Unique factorization and the fundamental theorem of arithmetic

Autor:	David J. Sprows
Rok vydání:	2016
Předmět:	Algebra Multiplicative number theory Fundamental theorem of arithmetic Mathematics (miscellaneous) Property (philosophy) Factorization Applied Mathematics Unique factorization domain Prime factor Prime number Natural number Education Mathematics
Zdroj:	International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology. 48:130-131
ISSN:	1464-5211 0020-739X
DOI:	10.1080/0020739x.2016.1199059
Popis:	The fundamental theorem of arithmetic is one of those topics in mathematics that somehow ‘falls through the cracks’ in a student's education. When asked to state this theorem, those few students who are willing to give it a try (most have no idea of its content) will say something like ‘every natural number can be broken down into a product of primes’. The fact that this breakdown always results in the same primes is viewed as ‘obvious’. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate with a number of examples that the ‘Unique Factorization Property’ is a rare property and the fact that the natural numbers possess this property is ‘fundamental’ to our understanding of this number system.
Databáze:	OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz:	https://explore.openaire.eu/search/publication?articleId=doi_________::507c0c09fbbdde341a0833a6edb5fcb8 https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739x.2016.1199059 Zobrazit plný text záznamu