MA 200 — A Visual Approach to Numbers
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course is a visual primer for elementary number theory. It explores patterns within the natural numbers, integers and rational numbers. Topics include divisibility, remainders, prime numbers, fractions, the greatest common factor, the Euclidean Algorithm, congruence, modular arithmetic, linear equations, Fermat’s little theorem, and cryptography. Whenever possible, visualizations will be used to demonstrate these concepts. Real life examples will draw from the visual arts, music theory, and data communication.
Prerequisite(s): mathematic proficiency (see beginning of Mathematics section).