The study of special cases of elliptic curves goes back to Diophantos and Fermat, and today it is still one of the liveliest centers of research in number theory. This book, addressed to beginning graduate students, introduces basic theory from a contemporary viewpoint but with an eye to the historical background. The central portion deals with curves over the rationals: the Mordell-Wei finite basis theorem, points of finite order (Nagell-Lutz), etc. The treatment is structured by the local-global standpoint and culminates in the description of the Tate-Shafarevich group as the obstruction to a Hasse principle. In an introductory section the Hasse principle for conics is discussed. The book closes with sections on the theory over finite fields (the "Riemann hypothesis for function fields") and recently developed uses of elliptic curves for factoring large integers. Prerequisites are kept to a minimum; an acquaintance with the fundamentals of Galois theory is assumed, but no knowledge either of algebraic number theory or algebraic geometry is needed. The p-adic numbers are introduced from scratch. Many examples and exercises are included for the reader, and those new to elliptic curves, whether they are graduate students or specialists from other fields, will find this a valuable introduction.

Although number theorists have sometimes shunned and even disparaged computation in the past, today's applications of number theory to cryptography and computer security demand vast arithmetical computations. These demands have shifted the focus of studies in number theory and have changed attitudes toward computation itself.

This classic book, originally published in 1968, is based on notes of a year-long seminar the authors ran at Princeton University. The primary goal of the book was to give a rather complete presentation of algebraic aspects of global class field theory, and the authors accomplished this goal spectacularly: for more than 40 years since its first publication, the book has served as an ultimate source for many generations of mathematicians. In this revised edition, two mathematical additions complementing the exposition in the original text are made. The new edition also contains several new footnotes, additional references, and historical comments.

This volume is an outgrowth of the LMS Durham Symposium on L-functions, held in July 1989. The symposium consisted of several short courses, aimed at presenting rigorous but non-technical expositions of the latest research areas, and a number of individual lectures on specific topics. The contributors are all outstanding figures in the area of algebraic number theory and this volume will be of lasting value to students and researchers working in the area.

This book is a self-contained account of the one- and two-dimensional van der Corput method and its use in estimating exponential sums. These arise in many problems in analytic number theory. It is the first cohesive account of much of this material and will be welcomed by graduates and professionals in analytic number theory. The authors show how the method can be applied to problems such as upper bounds for the Riemann-Zeta function. the Dirichlet divisor problem, the distribution of square free numbers, and the Piatetski-Shapiro prime number theorem.

Originally published in 1934 in the Cambridge Tracts, this volume presents the theory of the distribution of the prime numbers in the series of natural numbers. The major part of the book is devoted to the analytical theory founded on the zeta-function of Riemann. Despite being out of print for a long time, this Tract still remains unsurpassed as an introduction to the field, combining an economy of detail with a clarity of exposition which eases the novice into this area.

The book is based on lecture notes of a course 'from elementary number theory to an introduction to matrix theory' given at the Technion to gifted high school students. It is problem based, and covers topics in undergraduate mathematics that can be introduced in high school through solving challenging problems. These topics include Number theory, Set Theory, Group Theory, Matrix Theory, and applications to cryptography and search engines.

In this volume, originally published in 1990, are included papers presented at two meetings; one a workshop on Number Theory and Cryptography, and the other, the annual meeting of the Australian Mathematical Society. Questions in number theory are of military and commercial importance for the security of communication, as they are related to codes and code-breaking. Papers in the volume range from problems in pure mathematics whose study has been intensified by this connection, through interesting theoretical and combinatorial problems which arise in the implementation, to practical questions that come from banking and telecommunications. The contributors are prominent within their field. The whole volume will be an attractive purchase for all number theorists, 'pure' or 'applied'.

This volume contains selected contributions from a very successful meeting on Number Theory and Dynamical Systems held at the University of York in 1987. There are close and surprising connections between number theory and dynamical systems. One emerged last century from the study of the stability of the solar system where problems of small divisors associated with the near resonance of planetary frequencies arose. Previously the question of the stability of the solar system was answered in more general terms by the celebrated KAM theorem, in which the relationship between near resonance (and so Diophantine approximation) and stability is of central importance. Other examples of the connections involve the work of Szemeredi and Furstenberg, and Sprindzuk. As well as containing results on the relationship between number theory and dynamical systems, the book also includes some more speculative and exploratory work which should stimulate interest in different approaches to old problems.

Hurwitz theory, the study of analytic functions among Riemann surfaces, is a classical field and active research area in algebraic geometry. The subject's interplay between algebra, geometry, topology and analysis is a beautiful example of the interconnectedness of mathematics. This book introduces students to this increasingly important field, covering key topics such as manifolds, monodromy representations and the Hurwitz potential. Designed for undergraduate study, this classroom-tested text includes over 100 exercises to provide motivation for the reader. Also included are short essays by guest writers on how they use Hurwitz theory in their work, which ranges from string theory to non-Archimedean geometry. Whether used in a course or as a self-contained reference for graduate students, this book will provide an exciting glimpse at mathematics beyond the standard university classes.

