Algebraic Number Theory

(1-3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

An introduction to algebraic number theory. The aim is to describe the properties of number fields, but particular emphasis in examples will be placed on quadratic fields, where it is easy to calculate explicitly the properties of some of the objects being considered. In such fields the familiar unique factorisation enjoyed by the integers may fail, and a key objective of the course is to introduce the class group which measures the failure of this property.