An Illustrated Theory Of Numbers

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.

Seeing arithmetic -- Foundations -- The Euclidean algorithm -- Prime factorization -- Rational and constructible numbers -- Gaussian and Eisenstein integers -- Modular arithmetic -- The modular worlds -- Modular dynamics -- Assembling the modular worlds -- Quadratic residues -- Quadratic forms -- The topograph -- Definite forms -- Indefinite forms

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

Unusually clear, accessible introduction covers counting, properties of numbers, prime numbers, Aliquot parts, Diophantine problems, congruences, much more. Bibliography.

Challenging, accessible mathematical adventures involving prime numbers, number patterns, irrationals and iterations, calculating prodigies, and more. No special training is needed, just high school mathematics and an inquisitive mind. "A splendidly written, well selected and presented collection. I recommend the book unreservedly to all readers." — Martin Gardner.

"...the great feature of the book is that anyone can read it without excessive head scratching...You'll find plenty here to keep you occupied, amused, and informed. Buy, dip in, wallow." -IAN STEWART, NEW SCIENTIST "...a delightful look at numbers and their roles in everything from language to flowers to the imagination." -SCIENCE NEWS "...a fun and fascinating tour of numerical topics and concepts. It will have readers contemplating ideas they might never have thought were understandable or even possible." -WISCONSIN BOOKWATCH "This popularization of number theory looks like another classic." -LIBRARY JOURNAL

Geometry and the theory of numbers are as old as some of the oldest historical records of humanity. Ever since antiquity, mathematicians have discovered many beautiful interactions between the two subjects and recorded them in such classical texts as Euclid's Elements and Diophantus's Arithmetica. Nowadays, the field of mathematics that studies the interactions between number theory and algebraic geometry is known as arithmetic geometry. This book is an introduction to number theory and arithmetic geometry, and the goal of the text is to use geometry as the motivation to prove the main theorems in the book. For example, the fundamental theorem of arithmetic is a consequence of the tools we develop in order to find all the integral points on a line in the plane. Similarly, Gauss's law of quadratic reciprocity and the theory of continued fractions naturally arise when we attempt to determine the integral points on a curve in the plane given by a quadratic polynomial equation. After an introduction to the theory of diophantine equations, the rest of the book is structured in three acts that correspond to the study of the integral and rational solutions of linear, quadratic, and cubic curves, respectively. This book describes many applications including modern applications in cryptography; it also presents some recent results in arithmetic geometry. With many exercises, this book can be used as a text for a first course in number theory or for a subsequent course on arithmetic (or diophantine) geometry at the junior-senior level.