The Fourier coefficients of modular forms are of widespread interest as an important source of arithmetic information. In many cases, these coefficients can be recovered from explicit knowledge of the traces of Hecke operators. The original trace formula for Hecke operators was given by Selberg in 1956. Many improvements were made in subsequent years, notably by Eichler and Hijikata. This book provides a comprehensive modern treatment of the Eichler-Selberg/Hijikata trace formula for the traces of Hecke operators on spaces of holomorphic cusp forms of weight $\mathtt{k >2$ for congruence subgroups of $\operatorname{SL 2(\mathbf{Z )$. The first half of the text brings together the background from number theory and representation theory required for the computation. This includes detailed discussions of modular forms, Hecke operators, adeles and ideles, structure theory for $\operatorname{GL 2(\mathbf{A )$, strong approximation, integration on locally compact groups, the Poisson summation formula, adelic zeta functions, basic representation theory for locally compact groups, the unitary representations of $\operatorname{GL 2(\mathbf{R )$, and the connection between classical cusp forms and their adelic counterparts on $\operatorname{GL 2(\mathbf{A )$. The second half begins with a full development of the geometric side of the Arthur-Selberg trace formula for the group $\operatorname{GL 2(\mathbf{A )$. This leads to an expression for the trace of a Hecke operator, which is then computed explicitly. The exposition is virtually self-contained, with complete references for the occasional use of auxiliary results. The book concludes with several applications of the final formula.

The papers in this volume, which were presented at the 1985 Australian Mathematical Society convention, survey recent work in Diophantine analysis. The contributors are leading mathematicians in the world, and their articles are state of the art accounts, many of which include open problems pointing the way to further research. The contributions will be of general interest to number theorists and of particular interest to workers in transcendence theory, Diophantine approximation and exponential sums.

A cipher is a scheme for creating coded messages for the secure exchange of information. Throughout history, many different coding schemes have been devised. One of the oldest and simplest mathematical systems was used by Julius Caesar. This is where ""Mathematical Ciphers"" begins. Building on that simple system, Young moves on to more complicated schemes, ultimately ending with the RSA cipher, which is used to provide security for the Internet. This book is structured differently from most mathematics texts. It does not begin with a mathematical topic, but rather with a cipher. The mathematics is developed as it is needed; the applications motivate the mathematics. As is typical in mathematics textbooks, most chapters end with exercises. Many of these problems are similar to solved examples and are designed to assist the reader in mastering the basic material.A few of the exercises are one-of-a-kind, intended to challenge the interested reader. Implementing encryption schemes is considerably easier with the use of the computer. For all the ciphers introduced in this book, JavaScript programs are available from the Web. In addition to developing various encryption schemes, this book also introduces the reader to number theory. Here, the study of integers and their properties is placed in the exciting and modern context of cryptology. ""Mathematical Ciphers"" can be used as a textbook for an introductory course in mathematics for all majors. The only prerequisite is high school mathematics.

Based upon the renowned author's Cambridge lectures, the text simplifies the complexities of the basic elements of number theory and stimulates the reader to pursue further study.

Diophantine equations over number fields have formed one of the most important and fruitful areas of mathematics throughout civilisation. In recent years increasing interest has been aroused in the analogous area of equations over function fields. However, although considerable progress has been made by previous authors, none has attempted the central problem of providing methods for the actual solution of such equations. The latter is the purpose and achievement of this volume: algorithms are provided for the complete resolution of various families of equations, such as those of Thue, hyperelliptic and genus one type. The results are achieved by means of an original fundamental inequality, first announced by the author in 1982. Several specific examples are included as illustrations of the general method and as a testimony to its efficiency. Furthermore, bounds are obtained on the solutions which improve on those obtained previously by other means. Extending the equality to a different setting, namely that of positive characteristic, enables the various families of equations to be resolved in that circumstance. Finally, by applying the inequality in a different manner, simple bounds are determined on their solutions in rational functions of the general superelliptic equation. This book represents a self-contained account of a new approach to the subject, and one which plainly has not reached the full extent of its application. It also provides a more direct on the problems than any previous book. Little expert knowledge is required to follow the theory presented, and it will appeal to professional mathematicians, research students and the enthusiastic undergraduate.

