Date & Time: Wednesday, March 05, 2014, 16:00-17:00.
Venue: Ramanujan Hall
Speaker: A. Raghuram, IISER Pune
Title: From Calculus to Number Theory
Abstract: In our study of integral calculus, we come across various convergent series. Some of them are very well-known, having been made famous by the works of Euler, Leibniz, MacLaurin and Madhava (from the 14th century Kerala School of Mathematics). Such series happen to be prototypes of a subject within modern number theory called Special Values of L-functions. An L-function is a function of a complex variable that is attached to some interesting arithmetic or geometric data. The special values of these functions give structural information about such data. In this talk, I will weave a storyline starting with ancient formulas in Calculus leading up to some theorems and conjectures in modern Number Theory.