Elementary Number Theory. Second Edition

Author: Pan Chengdong, Pan Chengbiao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Since its publication in September 1992, this book has sold 24,000 copies and is highly favored by teachers and students. In the second edition, the authors have further revised and improved the content based on valuable feedback from readers and the book's editors over the past decade, as well as their own teaching experiences (see the preface to the second edition), making it more suitable for teaching needs. This book serves as a textbook for introductory number theory courses in universities. It is divided into nine chapters, covering topics such as divisibility, Diophantine equations, congruences, congruence equations, exponents and primitive roots, continued fractions, elementary results on the distribution of prime numbers, and number-theoretic functions. The book includes numerous exercises, with hints and solutions provided at the end. Accumulating decades of teaching and research experience, the authors have carefully selected the material following the principle of "less but better." To facilitate student understanding, key concepts are analyzed from multiple perspectives and explained from different angles. The book features clear explanations, rigorous reasoning, well-structured content, emphasis on key points, abundant examples, and broad applicability. It is suitable for self-study and is characterized by its wide range of topics, extensive scope, and clarity. This book can be used as a textbook for number theory courses in departments of mathematics, applied mathematics, and computer science in comprehensive universities, as well as in secondary and higher normal schools and teacher training institutions. It is also suitable for mathematicians, secondary school mathematics teachers, and high school students.