Presenting the state of the art, the Handbook of Enumerative Combinatorics brings together the work of today's most prominent researchers. The contributors survey the methods of combinatorial enumeration along with the most frequent applications of these methods. This important new work is edited by Miklos Bona of the University of Florida where he is a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teaching Scholars. He received his Ph.D. in mathematics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1997. Miklos is the author of four books and more than 65 research articles, including the award-winning Combinatorics of Permutations. Miklos Bona is an editor-in-chief for the Electronic Journal of Combinatorics and Series Editor of the Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications Series for CRC Press/Chapman and Hall. The first two chapters provide a comprehensive overview of the most frequently used methods in combinatorial enumeration, including algebraic, geometric, and analytic methods. These chapters survey generating functions, methods from linear algebra, partially ordered sets, polytopes, hyperplane arrangements, and matroids. Subsequent chapters illustrate applications of these methods for counting a wide array of objects. The contributors for this book represent an international spectrum of researchers with strong histories of results. The chapters are organized so readers advance from the more general ones, namely enumeration methods, towards the more specialized ones. Topics include coverage of asymptotic normality in enumeration, planar maps, graph enumeration, Young tableaux, unimodality, log-concavity, real zeros, asymptotic normality, trees, generalized Catalan paths, computerized enumeration schemes, enumeration of various graph classes, words, tilings, pattern avoidance, computer algebra, and parking functions. This book will be beneficial to a wide audience. It will appeal to experts on the topic interested in learning more about the finer points, readers interested in a systematic and organized treatment of the topic, and novices who are new to the field.

Number theory is one of the oldest branches of mathematics that is primarily concerned with positive integers. While it has long been studied for its beauty and elegance as a branch of pure mathematics, it has seen a resurgence in recent years with the advent of the digital world for its modern applications in both computer science and cryptography. Number Theory: Step by Step is an undergraduate-level introduction to number theory that assumes no prior knowledge, but works to gradually increase the reader's confidence and ability to tackle more difficult material. The strength of the text is in its large number of examples and the step-by-step explanation of each topic as it is introduced to help aid understanding the abstract mathematics of number theory. It is compiled in such a way that allows self-study, with explicit solutions to all the set of problems freely available online via the companion website. Punctuating the text are short and engaging historical profiles that add context for the topics covered and provide a dynamic background for the subject matter.

Discrete mathematics and theoretical computer science are closely linked research areas with strong impacts on applications and various other scientific disciplines. Both fields deeply cross fertilize each other. One of the persons who particularly contributed to building bridges between these and many other areas is Laszlo Lovasz, a scholar whose outstanding scientific work has defined and shaped many research directions in the last 40 years. A number of friends and colleagues, all top authorities in their fields of expertise and all invited plenary speakers at one of two conferences in August 2008 in Hungary, both celebrating Lovasz's 60th birthday, have contributed their latest research papers to this volume. This collection of articles offers an excellent view on the state of combinatorics and related topics and will be of interest for experienced specialists as well as young researchers.

Welcome to diophantine analysis - an area of number theory in which we attempt to discover hidden treasures and truths within the jungle of numbers by exploring rational numbers. Diophantine analysis comprises two different but interconnected domains - diophantine approximation and diophantine equations. This highly readable book brings to life the fundamental ideas and theorems from diophantine approximation, geometry of numbers, diophantine geometry and $p$-adic analysis. Through an engaging style, readers participate in a journey through these areas of number theory. Each mathematical theme is presented in a self-contained manner and is motivated by very basic notions. The reader becomes an active participant in the explorations, as each module includes a sequence of numbered questions to be answered and statements to be verified. Many hints and remarks are provided to be freely used and enjoyed.Each module then closes with a Big Picture Question that invites the reader to step back from all the technical details and take a panoramic view of how the ideas at hand fit into the larger mathematical landscape. This book enlists the reader to build intuition, develop ideas and prove results in a very user-friendly and enjoyable environment. Little background is required and a familiarity with number theory is not expected. All that is needed for most of the material is an understanding of calculus and basic linear algebra together with the desire and ability to prove theorems. The minimal background requirement combined with the author's fresh approach and engaging style make this book enjoyable and accessible to second-year undergraduates, and even advanced high school students. The author's refreshing new spin on more traditional discovery approaches makes this book appealing to any mathematician and/or fan of number theory.

This volume and ""Kvant Selecta: Algebra and Analysis, II"" (MAWRLD/15) are the first volumes of articles published from 1970 to 1990 in the Russian journal, ""Kvant"". The influence of this magazine on mathematics and physics education in Russia is unmatched. This collection represents the Russian tradition of expository mathematical writing at its best. Articles selected for these two volumes are written by leading Russian mathematicians and expositors. Some articles contain classical mathematical gems still used in university curricula today. Others feature cutting-edge research from the twentieth century.The articles in these books are written so as to present genuine mathematics in a conceptual, entertaining, and accessible way. The volumes are designed to be used by students and teachers who love mathematics and want to study its various aspects, thus deepening and expanding the school curriculum. The first volume is mainly devoted to various topics in number theory, whereas the second volume treats diverse aspects of analysis and algebra.

