Mathematics Atlas

How Proof Is Made
Branches of Mathematics

Number Theory

Also Known As Higher Arithmetic

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The study of the integers, especially the primes, and their properties: divisibility, factorization, the distribution of primes, and the solutions (or lack of solutions) to equations in whole numbers, Diophantine equations. Long prized, in G. H. Hardy's own famous phrase, for its purity and freedom from any application, number theory became foundational to modern cryptography (RSA encryption rests directly on the difficulty of factoring large primes) in the twentieth century. Its lineage is not only Greek and European: the technique now called the Chinese remainder theorem, for solving simultaneous congruences, first appears in the third to fifth century Chinese text Sunzi Suanjing, centuries before it entered the European tradition, and Indian mathematicians including Brahmagupta and Bhaskara II developed their own systematic methods for Diophantine equations independently of the Greek tradition.

Facts
Central Question
What are the properties of the whole numbers, above all the primes, and how are they distributed and related to one another? 1
Key Debate
Whether number theory's famous claimed purity, Hardy's 1940 boast in A Mathematician's Apology that it had no practical application and never would, survived the rise, within decades of his death, of cryptographic systems (RSA foremost) built directly on the hardness of prime factorization. 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Includes

Additional Source Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture (Wikipedia)Background section, opening paragraph

Co-formulated the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture on elliptic curves, one of number theory's Millennium Prize problems.

Source Wolfram MathWorld
Additional Source Collatz Conjecture (Wikipedia)Footer categories, Unsolved problems in number theory

Formulated the abc conjecture (with Joseph Oesterle) and works on transcendental number theory and Diophantine approximation.

Additional Source Erdos-Straus Conjecture (Wikipedia)Opening paragraph
Additional Source Euclid's Theorem (Wikipedia)Opening section
Additional Source Riemann Hypothesis (Wikipedia)Opening paragraph

Works in number theory and arithmetic geometry; developed inter-universal Teichmuller theory in pursuit of the abc conjecture.

Primary research area per his own faculty profile: Diophantine approximation and algebraic number theory, alongside cryptography.

Additional Source Wikipedia: Twin PrimeOpening paragraph
Sources
1. MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive
University of St Andrews, School of Mathematics and Statisticshttps://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/HistTopics/Fermat's_last_theorem/
Quote, https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/HistTopics/Fermat's_last_theorem/
I have discovered a truly remarkable proof which this margin is too small to contain.
View the Source
1. MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive
University of St Andrews, School of Mathematics and StatisticsAssociated With: Pierre de Fermat, https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Fermat/
Quote, Associated With: Pierre de Fermat, https://mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Fermat/
Fermat is best remembered for this work in number theory, in particular for Fermat's Last Theorem.
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Number Theory (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationDefinition section
Quote, Definition section
Number theory is the branch of mathematics that studies integers and their properties and relations.
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Prime Number Theorem (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Prime Number Theorem, lead paragraph
Quote, Includes: Prime Number Theorem, lead paragraph
It formalizes the intuitive idea that primes become less common as they become larger by precisely quantifying the rate at which this occurs.
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Chinese Remainder Theorem (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Chinese Remainder Theorem, introduction
Quote, Includes: Chinese Remainder Theorem, introduction
if one knows the remainders of the Euclidean division of an integer n by several integers, then one can determine uniquely the remainder of the division of n by the product of these integers
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Legendre's Conjecture (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Legendre's Conjecture, Classification paragraph
Quote, Includes: Legendre's Conjecture, Classification paragraph
The conjecture is one of Landau's problems (1912) on prime numbers
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Beal Conjecture (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Beal Conjecture, Introductory sentence
Quote, Includes: Beal Conjecture, Introductory sentence
The Beal conjecture is the following conjecture in number theory
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Bryan Birch (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Bryan Birch, infobox
Quote, Includes: Bryan Birch, infobox
Born (1931-09-25) 25 September 1931 (age 94) Burton-upon-Trent, England ... Awards Senior Whitehead Prize (1993) De Morgan Medal (2007) Sylvester Medal (2020)
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David Masser (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: David Masser, Career section
Quote, Includes: David Masser, Career section
David William Masser is professor emeritus in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Basel. He is known for his work in transcendental number theory, Diophantine approximation, and Diophantine geometry. With Joseph Oesterle in 1985, Masser formulated the abc conjecture, which has been called the most important unsolved problem in Diophantine analysis.
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Shinichi Mochizuki (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Shinichi Mochizuki, lead section
Quote, Includes: Shinichi Mochizuki, lead section
Shinichi Mochizuki is a Japanese mathematician working in number theory and arithmetic geometry. He is one of the main contributors to anabelian geometry.
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Thomas Cusick, Faculty Page, University at Buffalo
University at Buffalo, Department of MathematicsIncludes: Thomas W. Cusick, Research Summary section
Quote, Includes: Thomas W. Cusick, Research Summary section
Tom Cusick's research is in cryptography, especially Boolean function applications; number theory, particularly Diophantine approximation and algebraic number theory; and combinatorics.
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Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic, Opening section
Quote, Includes: Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic, Opening section
every integer greater than 1 can be represented uniquely as a product of prime numbers
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Euclid's Theorem (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Infinitude of Primes, Opening section
Quote, Includes: Infinitude of Primes, Opening section
Euclid's theorem is a fundamental statement in number theory that asserts that there are infinitely many prime numbers.
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Wikipedia: Twin Prime
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Twin Prime Conjecture, Opening paragraph
Quote, Includes: Twin Prime Conjecture, Opening paragraph
The question of whether there exist infinitely many twin primes has been one of the great open questions in number theory for many years.
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Goldbach's Conjecture (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Goldbach Conjecture, Opening paragraph
Quote, Includes: Goldbach Conjecture, Opening paragraph
one of the oldest and best-known unsolved problems in number theory and all of mathematics
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Collatz Conjecture (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Collatz Conjecture, Footer categories, Unsolved problems in number theory
Quote, Includes: Collatz Conjecture, Footer categories, Unsolved problems in number theory
Unsolved problems in number theory
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Riemann Hypothesis (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Riemann Hypothesis, Opening paragraph
Quote, Includes: Riemann Hypothesis, Opening paragraph
It is of great interest in number theory because it implies results about the distribution of prime numbers.
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Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture, Background section, opening paragraph
Quote, Includes: Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture, Background section, opening paragraph
the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture describes the set of rational solutions to equations defining an elliptic curve. It is an open problem in the field of number theory
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Erdos-Straus Conjecture (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Erdos-Straus Conjecture, Opening paragraph
Quote, Includes: Erdos-Straus Conjecture, Opening paragraph
The Erdos-Straus conjecture is an unproven statement in number theory.
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Wikipedia: Fermat's Last Theorem
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Fermat's Last Theorem, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Fermat's Last Theorem, Lead section
In number theory, Fermat's Last Theorem (sometimes called Fermat's conjecture, especially in older texts) states that there are no positive integers a, b, c, n with n > 2 such that a^n + b^n = c^n.
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