MATH 408 Elementary Number Theory
Number theory plays a role in many areas of mathematics, and is essential to the understanding of cryptography, cryptocurrency, and cyber security. Some of the topics covered include properties of prime numbers, the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic, congruences, Fermat's and Euler's theorem, Diophantine equations, primitive roots, and quadratic reciprocity. The basics of public key cryptography, which forms much of the backbone of internet security systems, will also be covered. Such topics include the discrete logarithm problem, Diffie-Hellman key exchange, and RSA public key cryptosystem. Prerequisite: CSC 210 or Math 248.