Department of Mathematics FAS Harvard University One Oxford Street Cambridge MA 02138 USA Tel: (617) 495-2171 Fax: (617) 495-5132

Open Neighborhood Seminar of November 13, 2019

The next ONS talk will take place this Wednesday, November 13, at 4:30 PM in SC 507. Snacks to follow in the common room as usual.
Our speaker is Ellen Eischen (Oregon) who talks about

An Introduction to the Bernoulli Numbers, from Pythagoras to Present:


Abstract: Consider these basic questions: What can we say about finite sums of powers of consecutive whole numbers? What can we say about whole number solutions to polynomial equations? What about factorizations into primes? What about values of the Riemann zeta function? In interesting families of examples - elementary and sophisticated, ancient and modern - "Bernoulli numbers" unify these seemingly unrelated questions. After an introduction to the Bernoulli numbers, we will explore related developments for these intertwined problems, which lead to central challenges in number theory and beyond. (Ellen will also be giving the department colloquium on November 14 at 4:30 in SC Hall E. Title: On some congruences in number theory and beyond.)


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