from Pythagoras to Present with Ellen Eischen of the University of Oregon
Location:
Fowler 310
Event Date: Nov. 28, 2018
Consider these basic questions: What can we say about finite sums of powers of consecutive whole numbers? What about infinite sums of powers of fractions? What can we say about whole number solutions to polynomial equations? What about factorizations into primes?
In the setting of certain interesting families of examples, fractions called "Bernoulli numbers" unify these seemingly unrelated questions. After an introduction to the Bernoulli numbers, we will explore related developments for these intertwined problems, which lead to central challenges in number theory and beyond.
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