MATH 453

Credit: 3 OR 4 hours.

Basic introduction to the theory of numbers. Core topics include divisibility, primes and factorization, congruences, arithmetic functions, quadratic residues and quadratic reciprocity, primitive roots and orders. Additional topics covered at the discretion of the instructor include sums of squares, Diophantine equations, continued fractions, Farey fractions, recurrences, and applications to primality testing and cryptopgraphy.

4 hours of credit requires approval of the instructor and department with completion of additional work of substance. 3 undergraduate hours. 3 or 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: MATH 314 or MATH 347.