Primes of the Form x2+ny2: Format, Class Field Theory, and Complex Multiplication

by David A. Cox

Written for readers with modest mathematical backgrounds, this book contains numerous exercises and examples at varied levels and provides a well-motivated introduction to the classical formulation of class field theory--placing great importance on the explicit numerical example to illustrate the power of basic theorems in various situations. It includes an elementary treatment of quadratic forms and genus theory; addresses when a prime p is of the form x2+ny2; features new coverage of Shimura reciprocity law; and includes simultaneous treatment on elementary and advanced aspects of number theory.

Genres: Mathematics, Textbooks

384 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1989

About the author

David Archibald Cox (born September 23, 1948 in Washington, D.C.) is an American mathematician, working in algebraic geometry.

Cox graduated from Rice University with a Bachelor's degree in 1970 and his Ph.D. in 1975 at Princeton University, under the supervision of Eric Friedlander (Tubular Neighborhoods in the Etale Topology). From 1974 to 1975, he was assistant professor at Haverford College and at Rutgers University from 1975 to 1979. In 1979, he became assistant professor and in 1988 professor at Amherst College.

He studies, among other things, étale homotopy theory, elliptic surfaces, computer-based algebraic geometry (such as Gröbner basis), Torelli sets and toric varieties, and history of mathematics. He is also known for several textbooks. He is a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.

From 1987 to 1988 he was a guest professor at Oklahoma State University. In 2012, he received the Lester Randolph Ford Award for Why Eisenstein Proved the Eisenstein Criterion and Why Schönemann Discovered It First.

Reviews

[Cyprien Saito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written introduction to the study on the reciprocity law.