form a homogenous subject matter suitable for a six-month or year-long course in computational number theory. The subsequent chapters deal with more miscellaneous subjects.
At the time of Professor Rademacher's death early in 1969, there was available a complete manuscript of the present work. The editors had only to supply a few bibliographical references and to correct a few misprints and errors. No substantive changes were made in the manu script except in one or two places where references to additional material appeared; since this material was not found in Rademacher's papers, these references were deleted. The editors are grateful to Springer-Verlag for their helpfulness and courtesy. Rademacher started work on the present volume no later than 1944; he was still working on it at the inception of his final illness. It represents the parts of analytic number theory that were of greatest interest to him. The editors, his students, offer this work as homage to the memory of a great man to whom they, in common with all number theorists, owe a deep and lasting debt. E. Grosswald Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, U.S.A. J. Lehner University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 and National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC 20234, U.S.A. M. Newman National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC 20234, U.S.A. Contents I. Analytic tools Chapter 1. Bernoulli polynomials and Bernoulli numbers ....... . 1 1. The binomial coefficients ..................................... . 1 2. The Bernoulli polynomials .................................... . 4 3. Zeros of the Bernoulli polynomials ............................. . 7 4. The Bernoulli numbers ....................................... . 9 5. The von Staudt-Clausen theorem .............................. . 10 6. A multiplication formula for the Bernoulli polynomials ........... .
Elements of the Theory of Numbers teaches students how to develop, implement, and test numerical methods for standard mathematical problems. The authors have created a two-pronged pedagogical approach that integrates analysis and algebra with classical number theory. Making greater use of the language and concepts in algebra and analysis than is traditionally encountered in introductory courses, this pedagogical approach helps to instill in the minds of the students the idea of the unity of mathematics. Elements of the Theory of Numbers is a superb summary of classical material as well as allowing the reader to take a look at the exciting role of analysis and algebra in number theory. * In-depth coverage of classical number theory * Thorough discussion of the theory of groups and rings * Includes application of Taylor polynomials * Contains more advanced material than other texts * Illustrates the results of a theorem with an example * Excellent presentation of the standard computational exercises * Nearly 1000 problems--many are proof-oriented, several others require the writing of computer programs to complete the computations * Clear and well-motivated presentation * Provides historical references noting distinguished number theory luminaries such as Euclid, de Fermat, Hilbert, Brun, and Lehmer, to name a few * Annotated bibliographies appear at the end of all of the chapters
This excellent textbook introduces the basics of number theory, incorporating the language of abstract algebra. A knowledge of such algebraic concepts as group, ring, field, and domain is not assumed, however; all terms are defined and examples are given — making the book self-contained in this respect. The author begins with an introductory chapter on number theory and its early history. Subsequent chapters deal with unique factorization and the GCD, quadratic residues, number-theoretic functions and the distribution of primes, sums of squares, quadratic equations and quadratic fields, diophantine approximation, and more. Included are discussions of topics not always found in introductory texts: factorization and primality of large integers, p-adic numbers, algebraic number fields, Brun's theorem on twin primes, and the transcendence of e, to mention a few. Readers will find a substantial number of well-chosen problems, along with many notes and bibliographical references selected for readability and relevance. Five helpful appendixes — containing such study aids as a factor table, computer-plotted graphs, a table of indices, the Greek alphabet, and a list of symbols — and a bibliography round out this well-written text, which is directed toward undergraduate majors and beginning graduate students in mathematics. No post-calculus prerequisite is assumed. 1977 edition.
"This book, which presupposes familiarity only with the most elementary concepts of arithmetic (divisibility properties, greatest common divisor, etc.), is an expanded version of a series of lectures for graduate students on elementary number theory. Topics include: Compositions and Partitions; Arithmetic Functions; Distribution of Primes; Irrational Numbers; Congruences; Diophantine Equations; Combinatorial Number Theory; and Geometry of Numbers. Three sections of problems (which include exercises as well as unsolved problems) complete the text."--Publisher's description
