or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
or
Amazon Prime Free Trial required. Sign up when you check out. Learn More
Sell Back Your Copy
For a $1.50 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
An Invitation to Modern Number Theory
 
 
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

An Invitation to Modern Number Theory [Hardcover]

Steven J. Miller (Author), Ramin Takloo-Bighash (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

List Price: $75.00
Price: $60.18 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
You Save: $14.82 (20%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Only 3 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).
Want it delivered Friday, May 18? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Book Description

March 6, 2006

In a manner accessible to beginning undergraduates, An Invitation to Modern Number Theory introduces many of the central problems, conjectures, results, and techniques of the field, such as the Riemann Hypothesis, Roth's Theorem, the Circle Method, and Random Matrix Theory. Showing how experiments are used to test conjectures and prove theorems, the book allows students to do original work on such problems, often using little more than calculus (though there are numerous remarks for those with deeper backgrounds). It shows students what number theory theorems are used for and what led to them and suggests problems for further research.

Steven Miller and Ramin Takloo-Bighash introduce the problems and the computational skills required to numerically investigate them, providing background material (from probability to statistics to Fourier analysis) whenever necessary. They guide students through a variety of problems, ranging from basic number theory, cryptography, and Goldbach's Problem, to the algebraic structures of numbers and continued fractions, showing connections between these subjects and encouraging students to study them further. In addition, this is the first undergraduate book to explore Random Matrix Theory, which has recently become a powerful tool for predicting answers in number theory.

Providing exercises, references to the background literature, and Web links to previous student research projects, An Invitation to Modern Number Theory can be used to teach a research seminar or a lecture class.


Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with Friendly Introduction to Number Theory, A (3rd Edition) $90.19

An Invitation to Modern Number Theory + Friendly Introduction to Number Theory, A (3rd Edition)
Price For Both: $150.37

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: An Invitation to Modern Number Theory

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details

  • Friendly Introduction to Number Theory, A (3rd Edition)

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details



Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a great book. . . . [I]t is a fine book for talented and mathematically mature undergraduates, for graduate students, and for anyone looking for information on modern number theory. -- Henry Ricardo, MAA Reviews

This is the first text to present Random Matrix Theory and the Circle Method for German primes. This well-written book supplements classic texts by showing connections between seemingly diverse topics, by making the subject accessible to beginning students and by whetting their appetite for continuing in mathematics -- "Mathematical Reviews

I would highly recommend this book to anybody interested in number theory, from an undergraduate student to an established expert, since everybody will be able to find in this book lots of new interesting material, tempting problems, and interesting computational challenges. It could also be used as a textbook for a graduate course in number theory. To promote and stimulate independent research, it contains many very interesting exercises and even suggestions for research projects. -- Igor Shparlinski, SIAM Review

From the Inside Flap

"The book provides a much-needed introduction to modern number theory that emphasizes analytic number theory. It should serve remarkably well as an advanced undergraduate textbook and its latter parts would be suitable for a beginning graduate course. Some of the material covered, such as the circle method and random matrix theory, is not readily available elsewhere in book form. These topics provide terrific examples of areas in number theory of great current interest that can be penetrated by students. I would seriously consider using this book in my own classes and recommend it with enthusiasm for highly motivated students."--William Duke, University of California, Los Angeles

"Having this selection of material available in essentially self-contained form is fantastic. Reading the book (or taking a class based on it) might easily decide the future endeavors of many a neophyte mathematician. I have yet to discover a clearer exposition of the works of the circle method. The inclusion of exercises and, especially, of problems for further research and theoretical or numerical exploration is extremely valuable. I would dare to compare the book to Hardy and Wright's classic An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers in that Miller and Takloo-Bighash expose readers to the lively work of number theory, to its proofs, ideas, and methods, assuming only a very modest background."--Eduardo Dueñez, University of Texas, San Antonio


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 519 pages
  • Publisher: Princeton University Press (March 6, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0691120609
  • ISBN-13: 978-0691120607
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #544,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

4 star
0
3 star
0
2 star
0
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Most of the books on analytic number theory are very good, and so is this one. Yet there is more to it than being a good book.

