Number Theory

Catalog description

The subject of number theory is one of the oldest in mathematics. The course will cover some basic material and describe interesting applications. One of the recurrent themes is the realization that mathematics that was developed usually for its own sake, has found applications in many unexpected problems. Some of the topics covered in the class are Pythagorean triples, prime numbers, divisibility and the highest common divisor, linear diophantine equations, congruences, round-robin tournaments and perpetual calendars, multiple functions, perfect numbers, primitive roots, pseudo-random numbers, decimal fractions and continued fractions, quadratic reciprocity.