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Keywords
- CON_D044
- Fermat's last theorem
- Number theory
About this book
This book is an introduction to algebraic number theory via the famous problem of "Fermat's Last Theorem." The exposition follows the historical development of the problem, beginning with the work of Fermat and ending with Kummer's theory of "ideal" factorization, by means of which the theorem is proved for all prime exponents less than 37. The more elementary topics, such as Euler's proof of the impossibilty of x+y=z, are treated in an elementary way, and new concepts and techniques are introduced only after having been motivated by specific problems. The book also covers in detail the application of Kummer's ideal theory to quadratic integers and relates this theory to Gauss' theory of binary quadratic forms, an interesting and important connection that is not explored in any other book.
Authors and Affiliations
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Fermat's Last Theorem
Book Subtitle: A Genetic Introduction to Algebraic Number Theory
Authors: Harold M. Edwards
Series Title: Graduate Texts in Mathematics
Publisher: Springer New York, NY
Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag New York 1977
Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-387-90230-2Published: 18 July 1977
Softcover ISBN: 978-0-387-95002-0Published: 14 January 2000
Series ISSN: 0072-5285
Series E-ISSN: 2197-5612
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XV, 407