Math 506: Introduction to
Number Theory
Todd
Cochrane
Spring 2007, Ref 16490, MWF 9:30 a.m., CW 131
Website: http://www.math.ksu.edu/~cochrane/m506/m506s07.html
Extra Credit Problems OLD
EXAMS TEST 1 Solutions
TEST 2 Solutions TEST 3 Solutions
Spring-07 Test 1 Spring-07 Test 2 Spring-07 Test 3
Office: CW 209, MF 10:30, T
11:30 .
Phone: 532-0565
e-mail: cochrane@math.ksu.edu
Text: Elementary Number Theory,
Second Edition, by Charles Vanden Eynden ,
Waveland Press, ISBN 1-57766-445-0
(There is also a second edition by McGraw Hill that is identical.)
Prerequisites: Math 220 and 221 are recommended.
Advanced Help Session: To
be announced
Number Theory is
the study of the natural numbers 1,2,3,4,.... It is one
of the oldest branches of mathematics and yet it continues to be
an active
area of research today. Number Theory is rich with beautiful
theorems and
elegant patterns. Its unsolved problems have challenged the
greatest
mathematical minds and given rise to much of modern mathematics.
The class will cover chapters 1-4 and parts of 5, 6 and 7, including
divisibility properties of the integers,
primes, unique
factorization of integers, congruences, induction, the
Chinese remainder theorem, crytography,
Pythagorean triples, perfect
numbers, the Fibonacci sequence,
multiplicative
functions such as the Euler phi-function, Mobius function
and divisor function, and best rational approximation of
irrational numbers.
Grading:
There will be weekly homework assignments worth
16 points each,
the lowest of which will be dropped (total about 200 points),
three hourly exams worth 80 points each and a final exam worth
160 points.
There will also be extra credit problems.
Important dates:
January 15: University Holiday
February 16: Test 1
March 16: Test 2
March 19-23: SPRING BREAK
April 27: Test 3
May 4: Last day of class.
May 8: Final Exam 11:50 a.m. to 1:40 p.m.