Questions about non-unique factorizations of elements in integral domains and monoids have become the focus of much recent mathematical literature. Such questions have a rich mathematical basis; their solutions involve techniques not only from commutative algebra but also from classical number theory, combinatorics, graph theory, abelian group theory, discrete geometry, and additive number theory.
This exciting five-day workshop will present fundamental mathematical concepts and results at a basic level. Participants will receive a preliminary copy of a textbook dedicated to this topic suitable for advanced undergraduates or beginning graduate students.
The workshop will begin with keynote addresses by the workshop leaders, followed by a series of basic lectures by three of the world's leading researchers in this area: Prof. David Anderson from the University of Tennessee; Prof. Alfred Geroldinger from the University of Graz, Austria; and Prof. Ulrich Krause from the University of Bremen, Germany.
Afternoons will consist of a series of small-group problem/discussion sessions, which will address how this material can best be applied to both the classroom and the undergraduate research project settings. The seminars will be led by graduate students--Paul Baginski from the University of California, Berkeley; and Brenda Mammenga from North Dakota State University --who have worked in this field at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
The required background is undergraduate courses in abstract algebra, number theory, and combinatorics.
For more information, visit the workshop website at http://www.trinity.edu/schapman/ArtofFactorization.htm.