Mathematical Sciences: Number Theory and Allied Topics

This grant supports the research of Professor G. Andrews as principal investigator and Professor D. Brownawell as co-principal investigator. Professor Andrews will work on problems in additive number theory. In particular, he will concentrate on various conjectures arising from partition theory. Professor Brownawell will work on problems arising from Diophantine approximation and transcendental number theory in particular problems arising from Drinfeld modules. This is research in the field of number theory. Number theory starts with the whole numbers and questions such as the divisibility of one whole number by another. It is among the oldest fields of mathematics and it was originally pursued for purely aesthetic reasons. However, within the last half century, it has become an essential tool in developing new algorithms for computer science and new error correcting codes for electronics.