Recreations in the Theory of Numbers (Dover Recreational Math) [Paperback]

Albert H. Beiler (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dover Recreational Math | Publication Date: June 1, 1964

Number theory proves to be a virtually inexhaustible source of intriguing puzzle problems — interesting to beginning and advanced readers. Divisors, perfect numbers, the congruences of Gauss, scales of notation, the Pell equation, many other aspects produce ingenious puzzles. Solutions to all problems.

Product Details

• Paperback: 349 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; 2nd edition edition (June 1, 1964)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486210960
• ISBN-13: 978-0486210964
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #417,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of examples, lots of tables, lots of fun, December 26, 2000

By 

D. Taylor (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Recreations in the Theory of Numbers (Dover Recreational Math) (Paperback)

This book was my first exposure to Number Theory, coming from an engineering background. This book got me hooked. You could almost say the book takes an engineering approach to number theory: Lots of examples, lots of tables but not a lot of rigorous, long proofs. This book is set apart from most textbooks by those facts. You won't find such extensive examples and tables in any textbook (and I have about 50+ texts on Number Theory). Conversly, no self-respesting professor could present so many results without proof. But that's the fun of this book. I recommend this book over "An Adventures Guide to Number Theory" by Richard Friedberg for uninitiated.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recreational Mathematics Is Not A Contradiction In Terms, March 30, 2002

By 

Henry M. Dobb (Coconut Creek, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Recreations in the Theory of Numbers (Dover Recreational Math) (Paperback)

If you are curious about numbers (as I am), this is one of several books you need to have in your library. It is informative, entertaining, comprehensive and easy to read, even if you are not blessed with a mathematics degree from an institution of higher learning.

This book is well-organized, beginning with topics that are easy to grasp, then going on to more complicated ideas. The contents include such terms as prime numbers, perfect numbers, amicable pairs, sociable numbers, divisors, congruences, cyclical numbers, repunits (a term the author coined) and logarithms. The book reveals many curiosities about common artcles such as squares, triangles and circles. More complex topics such as a resolution of a number into prime factors and Pell equalities are shown in a manner that is informative and easy to comprehend. The grand climax of the book is a stirring discussion of Fermat's Last Theorem.

This volume remains a 'good read' despite the fact that it is almost forty years old. Although much of what it in this book has been superceded over the course of time, this boof is not obsolete. If you have any interest in numbers, buy this book if you do not already possess a copy of it.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best writing in the field, January 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Recreations in the Theory of Numbers (Dover Recreational Math) (Paperback)

For one reason or another, this book contains the clearest exposition of Mersenne primes and quadratic residues I have ever read. It is very heavy on results and very light on proofs, so don't expect to learn anything here, but expect to be entertained.