MAT 5400 (Elementary Theory of Numbers)
Fall 2007, Section 001, CRN 10643
Professor Drucker

Text: James K. Strayer, Elementary Number Theory,
Waveland Press, 2002

SCHEDULE
(last updated December 20, 2007)

WEEK 1 W, Sep 5
computation vs.
abstraction;
odd2 = 8k+1;
examples not a proof;
idea of
induction/descent
F, Sep 7
examples of failed
conjectures, sample
induction proof,
list of applications
of number theory
M, Sep 10
§1.1
divisibility
WEEK 2 W, Sep 12
§1.2
primes
F, Sep 14
§§1.3, 1.4
gcd, Eucl alg
M, Sep 17
§1.5
Fund Thm of
Arithmetic
WEEK 3 W, Sep 19
§2.1
congruences
F, Sep 21
§2.1
operations with
congruences and
congruence classes;
computing ab mod m;
solving linear
congruences
M, Sep 24
Ch 1 assigned
exercises due.

§6.1
lin Diophantine eqs
in 1 or 2 variables
WEEK 4 W, Sep 26
§2.2
linear congruences
F, Sep 28
§2.3
Chinese Remainder
thm
M, Oct 1
Last day to drop
without instructor's
signature.

§2.1
rep’n of integers in
different bases,
divisibility tests
WEEK 5 W, Oct 3
§2.4, 2.5
Wilson’s thm,
Fermat's thm,
pseudoprimes
F, Oct 5
EXAM 1 on
Ch 1 and 2.1–2.3
M, Oct 8
§§2.1, 2.6
repunits; Euler’s thm
WEEK 6 W, Oct 10
Returned Exam 1,
discussed it.
§3.1
arithmetic fcns,
multiplicativity
F, Oct 12
§§3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 3.2
f multiplicative ⇒
F(n) = ∑d | n ƒ(d) is
multiplicative;
number and sum of
divisors, calculation
of Euler’s phi fcn
M, Oct 15
§§3.2, 3.5
Euler's φ fcn,
perfect numbers
WEEK 7 W, Oct 17
§§3.5, 3.6
perfect numbers,
Möbius inversion
F, Oct 19
§§3.6, 4.1
Möbius inversion,
quadratic residues
M, Oct 22
§§4.1, 4.2
quadratic residues,
Legendre symbol
WEEK 8 W, Oct 24
§§4.2, 4.3
Legendre symbol,
quadratic reciprocity
F, Oct 26
Ch 2, 3 assigned
exercises due.

§4.2
analog of
Gauss’ lemma;
calculation of (2/p)
M, Oct 29
QUIZ 1 on Ch 2, 3.
determination of
integers n such
that φ(n) = 4
WEEK 9 W, Oct 31
Returned Ch. 2, 3
exercises
§§4.3
pf of quadratic
reciprocity (QR)
F, Nov 2
§§4.2, 4.3
calculation of (3/p)
with & without QR
M, Nov 5
§4.1
gen’l quadratic
congruences with
prime modulus
WEEK 10 W, Nov 7
§5.1
order of an integer,
primitive roots
F, Nov 9
Ch 4 assigned
exercises due.

§5.1
powers of prim rt
form complete
reduced residue set;
order of ai in terms
of order of a
M, Nov 12
EXAM 2 on
§§2.4–4.3
WEEK 11 W, Nov 14
§§5.1, 5.2
m has prim rt ⇒
m has φ(φ(m))
prim rts;
Lagrange’s thm
F, Nov 16
§5.2
prim rts for primes
M, Nov 19
§5.3
prim rt thm (start)
WEEK 12 W, Nov 21
§5.3
prim rt thm
(conclusion)
M, Nov 26
§5.4
indices, nth power
residues
W, Nov 28
§5.4
indices, nth power
residues (cont’d)
WEEK 13 F, Nov 30
Decimal fractions
handout

§§6.2, 6.3
nonlinear
Diophantine
eqs, Pythagorean
triples
M, Dec 3
QUIZ 2 on Ch 5.
Ch 5 assigned
exercises due.

§§6.3, 8.3
Pyth triples,
converse of
Fermat’s thm
W, Dec 5
Returned Quiz 2.
Divisibility
handout.

§§6.3, 7.1
Pyth triples w given
leg or hypotenuse;
rat’l/irrat’l numbers
WEEK 14 F, Dec 7
Student
evaluations

§7.1
decimal fractions
M, Dec 10
EXAM 3 on Ch 5
and §§6.2, 6.3, 8.3
W, Dec 12
Ch 6–8 assigned
exercises due.

§7.1
decimal fractions
FINAL
EXAM
SLOT
  Th, Dec 21
Final exam slot
8:00–10:30 a.m.
171 Edu
Returned assigned
exercises for Ch 6–8.
Handout: divisibility
tests in base b.
Decimal fractions;
identification nos
and check digits

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