MAT 311 Course Webpage Number Theory Spring 2011

Course Announcements Announcements about the course will be posted here. Please check the site regularly for announcements (which will also be given in lecture and/or in recitation).

• Office hours the week of May 15th-21st, all in Math Tower 4-108: Tuesday, May 17th, 10AM - 12NOON; Thursday, May 19th, 10AM-11AM; Friday, May 20th, 9:45AM-10:45AM.
• Solutions to the final exam practice problems are now posted on the exams webpage.
• The time and room for the final exam are now posted: Friday, May 20, 11:15 AM - 1:45 PM, Chem 128.
• For purposes of gauging your performance in the course after Midterm 2, following are some rough target ranges for letter grades. These ranges are based on the total possible points as of this moment. This is a number between 0 and 610 (possibly higher with bonus points) computed as the sum of 2.5 times the Midterm 1 score, 2 time the Midterm 2 score, and all of the problem set scores. A: 610-520, B: 519-430, C: 429-335, D: 334-275, Fail: less than 275. If you have trouble computing your total points, please let me know. I have a spreadsheet with the total points computed.
• Online course evaluations are now available at the following webpage.
• Due to a graduate oral exam which I must attend, office hours on Tuesday, May 3rd are cancelled. Instead there will be an extra office hour on Wednesday, May 4th, 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM in Math Tower 4-108.
• Problem Set 9 is special. The instructions are in the following PDF file.
• Here is a link to a write-up of the proof from lecture that every positive integer is a sum of four squares.
• Due to a committee meeting, MLC hours for the week of Tuesday, March 29th are cancelled. There will be special MLC hours on Wednesday, April 6th from 2 PM - 3 PM.
• Due to a committee meeting which I must attend, office hours on Thursday, March 17th are cancelled. Instead there will be an extra office hour on Wednesday, March 16th from 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM in Math Tower 4-108 (sorry for the early hour, but this is the only time free this week).
• Here is a refresher on groups, rings and ideals. If you have trouble with these notions after looking through the refresher, please drop by my office to discuss your situation.

Course Description The description in the undergraduate bulletin: Congruences, quadratic residues, quadratic forms, continued fractions, Diophantine equations, number-theoretical functions, and properties of prime numbers.

Prerequisites A grade of C or higher in MAT 312 or 313 or 318; a grade of C or higher in MAT 200 or permission of instructor.

Text Ivan Niven, Herbert S. Zuckerman, Hugh L. Montgomery, An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers available at the University Bookstore @ Stony Brook. I will ask for a copy of the textbook to be placed on reserve in the Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy Library. You are also encouraged to look for new or used copies of the textbook through alternative retailers. This is the same textbook used in the past, and I am sure there are good bargains to be had.

Lectures The instructor for this course is Jason Starr. All instruction will occur in lectures. There are assigned readings in the syllabus which are to be completed before lecture. During lecture the instructor and the students will discuss the material in those readings, there will be exercises to practice the material, etc. For the lectures to be effective, you must complete the assigned reading from the syllabus before lecture.

Lecture is held Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:20 PM — 3:40PM in Chemistry 128.

Office Hours

• Tuesdays 10 AM - 11 AM in Math Tower P-143.
• Tuesdays 11 AM - 12 PM in the MLC.
• Thursday 10 AM - 11 AM in Math Tower 4-108.

For exceptional occasions when students cannot make the usual office hours, students may e-mail Jason Starr to schedule an appointment.

Grading System The relative significance of exams and problem sets in determining final grades is as follows.

Hand-backs Graded problem sets and exams will be handed back in lecture. If you cannot attend the lecture in which a problem set or exam is handed back, it is your responsibility to contact your instructor and arrange a time to pick up the work (typically in office hours).

You are responsible for collecting any graded work by the end of the semester. After the end of the semester, the instructor is no longer responsible for returning your graded work.

Disability Support Services If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact Disability Support Services, 128 ECC Building (631) 632-6748. They will determine with you what accommodations are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential.

Students who require assistance during emergency evacuation are encouraged to discuss their needs with their professors and Disability Support Services. For procedures and information go to the following web site: http://www.ehs.sunysb.edu and search Fire Safety and Evacuation and Disabilities.

Academic Integrity Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong. Faculty are required to report any suspected instance of academic dishonesty to the Academic Judiciary. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty, please refer to the academic judiciary website at http://www.stonybrook.edu/uaa/academicjudiciary/.

Critical Incident Management Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of Judicial Affairs any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, and/or inhibits students' ability to learn.

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