The exposition is brilliant, rigorous, well paced, absolutely non-flippant and elegant (it feels like I am reading a latexed version of a G.H. Hardy book).

It is highly innovative since it has material that you normally do not expect to find in one single book. There are books about probabilistic number theory, but those books are devoted wholly to that subject. Same thing goes for random matrix theory. But the most surprising case is that of continued fractions. Books on continued fractions are *generally* elementary and not very long.

No single book out there combines introductions to the interactions of probability and random matrix theory with number theory in addition to treating more standard subjects (cryptography, group theory, continued fractions, circle method, L-functions, ...) exquisitely. This has been wonderfully achieved by Miller and Takloo-Bighash.

All in all, the flavour of this book is best summarized with the word: modern.

This book is not a popular math book. Yet not quite a textbook either, it is, as the title suggests, an invitation. And a serious invitation, for that matter. A little effort will be needed, however I have found out that whatever amount of effort you invest in it will be rewarded with interests!

I would say that courses in group theory, elementary number theory and complex analysis would constitute an adequate background.

It need not be read linearly, which is also a bonus. Within reason, you could move on to whichever subjects you find more interesting.

(By the way, the introductions to Fourier analysis and probability theory put certain 'methods' books to shame!)

My favourite parts are the summary of the status of the Riemann Hypothesis. It made me interested in finding out more about the Xian-Jin Li's criterion, Hardy's Theorem, the whole function-theoretic aspect of the book, and the connection between number theory and physics.

Finally, financially speaking, it is *very* well priced for a hardcover.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
12 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Reading a math book is usually not easy. There can be two reasons for this. The first is poor writing or lack of motivation. This book does not suffer from this defect; the prose is polished and minimalist, and keeps the reader focused on the math. This style of exposition, which is called by another reviewer "machine gun" is called by practicing mathematicians as "tight"; the mathematics is allowed to speak for itself, and the viewpoint, the voice, of the expositors is expressed clearly through the mathematics. The second reason is that the material is inherently deep and difficult and cannot be merely "learned" from a book; it must be experienced first-hand, through problem solving and deep reflection. This book is full of deep material, presented in great detail so that the reader can appreciate the nuances of the methods presented and apply them as a practicing mathematician. The topics are specially chosen, as the book says, to invite the reader to pursue some threads in modern analytic number theory. There are also copious, well-thought-out exercises to help the reader gain the experience with the material which cannot be achieved simply through reading. One must only read the beautiful proof of Roth's theorem (Chapter 6) to see the quality of exposition, excellent choice of topics and the attention to detail that makes this book an excellent place to start for a serious student who wants to understand modern analytic number theory, and a jumping point to advanced books and research monographs on diophantine geometry and analytic number theory.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
good July 15, 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have about a dozen books on number theory, analytical, algebraic, GTMs, etc. Not to mention everything on crytography. So why buy another book? It is always good to keep your skills fresh and also to see what other people are teaching from. This book is used by the MIT OCW so if you want to know if you are learning well you can follow their class outline. What is nicer than having a book and having it be part of a free class the purpose of which is to just help educate the world?
As for the book, if you have read any of the Burtons(my actual favorite) or perhaps a silverman there is a general outline. This book doesn't follow those exact lines but I think it is a better book in some respects. In some ways a small step ahead of them as perhaps the writer intended to skip some of the stuff that is in every introductory number theory book. If you like this then don't overlook apostol as your next number theory book. enjoy
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?

Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Cryptography is the science of encoding information so that only certain specified people can decode it. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Circle Method, Central Limit Theorem, Gauss-Kuzmin Theorem, Prime Number Theorem, Semi-Circle Law, Dirichlet L-functions, Roth's Lemma, Siegel-Walfisz Theorem, Pell's Equation, Fermat's Little Theorem, Fermat's Last Theorem, Fundamental Theorem of Algebra, Bessel's Inequality, Continuum Hypothesis, Roth's Main Lemma, Averaging Formula, Axiom of Choice, Gaussian Orthogonal Ensemble, Geometric Brownian Motions, Method of Descent, Euler's Criterion, Using Exercise
New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:




What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
book defines conductor wrong 0 Sep 25, 2011
See all discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list



Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:







i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...