A self-contained introductory text for beginning graduate students that is contemporary in approach without ignoring historical matters.

The theory of elliptic curves involves a blend of algebra, geometry, analysis, and number theory. This book stresses this interplay as it develops the basic theory, providing an opportunity for readers to appreciate the unity of modern mathematics. The book’s accessibility, the informal writing style, and a wealth of exercises make it an ideal introduction for those interested in learning about Diophantine equations and arithmetic geometry.

Like its bestselling predecessor, Elliptic Curves: Number Theory and Cryptography, Second Edition develops the theory of elliptic curves to provide a basis for both number theoretic and cryptographic applications. With additional exercises, this edition offers more comprehensive coverage of the fundamental theory, techniques, and application

The book divides naturally into several parts according to the level of the material, the background required of the reader, and the style of presentation with respect to details of proofs. For example, the first part, to Chapter 6, is undergraduate in level, the second part requires a background in Galois theory and the third some complex analysis, while the last parts, from Chapter 12 on, are mostly at graduate level. A general outline ofmuch ofthe material can be found in Tate's colloquium lectures reproduced as an article in Inven tiones [1974]. The first part grew out of Tate's 1961 Haverford Philips Lectures as an attempt to write something for publication c10sely related to the original Tate notes which were more or less taken from the tape recording of the lectures themselves. This inc1udes parts of the Introduction and the first six chapters The aim ofthis part is to prove, by elementary methods, the Mordell theorem on the finite generation of the rational points on elliptic curves defined over the rational numbers. In 1970 Tate teturned to Haverford to give again, in revised form, the originallectures of 1961 and to extend the material so that it would be suitable for publication. This led to a broader plan forthe book.

An introductory 1997 account in the style of the original discoverers, treating the fundamental themes even-handedly.

Many problems in number theory have simple statements, but their solutions require a deep understanding of algebra, algebraic geometry, complex analysis, group representations, or a combination of all four. The original simply stated problem can be obscured in the depth of the theory developed to understand it. This book is an introduction to some of these problems, and an overview of the theories used nowadays to attack them, presented so that the number theory is always at the forefront of the discussion. Lozano-Robledo gives an introductory survey of elliptic curves, modular forms, and $L$-functions. His main goal is to provide the reader with the big picture of the surprising connections among these three families of mathematical objects and their meaning for number theory. As a case in point, Lozano-Robledo explains the modularity theorem and its famous consequence, Fermat's Last Theorem. He also discusses the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture and other modern conjectures. The book begins with some motivating problems and includes numerous concrete examples throughout the text, often involving actual numbers, such as 3, 4, 5, $\frac{3344161}{747348}$, and $\frac{2244035177043369699245575130906674863160948472041} {8912332268928859588025535178967163570016480830}$. The theories of elliptic curves, modular forms, and $L$-functions are too vast to be covered in a single volume, and their proofs are outside the scope of the undergraduate curriculum. However, the primary objects of study, the statements of the main theorems, and their corollaries are within the grasp of advanced undergraduates. This book concentrates on motivating the definitions, explaining the statements of the theorems and conjectures, making connections, and providing lots of examples, rather than dwelling on the hard proofs. The book succeeds if, after reading the text, students feel compelled to study elliptic curves and modular forms in all their glory.

This book offers the beginning undergraduate student some of the vista of modern mathematics by developing and presenting the tools needed to gain an understanding of the arithmetic of elliptic curves over finite fields and their applications to modern cryptography. This gradual introduction also makes a significant effort to teach students how to produce or discover a proof by presenting mathematics as an exploration, and at the same time, it provides the necessary mathematical underpinnings to investigate the practical and implementation side of elliptic curve cryptography (ECC). Elements of abstract algebra, number theory, and affine and projective geometry are introduced and developed, and their interplay is exploited. Algebra and geometry combine to characterize congruent numbers via rational points on the unit circle, and group law for the set of points on an elliptic curve arises from geometric intuition provided by Bézout's theorem as well as the construction of projective space. The structure of the unit group of the integers modulo a prime explains RSA encryption, Pollard's method of factorization, Diffie–Hellman key exchange, and ElGamal encryption, while the group of points of an elliptic curve over a finite field motivates Lenstra's elliptic curve factorization method and ECC. The only real prerequisite for this book is a course on one-variable calculus; other necessary mathematical topics are introduced on-the-fly. Numerous exercises further guide the exploration.