My Numbers, My Friends: Popular Lectures on Number Theory - Softcover

Ribenboim, Paulo

 
9780387989112: My Numbers, My Friends: Popular Lectures on Number Theory

Synopsis

Paulo Ribenboim treats numbers as personal friends in this collection of expository essays. Topics include prime numbers, Fibonacci numbers (and the Arctic Ocean!), the classical work of Gauss on binary quadratic form, Euler's famous prime producing polynomials, powers, irrational and transcendental numbers. The essays are written in a light language without secrets and are thoroughly accessible to everyone with an interest in numbers. Other books by the author are "The New Book of Prime Number Records" "The Little Book of Big Primes" which have enjoyed a considerable success, and the recent "Fermat's Last Theorem for Amateurs" (1999).

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Review

From the reviews:

MATHEMATICAL REVIEWS

"...the author is extremely knowledgeable in his subjects and the reader can profit from the wealth of material contained in this book. Therefore this book is a welcome reference for anyone interested both in trivia and in serious background material about popular topics in elementary number theory."

Synopsis

This is a selection of expository essays by Paulo Ribenboim, the author of such popular titles as "The New Book of Prime Number Records" and "The Little Book of Big Primes". The book contains essays on Fibonacci numbers, prime numbers, Bernoulli numbers, and historical presentations of the main problems pertaining to elementary number theory, such as for instance Kummer's work on Fermat's Last Theorem. The essays are written in a light and humorous language without secrets and are thoroughly accessible to everyone with an interest in numbers.

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