RENT TEXTBOOKS

by: James Pommersheim (Reed College, Portland, Oregon); Tim Marks; Erica Flapan

ISBN: 9780470424131 | 0470424133

Can learning math actually be fun? Number Theory: A Mathemythical Approach proves it can!Number Theory: A Mathemythical Approach will introduce you to elementary number theory, helping you develop your proof writing skills while learning the core concepts in number theory as well as advanced topics used in modern applications.To help you succeed, you'll learn "math myths"-fictional stories starring famous mathematicians that illustrate an important number theory topic in a friendly, inviting manner that's easy to understand and remember. "Numer... MOREical Proof Previews" give you a concrete way to understand the key ideas of a proof. Illustrations throughout the text add to the fun and your understanding.As accessibleas the book is, it does not skimp on the serious mathematics. You'll explore: Methods of proof and the basic properties of the integers, including mathematical induction Central concepts and theorems in elementary number theory using a developmental approach, including basic divisibility properties, prime numbers, the Euclidean Algorithm, modular arithmetic (including applications), Fermat's Little Theorem, Euler's Theorem, and RSA (public-key) encryption Primitive roots, primality testing, quadratic reciprocity, Gaussian integers, Fermat's Two Squares Theorem, continued fractions, Pell's Equation, and Fermat's Last Theorem, and much moreIdeal for first-timers in number theory as well as math education majors, Number Theory: A Mathemythical Approach makes learning number theory a joy!

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Number Theory: A Mathemythical Approach, is a new book that provides a rigorous yet accessible introduction to elementary number theory along with relevant applications. Readable discussions motivate new concepts and theorems before their formal definitions and statements are presented. Many theorems are preceded by Numerical Proof Previews, which are numerical examples that will help give students a concrete understanding of both the statements of the theorems and the ideas behind their proofs, before the statement and proof are formalized in more abstract terms. In addition, many applications of number theory are explained in detail throughout the text, including some that have rarely (if ever) appeared in textbooks. A unique feature of the book is that every chapter includes a math myth, a fictional story that introduces an important number theory topic in a friendly, inviting manner. Many of the exercise sets include in-depth Explorations, in which a series of exercises develop a topic that is related to the material in the section.

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Number Theory: A Lively Introduction with Proofs, Applications, and Stories, is a new book that provides a rigorous yet accessible introduction to elementary number theory along with relevant applications.

Readable discussions motivate new concepts and theorems before their formal definitions and statements are presented. Many theorems are preceded by Numerical Proof Previews, which are numerical examples that will help give students a concrete understanding of both the statements of the theorems and the ideas behind their proofs, before the statement and proof are formalized in more abstract terms. In addition, many applications of number theory are explained in detail throughout the text, including some that have rarely (if ever) appeared in textbooks.

A unique feature of the book is that every chapter includes a math myth, a fictional story that introduces an important number theory topic in a friendly, inviting manner. Many of the exercise sets include in-depth Explorations, in which a series of exercises develop a topic that is related to the material in the section.

James Pommersheim  is a Professor of Mathematics at Reed College in Portland, Oregon.  In addition to teaching at Reed since 2004, he has served as an instructor for the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth. Dr. Pommersheim also serves on the Reed faculty committees for Research on Human Subjects and Academic Support Services.

Erica Flapan joined the mathematics department at Pomona College in 1986. She has taught a wide range of mathematics courses and has numerous publications in both 3-dimensional topology and applications of topology to chemistry. In addition to her research and teaching in mathematics, she is interested in improving the mathematical background of science students.   She developed a course entitled "Problem Solving in the Sciences,” which aims to teach students the mathematics they need in order to succeed in science and economics.  

Tim Marks is a Research Scientist at Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After teaching high school mathematics and physics for three years in Glenview, Illinois,   he worked for three years as a mathematics textbook editor at McDougal Littell/ Houghton Mifflin. Marks and Pommersheim have taught number theory at the Johns Hopkins University's Center for Talented Youth (CTY) summer program for 18 years.