This volume contains expanded versions of lectures given at an instructional conference on number theory and arithmetic geometry held August 9 through 18, 1995 at Boston University. Contributor's includeThe purpose of the conference, and of this book, is to introduce and explain the many ideas and techniques used by Wiles in his proof that every (semi-stable) elliptic curve over Q is modular, and to explain how Wiles' result can be combined with Ribet's theorem and ideas of Frey and Serre to show, at long last, that Fermat's Last Theorem is true.
Topics in topology: The signature theorem and some of its applications
The author discusses several exciting topological developments that took place during the fifties decade which radically changed the way we think about many issues. Topics covered: Poincare duality, Thom isomorphism, Euler, Chern and Pontryagin classes, cobordisms groups, signature formula.
An introductory course in differential geometry and the Atiyah-Singer index theorem
This is a lecture-based class on the celebrated Atiyah-Singer index theorem, proved in the 60's by Sir Michael Atiyah and Isadore Singer. Their work on this theorem lead to a joint Abel prize in 2004. Requirements: Knowledge of topology and manifolds.
Elementary number theory is concerned with arithmetic properties of the ring of integers. Early in the development of number theory, it was noticed that the ring of integers has many properties in common with the ring of polynomials over a finite field. The first part of this book illustrates this relationship by presenting, for example, analogues of the theorems of Fermat and Euler, Wilson's theorem, quadratic (and higher) reciprocity, the prime number theorem, and Dirichlet's theorem on primes in an arithmetic progression.
