After the holiday schedule last week we are back Wednesday 11/17! Come enjoy pizza from 6-7 in LGRT 1634 while Adam Gamzon presents “Sum of Two Squares” and answers a classic question in number theory.
Abstract: Which primes p can be written as the sum of two integer squares: p=a^2+b^2? This is a classic question from number theory that Fermat answered in the 1600’s using his “method of descent”. Since Fermat’s time, however, several other methods for reaching Fermat’s answer have been discovered. The approach that we will focus on makes use of complex numbers.