Is Number Theory a Challenging and Rewarding Course?

[muna580]

I might take Number Theory in college just for fun. Is this class easy? I mean, I was told about about this class by one of my teachers, and ever since then, I became interested in it. Is this class fun? Is it easy? Should I take it?

Also, where can I find an online book or something if I want to learn Number Theory by myself? Is there a free book online? I found one ebook for number theory, but its not really good, and doesn't explain things clearly.

 

[HallsofIvy]

How can we possibly say if a number theory class would be easy for you without knowing anything about you? Even so, number theory classes tend to vary a great deal depending on the level of mathematical sophistication expected and even on the teacher.

 

[muna580]

How can we possibly say if a number theory class would be easy for you without knowing anything about you? Even so, number theory classes tend to vary a great deal depending on the level of mathematical sophistication expected and even on the teacher.

Oh, I understand. Ummm do you know where I can find a book...

 

[murshid_islam]

you can try this: http://www.shoup.net/ntb/
you can download the pdf version of the book from that site. and its free.

 

[muna580]

you can try this: http://www.shoup.net/ntb/
you can download the pdf version of the book from that site. and its free.

Wow thanks alot. Do you know another ebook for number theory?

 

[murshid_islam]

Do you know another ebook for number theory?

here is another one: http://www.trillia.com/moser-number.html
but i don't think this one is good for an introduction to number theory.

 

[asymmetric]

One is one only for one one.

I’m sitting on circular aproximation equations.

With nexo properties that have nothing to do with sets of numbers.

One is one only for one one.

That is, the next other one is one only for this new other one and one alone.

And it is not itself that other one , well before we’ve even finished reading this.

Infact it was no longer that other one, well before we started!...

I’m referring to ‘’constantly and everchanging minimum volumetrics’’.

 

[muna580]

here is another one: http://www.trillia.com/moser-number.html
but i don't think this one is good for an introduction to number theory.

Wow thanks a lot, great site, if you have more, let me know, I want to like learn from ask many resources as possible. IF you know what i mean right? like if you get confused in one book, you can go to another book and read the chapter from there... How did you find this site?

 

[murshid_islam]

How did you find this site?

i was once trying to find some resources on number theory just like you. and somebody suggested those links.

 

[robert Ihnot]

muna 580: I might take Number Theory in college just for fun. Is this class easy? I mean, I was told about about this class by one of my teachers, and ever since then, I became interested in it. Is this class fun? Is it easy? Should I take it?

I sat in on a class presided over by a number theorist who had published some results years ago on large primes, modular functions and elliptic curves.

This was a very small class of 8 or so students, apparently all the university held at the time that were that interested in Number Theory. Oddly enough, at one end of the class was a graduate student about to get his Ph.D. in Number Theory, and at the other end was a Junior student who, as I found out, did not know that all odd squares are congruent to 1, Mod 8.

The prof did most of his talking to the doctoral candidate. He explained things very fast, skipped around a lot, and rarely made any effort to be understood. Half of the students dropped the course after a week or so.

The Junior was scared to death that he would flunk and did not have much of a clue what he was expected to know anyway, but he stuck it out. I got a book out of the library on large primes, which I knew the Prof was interested in, and the Junior decided that I should lend it to him, because otherwise he would surely funk the final, if there was one. (We had no tests all quarter.)

The final test was a paper the student was to turn in and carefully write so as to indicate that the student understood what he was writing--should the professor have any questions.

However, the Prof never bothered, to my knowledge, to grade, comment, or return any of these papers. I guess (?) the survivors all got an A, anyway.

As for the book on large primes, I never saw the student after the "final," and so I had nothing to return to the library. The cost of the book was listed at $50, but the librarian, who apparently admired people who read such books, told me to "Just forget it."

Was that course fun? Was it easy? I’ll let you decide.