p-adic Numbers: An Introduction (Universitext) - Softcover

Gouvea, Fernando Quadros

Softcover

ISBN 10: 3540629114 ISBN 13: 9783540629115

Publisher: Springer, 2013

Synopsis

There are numbers of all kinds: rational, real, complex, p-adic. The p-adic numbers are less well known than the others, but they play a fundamental role in number theory and in other parts of mathematics. This elementary introduction offers a broad understanding of p-adic numbers.

From the reviews: "It is perhaps the most suitable text for beginners, and I shall definitely recommend it to anyone who asks me what a p-adic number is." --THE MATHEMATICAL GAZETTE

About this title

Review

From the reviews:

"This is a well-written introduction to the world of p-adic numbers. The reader is led into the rich structure of the fields Qp and Cp in a beautiful balance between analytic and algebraic aspects. The overall conclusion is simple: an extraordinarily nice manner to introduce the uninitiated to the subject. Not only giving the background necessary to pursue the matter, but doing it in such a way that a healthy 'hands-on experience'is generated in the process." Mededelingen van het wiskundig genootschap

"It is perhaps the most suitable text for beginners, and I shall definitely recommend it to anyone who asks me what a p-adic number is." The Mathematical Gazette

From the reviews of the second edition:

“If I had to recommend one book on the subject to a student – or even to a fully grown mathematician who had never played with p-adic numbers before – it would still be this book. ... Gouvêa has succeeded admirably in taking a topic that is not standard in the undergraduate mathematics curriculum and writing a book accessible to undergraduates that allows its reader to play with some intriguing mathematics and explore a topic which is both fun and important.” (Darren Glass, The Mathematical Association of America, January, 2011)

Synopsis

There are numbers of all kinds: rational, real, complex, p-adic...The p-adic numbers are less well known than the others, but they play a fundamental role in number theory and in other parts of mathematics. This book is an elementary introduction to p-adic numbers.Most other books on the subject are written for more advanced students. This book can almost be viewed as an introduction to be read in preparation for reading these more advanced texts. Readers who want to have an idea and appreciation of the subject but do not need to become specialists will probably find what they need in this book, while other texts may be too technical.

Edition details

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3540629114
• ISBN 13: 9783540629115
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 312