An Introduction To The Circle Method

The circle method, pioneered by Ramanujan and Hardy in the early 20th century, has over the past 100 years become part of the standard tool chest of analytic number theory. Its scope of applications is ever-expanding, and the subject continues to see important breakthroughs. This book provides an introduction to the circle method that is accessible to undergraduate students with no background in number theory. The authors' goal is to show the students the elegance of the circle method and at the same time give a complete solution of the famous Waring problem as an illustration of the method. The first half of this book is a curated introduction to elementary number theory with an emphasis on topics needed for the second half. The second half showcases the two most “classic” applications of the circle method, to Waring's problem (following Hardy–Littlewood–Hua) and to Goldbach's conjectures (following Vinogradov, with improvements by Vaughan). This text is suitable for a one-semester undergraduate course or for independent study and will be a great entry point into this fascinating area of research.

In a manner accessible to beginning undergraduates, An Invitation to Modern Number Theory introduces many of the central problems, conjectures, results, and techniques of the field, such as the Riemann Hypothesis, Roth's Theorem, the Circle Method, and Random Matrix Theory. Showing how experiments are used to test conjectures and prove theorems, the book allows students to do original work on such problems, often using little more than calculus (though there are numerous remarks for those with deeper backgrounds). It shows students what number theory theorems are used for and what led to them and suggests problems for further research. Steven Miller and Ramin Takloo-Bighash introduce the problems and the computational skills required to numerically investigate them, providing background material (from probability to statistics to Fourier analysis) whenever necessary. They guide students through a variety of problems, ranging from basic number theory, cryptography, and Goldbach's Problem, to the algebraic structures of numbers and continued fractions, showing connections between these subjects and encouraging students to study them further. In addition, this is the first undergraduate book to explore Random Matrix Theory, which has recently become a powerful tool for predicting answers in number theory. Providing exercises, references to the background literature, and Web links to previous student research projects, An Invitation to Modern Number Theory can be used to teach a research seminar or a lecture class.

This set of lectures provides a structured introduction to the concept of equidistribution in number theory. This concept is of growing importance in many areas, including cryptography, zeros of L-functions, Heegner points, prime number theory, the theory of quadratic forms, and the arithmetic aspects of quantum chaos. The volume brings together leading researchers from a range of fields who reveal fascinating links between seemingly disparate areas.

Meetings in the round have become the preferred tool for moving individual commitment into group action. This book lays out the structure of circle conversation, based on the original work of the authors who have standardized the essential elements that constitute circle practice.

The Hardy-Littlewood method is a means of estimating the number of integer solutions of equations and was first applied to Waring's problem on representations of integers by sums of powers. This introduction to the method deals with its classical forms and outlines some of the more recent developments. Now in its second edition it has been fully updated; the author has made extensive revisions and added a new chapter to take account of major advances by Vaughan and Wooley. The reader is expected to be familiar with elementary number theory and postgraduate students should find it of great use as an advanced textbook. It will also be indispensable to all lecturers and research workers interested in number theory.

This book is an introduction to analytic number theory suitable for beginning graduate students. It covers everything one expects in a first course in this field, such as growth of arithmetic functions, existence of primes in arithmetic progressions, and the Prime Number Theorem. But it also covers more challenging topics that might be used in a second course, such as the Siegel-Walfisz theorem, functional equations of L-functions, and the explicit formula of von Mangoldt. For students with an interest in Diophantine analysis, there is a chapter on the Circle Method and Waring's Problem. Those with an interest in algebraic number theory may find the chapter on the analytic theory of number fields of interest, with proofs of the Dirichlet unit theorem, the analytic class number formula, the functional equation of the Dedekind zeta function, and the Prime Ideal Theorem. The exposition is both clear and precise, reflecting careful attention to the needs of the reader. The text includes extensive historical notes, which occur at the ends of the chapters. The exercises range from introductory problems and standard problems in analytic number theory to interesting original problems that will challenge the reader. The author has made an effort to provide clear explanations for the techniques of analysis used. No background in analysis beyond rigorous calculus and a first course in complex function theory is assumed.

The Hardy–Littlewood circle method was invented over a century ago to study integer solutions to special Diophantine equations, but it has since proven to be one of the most successful all-purpose tools available to number theorists. Not only is it capable of handling remarkably general systems of polynomial equations defined over arbitrary global fields, but it can also shed light on the space of rational curves that lie on algebraic varieties. This book, in which the arithmetic of cubic polynomials takes centre stage, is aimed at bringing beginning graduate students into contact with some of the many facets of the circle method, both classical and modern. This monograph is the winner of the 2021 Ferran Sunyer i Balaguer Prize, a prestigious award for books of expository nature presenting the latest developments in an active area of research in mathematics.

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