Number Theory In Mathematics

Just what does number theory mean? Number theory is a part of mathematics that involves integers. Through the chapter this helps to combine all the other chapters and expand students understanding. Number theory is important for many reasons, it shows numbers can be fascinating, the theory can show mathematical conjectures, it allows for an extension on mathematical skills, and offers recreation. Through these teachings students can learn lessons with tools and different strategies of learning number theory. Throughout schooling children begin learning about number theory from a young age. Number theory begins with odd and even numbers, children learn that all evens are divisible by 2 and the other positive numbers are odd numbers. Children

Students begin learning what factors and multiples are in about third grade. A factor is a number that divides a number with no remainder, while a multiple is a product of two whole numbers multiplied together. When students begin learning this a teacher may have students find factor pairs and find the multiple or each or vise versa. Once children understand what factors and multiples are, students are now taught what greatest common factors, along with least common factors are. Along with factors and multiples, number theory is learned through prime and composite numbers as well. A prime number is a number greater than one that only has two factors. A composite number is any number that has more than two factors. One way that students can find the prime numbers is using the Sieve of Eratosthenes, this helps to filter out primes and helps students see what numbers are prime and composite. Practice with the Sieve of Eratosthenes helps students understand the properties of prime and composite numbers, as well as being able to identify which numbers are prime or

Chapter 18 allows me as a future teacher to better understand and apply the different parts of number theory in the classroom. As for students, each can continue to grow a deeper understanding of mathematics through number theory. Number theory allows for children to continue to find different patterns and conjectures through teachings and applied connections in mathematics. This chapter on number theory helped me tie everything together and see how so much of mathematics relates to one another and can contain a pattern. We see how Pascal’s triangle, evens and odds, factors and multiples, primes and composite numbers, and so many more mathematical teachings that contain number theory. As a future educator, I hope to make strong use of this chapter on number theory. Number theory plays a big role in mathematics and I want to help students see patterns and conjectures all throughout mathematical teachings and this chapters reading will help me to apply this in many ways. I can look back and see the many examples provided and bring activities into my classroom to help students get a better grasp for each lesson and number theory. I will be able to refer to the reading and have a deeper understanding for mathematics and number theory and help my children understand that as