Algorithmic Number Theory

Fall 2014

(640:574)

 

Course Info

Instructor: Swastik Kopparty (swastik.kopparty@gmail.com)

Class Time and Place: Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 5:00pm – 6:30pm, in Hill 124

Office Hours: Wednesday 1:30-2:30 (Hill 432)

Prerequisites: undergraduate level abstract algebra, mathematical maturity.

References: various online sources, scribe notes.

 

 

Syllabus

 

This course will be an introduction to basic algorithmic number theory (i.e., designing algorithms for number theoretic problems).

 

Topics include:

·       Primality testing

·       Lattices and Diophantine approximation

·       Integer factorization

·       Computing discrete logarithms

·       Undecidability of solving Diophantine equations

·       Polynomial factorization

·       Elliptic curve algorithms

·       Number field algorithms

·       The complexity of algebraic computation

 

Students will take turns scribing the lectures, and the notes will be put up here. There will be 1-2 problem sets.

Latex files for scribes: definitions, main file, guidelines.

 

 

Homework

·       Homework 1 (due November 19)

 

 

Lecture Schedule

·       September 2: course overview, Euclid’s algorithm, continued fractions (notes)

·       September 3: continued fractions, rational approximation (notes)

·       September 9: finding integer solutions to systems of linear equations (notes)

·       September 10: finding complex solutions to univariate polynomials (notes)

·       September 16: lattices, lattice reduction (notes)

·       September 17: the LLL algorithm for lattice reduction (notes coming soon)

·       September 23: NO CLASS (make-up class to be scheduled)

·       September 24: NO CLASS (make-up class to be scheduled)

·       September 30: polynomial factorization over rationals, finite field basics (notes coming soon, see these related notes)

·       October 1: finding roots of  univariate polynomials over finite fields (notes)

·       October 7: factorization of univariate polynomials over finite fields (notes)

·       October 8: deterministic factorization over finite fields (notes)

·       October 14: multivariate factorization (notes)

·       October 15: multivariate factorization continued, square roots mod m (notes coming soon)

·       October 21: square roots mod p^k, the multiplicative group of Z_m, certifying primality (notes coming soon)

·       October 22: randomized primality testing, deterministic primality testing (notes)

·       October 28: deterministic primality testing continued (notes)

·       October 29: discrete log

·       November 4: discrete log continued, integer factoring

·       November 5: integer factoring continued

·       November 11: generating random factored integers

·       November 12: elliptic curve basics

·       November 18: Schoof’s algorithm for point counting on elliptic curves, application to square roots mod a prime

·       November 19: finding small roots of polynomial congruences

·       November 25: NO CLASS (Thursday Schedule)

·       November 26: NO CLASS (Friday Schedule)

·       December 2: fast Fourier transform, fast integer and polynomial multiplication

·       December 3: fast integer and polynomial multiplication continued

·       December 9: undecidability of solving Diophantine equations

·       December 10: undecidability of solving Diophantine equations continued, course wrap-up

·       December 11: MAKEUP CLASS: Fast quantum algorithms for integer factorization.