MATH5645: Algebraic Number Theory

- Weekly problem sets (10%; top 4/10 will be counted towards the 10%).
- Assignment/project (30%)
- Final exam (60%)

There are no formal prerequisites for the course since this course is expected to be taken in your Honours year. But if you plan on taking it pre-Honours (like I did), then you are expected to achieve an average mark of 70 in MATH2601 and one of MATH3711/MATH3521/MATH5706. It is highly recommended that you take MATH3711/5706 because the content from that course will be fruitful for the discussions in this course.

One of my favourite math courses thus far, and really consolidated why I’m choosing to do a Number Theory / Combinatorics thesis when I start my honours in 2023. It is essentially a follow on course from MATH3711; you begin with some brief discussions on field extensions because everything you do from that point forward assumes you know what a field extension is. There are a lot of MATH3711 content so if you plan on taking this before/during honours, ensure that you review MATH3711.
The assessments were split into three different sections. You were assigned weekly problem sets and a random question was picked out of 6-7 problems to submit for marks. This helped me stay up to date with the lecture material. At around week 8, you had to complete a mini project in the style of a small research paper which contributed 30% of the final grade. Finally, a 3 hour final exam which consisted of 6 questions. Overall, the assessments were fair and marking was lenient with really good feedback. 10/10 recommend.

- 1 x 2 hour lecture and 1 x 1 hour lecture
- 1 hour tutorial

4/5

Yes.

Dr. Alina Ostafe

Lecture slides are sufficient.

4.5/5

None prescribed.
Recommended: Number Fields by Daniel Marcus.
The course seems to follow closely to this book.

2021 Term 3

83 DN.