Number Theory: An Approach Through History from Hammurapi to Legendre

by André Weil

Number Theory or arithmetic, as some prefer to call it, is the oldest, purest, liveliest, most elementary yet sophisticated field of mathematics. It is no coincidence that the fundamental science of numbers has come to be known as the "Queen of Mathematics." Indeed some of the most complex conventions of the mathematical mind have evolved from the study of basic problems of number theory. André Weil, one of the outstanding contributors to number theory, has written an historical exposition of this subject; his study examines texts that span roughly thirty-six centuries of arithmetical work – from an Old Babylonian tablet, datable to the time of Hammurapi to Legendre’s Essai sur la Théorie des Nombres (1798). Motivated by a desire to present the substance of his field to the educated reader, Weil employs an historical approach in the analysis of problems and evolving methods of number theory and their significance within mathematics. In the course of his study Weil accompanies the reader into the workshops of four major authors of modern number theory (Fermat, Euler, Lagrange and Legendre) and there he conducts a detailed and critical examination of their work. Enriched by a broad coverage of intellectual history, Number Theory represents a major contribution to the understanding of our cultural heritage.

Genres: Mathematics, Science

375 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Giovanni Spadolini]

Quasi illeggibile

[DrFed0_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un’opera interessante sulla storia della Teoria dei Numeri. André Weil dimostra la sua grandissima e profonda cultura in questo saggio che, nonostante ciò che viene detto nella prefazione, non è accessibile a chi non abbia una preparazione (seppur minimale) in algebra e in analisi. Libro consigliato soprattutto agli studenti del primo anno universitario di Matematica.

[Giancarlo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il "racconto" di alcuni dei momenti piu' fecondi di questa disciplina, da sempre considerata la regina della matematica, nelle conquiste di coloro che ne hanno posto le basi . Assolutamente da leggere .