HISTORY OF THE THEORY OF NUMBERS
DIOPHANTINE ANALYSIS
Dr Lxoeass Boonie Dieton
Pa of Nan Df Cg‘A wonk FiRsT PUBLISHED 1x 1919, 1920, aNb 1923 By THE
‘Canzoie Institute oF WASHINGTON, AS FUBLICATION
NuMBER 256 oF Tite Canwecte IusviTure oF WasttiNcron
LiMRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER 66-26982
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD. 800K NUMBER 0-8284-0086-5
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CLASSIFICATION (1966): QA 241.D5
DEWEY DECINAL CLASsIELeATION (1966): 512° 81°,09
PRIVTED BRONX, N. ¥., 1971, ON ACID-FREE PAPER
PREFACE.
iophaatine analysis was named after the Gresk Diophantas, of the
‘ed century, who proposed many indtarmiaate problema in his arithmetic,
For cammple, be dested three ratonal numbers the product of tty two of
‘which inresed by the Ud shall bo 6 euare. Agao, he required that
‘erain combinsios ofthe sides, are, and perimeter of Teh triangle
‘hall bo squares ar eubes. "He was content witha singin aunerelratioal
felatin, although his probleme vmally have an inde of soc olution.
‘Many later writers required solutions in Integy (hole mule), a0 that
them Diphote sai ewe on iar sm. Yr the
fave of homogeneous equations, tho two ejects coincide. Ht im
ovizary ene, the were forall stegralsolctons ie more eiicelt has tht
{oral aslo! goons, Ta is frst course in Uh theory of Dury
student is sarpeiod a the elaborate theory resting to the equation which
in analyte geometry rpronnta = cone; Buti ea el inl to pick
‘4 tote potas of the eonie whose coardiaatos ae rasonal sn! & renter