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Full-Text Articles in Number Theory
Prove It!, Kenny W. Moran
Prove It!, Kenny W. Moran
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
A dialogue between a mathematics professor, Frank, and his daughter, Sarah, a mathematical savant with a powerful mathematical intuition. Sarah's intuition allows her to stumble into some famous theorems from number theory, but her lack of academic mathematical background makes it difficult for her to understand Frank's insistence on the value of proof and formality.
Sylvester: Ushering In The Modern Era Of Research On Odd Perfect Numbers, Steven Gimbel, John Jaroma
Sylvester: Ushering In The Modern Era Of Research On Odd Perfect Numbers, Steven Gimbel, John Jaroma
Philosophy Faculty Publications
In 1888, James Joseph Sylvester (1814-1897) published a series of papers that he hoped would pave the way for a general proof of the nonexistence of an odd perfect number (OPN). Seemingly unaware that more than fifty years earlier Benjamin Peirce had proved that an odd perfect number must have at least four distinct prime divisors, Sylvester began his fundamental assault on the problem by establishing the same result. Later that same year, he strengthened his conclusion to five. These findings would help to mark the beginning of the modern era of research on odd perfect numbers. Sylvester's bound stood …