This book presents a selection of papers presented to the Second Inter national Symposium on Semi-Markov Models: Theory and Applications held in Compiegne (France) in December 1998. This international meeting had the same aim as the first one held in Brussels in 1984: to make, fourteen years later, the state of the art in the field of semi-Markov processes and their applications, bring together researchers in this field and also to stimulate fruitful discussions. The set of the subjects of the papers presented in Compiegne has a lot of similarities with the preceding Symposium; this shows that the main fields of semi-Markov processes are now well established particularly for basic applications in Reliability and Maintenance, Biomedicine, Queue ing, Control processes and production. A growing field is the one of insurance and finance but this is not really a surprising fact as the problem of pricing derivative products represents now a crucial problem in economics and finance. For example, stochastic models can be applied to financial and insur ance models as we have to evaluate the uncertainty of the future market behavior in order, firstly, to propose different measures for important risks such as the interest risk, the risk of default or the risk of catas trophe and secondly, to describe how to act in order to optimize the situation in time. Recently, the concept of VaR (Value at Risk) was "discovered" in portfolio theory enlarging so the fundamental model of Markowitz."

"A fascinating book." -James Ryerson, New York Times Book Review A Smithsonian Best Science Book of the Year Winner of the PROSE Award for Best Book in Language & Linguistics Carved into our past and woven into our present, numbers shape our perceptions of the world far more than we think. In this sweeping account of how the invention of numbers sparked a revolution in human thought and culture, Caleb Everett draws on new discoveries in psychology, anthropology, and linguistics to reveal the many things made possible by numbers, from the concept of time to writing, agriculture, and commerce. Numbers are a tool, like the wheel, developed and refined over millennia. They allow us to grasp quantities precisely, but recent research confirms that they are not innate-and without numbers, we could not fully grasp quantities greater than three. Everett considers the number systems that have developed in different societies as he shares insights from his fascinating work with indigenous Amazonians. "This is bold, heady stuff... The breadth of research Everett covers is impressive, and allows him to develop a narrative that is both global and compelling... Numbers is eye-opening, even eye-popping." -New Scientist "A powerful and convincing case for Everett's main thesis: that numbers are neither natural nor innate to humans." -Wall Street Journal

Outer billiards provides a toy model for planetary motion and exhibits intricate and mysterious behavior even for seemingly simple examples. It is a dynamical system in which a particle in the plane moves around the outside of a convex shape according to a scheme that is reminiscent of ordinary billiards. The Plaid Model, which is a self-contained sequel to Richard Schwartz's Outer Billiards on Kites, provides a combinatorial model for orbits of outer billiards on kites. Schwartz relates these orbits to such topics as polytope exchange transformations, renormalization, continued fractions, corner percolation, and the Truchet tile system. The combinatorial model, called "the plaid model," has a self-similar structure that blends geometry and elementary number theory. The results were discovered through computer experimentation and it seems that the conclusions would be extremely difficult to reach through traditional mathematics. The book includes an extensive computer program that allows readers to explore the materials interactively and each theorem is accompanied by a computer demonstration.

This text is a rigorous introduction to ergodic theory, developing the machinery of conditional measures and expectations, mixing, and recurrence.

Beginning by developing the basics of ergodic theory and progressing to describe some recent applications to number theory, this book goes beyond the standard texts in this topic. Applications include Weyl's polynomial equidistribution theorem, the ergodic proof of Szemeredi's theorem, the connection between the continued fraction map and the modular surface, and a proof of the equidistribution of horocycle orbits.

"Ergodic Theory with a view towards Number Theory" will appeal to mathematicians with some standard background in measure theory and functional analysis. No background in ergodic theory or Lie theory is assumed, and a number of exercises and hints to problems are included, making this the perfect companion for graduate students and researchers in ergodic theory, homogenous dynamics or number theory.

This book uses finite field theory as a hook to introduce the reader to a range of ideas from algebra and number theory. It constructs all finite fields from scratch and shows that they are unique up to isomorphism. As a payoff, several combinatorial applications of finite fields are given: Sidon sets and perfect difference sets, de Bruijn sequences and a magic trick of Persi Diaconis, and the polynomial time algorithm for primality testing due to Agrawal, Kayal and Saxena. The book forms the basis for a one term intensive course with students meeting weekly for multiple lectures and a discussion session. Readers can expect to develop familiarity with ideas in algebra (groups, rings and fields), and elementary number theory, which would help with later classes where these are developed in greater detail. And they will enjoy seeing the AKS primality test application tying together the many disparate topics from the book. The pre-requisites for reading this book are minimal: familiarity with proof writing, some linear algebra, and one variable calculus is assumed. This book is aimed at incoming undergraduate students with a strong interest in mathematics or computer science.