Number theory is a classical area of mathematics treating the properties of the integers. In later days, the area has come to be of great importance because of its applicability in cryptography. The course starts with the basic theory of the divisibility properties of integers and congruences. After this, number theoretic functions, primitive roots of primes, continued fractions, quadratic congruences, reciprocity, quadratic reciprocity and the distribution of primes is treated. Finally, the course treats some modern applications in cryptography, such as the RSA-method and encryption with elliptic curves.
