Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
 The best number theory text I have seen November 3, 2002
Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States(cashbacher@yahoo.com))
30 out of 31 found this review helpful
Number theory, one of the last bastions of pure mathematics, has now succumbed to the vice of having applications. And one of those applications provides the security that maintains the integrity of most major financial transactions. Therefore, it is time for the textbooks on beginning number theory to reflect the changing environment.
The material in this work is standard fare, so the emphasis here will be on the applications, as that is what makes the book stand out. The chapter devoted to applications of congruences explains divisibility tests, perpetual calendars, scheduling round-robin tournaments, computer file storage, and error checking. A chapter on cryptology takes one from the simple substitution cipher on to public key ciphers. Another hot topic introduced is the idea of the zero-knowledge proof, where a person can prove that they have a proof, without revealing significant details. Like the "pure" material, this is presented in a clean, easy-to-follow framework. Each section ends with two sets of exercises, one to do by hand and the other a set of programming projects. The exercises are generally routine, but some of the programming problems will be beyond the capability of most. The answers to the odd non-programming exercises are given at the end of the book.
With approximately one-eighth devoted to applications, this book is on the crest of the wave of changes taking place in number theory. It is the best text for this material that I have ever seen.Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.
Good foundational text for Cryptography May 16, 2005
W. Hilger (Joisey)
17 out of 19 found this review helpful
I bought this book as a supplemental study guide - my course was a mix of Number Theory, Abstact Algebra, Finite Fields and Probablility (pre-requisites for Cryptography study). The professor used lectures with hand-written supplements as primary study media.
I found this text to be well-written, each concept was dealt with separately and concisely, then later assimilated with others to form broader ideas. Even though the text is directed at Number Theory, many of the other related concepts I studied were mentioned or covered in this text.
This book will stay on my bookshelf for quite a while.
Excellent introduction to a vast, fascinating subject May 16, 2006
Stephen Shank (Philadelphia, PA)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
This book is awesome. Tons of material covered, but at a decent pace and with good examples. All the reader needs is a good working knowledge of how to read and construct proofs, and the time and patience to get through the material. The exercises range from the computational to the theoretical, from the routine to the extremely challenging. Many of the examples and exercises are intriguing, well-known results. The author touches on a large amount of subject matter and has many references for those interested in further reading. He makes no use of any of the methods that come from the main branches of Mathematics, namely Algebra, Analysis, etc. (though he mentions a few famous results), but he also mentions that he will not be using these methods in the beginning. It starts off a bit easy but gets moderately challenging. This book will never leave my shelf, and has sparked an interest inside of me that shows no signs of burning out. Again, an excellent book.
Makes a classic subject exciting and enticing April 12, 2000
a number theory fan (New York)
17 out of 26 found this review helpful
I'm impressed with how modern and interesting this book makes number theory seem. I've always liked this subject, but I've found the other texts out either too old-fashioned, boring, or too sophisticated. This book hits the mark. Highly recommended for the number theory enthusiast like me!
Number Theory for a Novice October 27, 2002
11 out of 25 found this review helpful
The book starts out as though you were a Freshman or a Sophomore, when your not. It's been about 17 years since I had fun with "Linear Algebra". A -fun- read for a nerd, I guess, or others that enjoy Mathematical expantion.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
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