Calendar

Jan
14
Thu
Undergraduate Colloquium – Joseph H. Silverman (Brown University) @ Bilger 335
Jan 14 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Title: Taxicabs and Sums of Two Cubes: An Excursion in Mathematics
Speaker: Joseph H. Silverman (Brown University)

Some numbers, such as

9 = 1^3 + 2^3 and 370 =3^3 + 7^3,

can be written as a sum of two cubes. Are there any numbers that can be written like this in two (or more) different ways? This elementary question will lead us into a beautiful area of mathematics where number theory, geometry, algebra, and calculus interact in surprising ways. The talk will be accessible to undergraduates at all levels.