Number Theory
The study of integers, prime structure, Diophantine equations, and L-functions.
Number Theory. The study of integers, prime structure, Diophantine equations, and L-functions. The literature on number theory divides naturally along several axes: the foundational structures that organise the subject, the techniques that drive proofs and computations, the questions about classification or representation that animate current research, and the bridges to neighbouring areas of mathematics and science. The references below trace those axes through the canonical textbook treatments and recent technical contributions.
Foundations and canonical references
The standard treatments of number theory approach the subject from complementary angles. Hardy, An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers (1979) is the anchor reference for the subject and lays out the core definitions, theorems, and worked examples that practitioners return to. Ireland, A Classical Introduction to Modern Number Theory (1990) gives a parallel, more proof-oriented exposition of the same material and is widely used as a graduate text. Borevich, Number Theory (1986) offers an alternative presentation that complements the primary references and is useful for triangulating definitions and proof techniques.
Open methodological questions for number theory include sharpening the bridges between foundational theory and computational practice, extending classical results to broader or more structured settings, and integrating the techniques surveyed above with adjacent mathematical disciplines. The references listed in this page are the entry points that current work builds on.
Prerequisites
Sources
- textbook · primary · 1979An Introduction to the Theory of Numbershardy-1979, wright-1979
- textbook · primary · 1990A Classical Introduction to Modern Number Theoryireland-1990, rosen-1990
- textbook · supporting · 1986Number Theoryborevich-1986, shafarevich-1986
In context
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Explore
- 01
Elementary Number Theory
Divisibility, congruences, arithmetic functions, and basic primes.
- 02
Quadratic Forms and Reciprocity
Quadratic residues, Gauss reciprocity, and class numbers.
- 03
Analytic Number Theory
Complex analysis applied to prime distribution and L-functions.
- 04
Algebraic Number Theory
Number fields, rings of integers, ideal class groups, and ramification.
- 05
p-adic Analysis
p-adic numbers, analysis over Q_p, and rigid geometry.
- 06
Diophantine Equations
Rational and integer solutions to polynomial equations.
- 07
Elliptic Curves and Modular Forms
Mordell–Weil, modularity, and BSD conjecture.
- 08
Langlands Program
Reciprocity between Galois representations and automorphic forms.
- 09
Computational Number Theory
Primality, factoring, lattice algorithms, and number-theoretic cryptography.
- 10
Transcendence Theory
Gelfond–Schneider, Baker's theorem, and modular transcendence.
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