Where did math come from? Who thought up all those algebra symbols, and why? What is the story behind $\pi$? ... negative numbers? ... the metric system? ... quadratic equations? ... sine and cosine? ... logs? The 30 independent historical sketches in Math through the Ages answer these questions and many others in an informal, easygoing style that is accessible to teachers, students, and anyone who is curious about the history of mathematical ideas. Each sketch includes Questions and Projects to help you learn more about its topic and to see how the main ideas fit into the bigger picture of history. The 30 short stories are preceded by a 58-page bird's-eye overview of the entire panorama of mathematical history, a whirlwind tour of the most important people, events, and trends that shaped the mathematics we know today. ""What to Read Next'' and reading suggestions after each sketch provide starting points for readers who want to learn more. This book is ideal for a broad spectrum of audiences, including students in history of mathematics courses at the late high school or early college level, pre-service and in-service teachers, and anyone who just wants to know a little more about the origins of mathematics.

The central topic of this research monograph is the relation between p-adic modular forms and p-adic Galois representations, and in particular the theory of deformations of Galois representations recently introduced by Mazur. The classical theory of modular forms is assumed known to the reader, but the p-adic theory is reviewed in detail, with ample intuitive and heuristic discussion, so that the book will serve as a convenient point of entry to research in that area. The results on the U operator and on Galois representations are new, and will be of interest even to the experts. A list of further problems in the field is included to guide the beginner in his research. The book will thus be of interest to number theorists who wish to learn about p-adic modular forms, leading them rapidly to interesting research, and also to the specialists in the subject.

The key feature at this conference was the 33 invited papers from the world's leading number theorists. Talks were in three sessions: analytical number theory; arithmetical algebraic geometry; and diophantive approximation. Speakers included: F.Beukers (University of Utrecht); R. Heath-Brown (Oxford); H.L. Montgomery (Ann Arbor, Michigan); T. Nakahara (Saga University, Japan); Y. Zarhin (Academy of Science, USSR).

There are numbers of all kinds: rational, real, complex, p-adic. The p-adic numbers are less well known than the others, but they play a fundamental role in number theory and in other parts of mathematics. This elementary introduction offers a broad understanding of p-adic numbers. From the reviews: "It is perhaps the most suitable text for beginners, and I shall definitely recommend it to anyone who asks me what a p-adic number is." --THE MATHEMATICAL GAZETTE

There is now a large body of theory concerning algebraic varieties over finite fields, and many conjectures exist in this area that are of great interest to researchers in number theory and algebraic geometry. This book is concerned with the arithmetic of diagonal hypersurfaces over finite fields, with special focus on the Tate conjecture and the Lichtenbaum-Milne formula for the central value of the L-function. It combines theoretical and numerical work, and includes tables of Picard numbers. Although this book is aimed at experts, the authors have included some background material to help non-specialists gain access to the results.