Classical Theory Of Arithmetic Functions

This volume focuses on the classical theory of number-theoretic functions emphasizing algebraic and multiplicative techniques. It contains many structure theorems basic to the study of arithmetic functions, including several previously unpublished proofs. The author is head of the Dept. of Mathemati

This volume focuses on the classical theory of number-theoretic functions emphasizing algebraic and multiplicative techniques. It contains many structure theorems basic to the study of arithmetic functions, including several previously unpublished proofs. The author is head of the Dept. of Mathemati

A 2006 text based on courses taught successfully over many years at Michigan, Imperial College and Pennsylvania State.

The theory of arithmetical functions has always been one of the more active parts of the theory of numbers. The large number of papers in the bibliography, most of which were written in the last forty years, attests to its popularity. Most textbooks on the theory of numbers contain some information on arithmetical functions, usually results which are classical. My purpose is to carry the reader beyond the point at which the textbooks abandon the subject. In each chapter there are some results which can be described as contemporary, and in some chapters this is true of almost all the material. This is an introduction to the subject, not a treatise. It should not be expected that it covers every topic in the theory of arithmetical functions. The bibliography is a list of papers related to the topics that are covered, and it is at least a good approximation to a complete list within the limits I have set for myself. In the case of some of the topics omitted from or slighted in the book, I cite expository papers on those topics.

"This monograph is devoted to arithmetic functions, an area of number theory. Arithmetic functions are very important in many parts of theoretical and applied sciences, and many mathematicians have devoted great interest in this field. One of the interesting features of this book is the introduction and study of certain new arithmetic functions that have been considered by the authors separately or together, and their importance is shown in many connections with the classical arithmetic functions or in their applications to other problems"--

Early in the development of number theory, it was noticed that the ring of integers has many properties in common with the ring of polynomials over a finite field. The first part of this book illustrates this relationship by presenting analogues of various theorems. The later chapters probe the analogy between global function fields and algebraic number fields. Topics include the ABC-conjecture, Brumer-Stark conjecture, and Drinfeld modules.

[Hilbert's] style has not the terseness of many of our modem authors in mathematics, which is based on the assumption that printer's labor and paper are costly but the reader's effort and time are not. H. Weyl [143] The purpose of this book is to describe the classical problems in additive number theory and to introduce the circle method and the sieve method, which are the basic analytical and combinatorial tools used to attack these problems. This book is intended for students who want to lel?Ill additive number theory, not for experts who already know it. For this reason, proofs include many "unnecessary" and "obvious" steps; this is by design. The archetypical theorem in additive number theory is due to Lagrange: Every nonnegative integer is the sum of four squares. In general, the set A of nonnegative integers is called an additive basis of order h if every nonnegative integer can be written as the sum of h not necessarily distinct elements of A. Lagrange 's theorem is the statement that the squares are a basis of order four. The set A is called a basis offinite order if A is a basis of order h for some positive integer h. Additive number theory is in large part the study of bases of finite order. The classical bases are the squares, cubes, and higher powers; the polygonal numbers; and the prime numbers. The classical questions associated with these bases are Waring's problem and the Goldbach conjecture.