Number Theory at UEA

Research in Number Theory at UEA

Number theory is a broad, all-encompasing kind of subject that uses tools from many diverse areas. But it does not mean you need to be an egg-head to do original research. The way into many outstanding problems can often be at quite a low level. At UEA, the research centres around two different areas.

(1) Diophantine Equations

(2) Elliptic Curves.

For (1), we look at special classes of equations where there are known to be infinitely many integer solutions. We look at special properties of these solutions and try to study their finer properties such as their location in `space' or their divisibilty by primes. For a good introduction, try Alan Baker's book "An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers". You could also have a look at some of the papers on my list of publications.

Interest looks set to rise in (2) owing to Wiles' proof of Fermat' Theorem. Recently I have looking at inter-actions between the arithmetic of elliptic curves and dynamical systems. The approach is fairly down-to-earth although the language of algebraic geometry is becoming increasingly used. For an interesting explanation of the use of elliptic curves in number theory try Alf van der Poorten's book "Notes on Fermat's Last Theorem". You could also look at some of my recent papers on elliptic curves in my list of publications.

UEA Mathematics Home Page

Graham Everest

Email: G.Everest@uea.ac.uk