MAT 218: Number Theory
(Fall 2026)

Course Info

  • MAT 218: Number Theory
  • Fall 2026
  • Section 02: MWF 10:00–10:50 AM
  • Noyce 2517
  • 4 Credits

Instructor Info

  • Dr. Jadyn V. Breland (he/him/his)
  • M/W2:45–4:00 PMTu10:00 AM–12:00 PM
  • Noyce 2516 · drop in, no appointment

Mentor Sessions

  • Seb, course mentor
  • Tu/Th/Su 7:30–9:30 PM
  • Noyce 2245
  • drop in

Quizzes

There will be 5 short in-class quizzes, tentatively scheduled for the following Fridays:
Fri, Sep 11 Quiz 1 Quiz Solutions
Topics: Know and be able to use the definitions we have seen: divisibility, congruence modulo $n$, reflexive, symmetric, and transitive relations, equivalence relations, and equivalence classes. Review Theorems 1.1–1.3, 1.6, 1.9–1.14 and the corresponding proofs. Exercise R.5 would also be good practice.
Fri, Sep 25 Quiz 2 Quiz
Topics: Given during the first 15 minutes of class. You should know the statement of every definition and theorem we have encountered since Quiz 1, and be able to use them. This includes the quotient and remainder, common divisor, greatest common divisor, and relatively prime, as well as Theorems 1.26–1.28, 1.32, 1.33, 1.35, 1.38–1.41, and M.1–M.3. You should also know the proof techniques used to establish these results, and be prepared to invoke the theorems in your own proofs. You must know the Euclidean Algorithm as we stated it in the Allowed Results, including what it means for the algorithm to halt in $k$ steps and why the quotient and remainder at each step are unique. Finally, you should know the statements of the Well-Ordering Axiom and the Principle of Mathematical Induction, and be prepared to write a proof by induction. The quiz will not test you on definitions and results from before Quiz 1, but you should still be ready to use them. Material from Homework 10 will not appear on this quiz.
Fri, Oct 30 Quiz 3
Fri, Nov 13 Quiz 4
Fri, Dec 4 Quiz 5
Each quiz will be 15 minutes long and will be based on the topics we have discussed in class. I will let you know in advance the topics of the quiz. To prepare for the quizzes I suggest that you attempt the homework yourself, discuss the homework with your classmates, participate in class, and revise your proofs/solutions in light of presentations. Each problem on a quiz will be assessed using the following rubric:
ScoreCriteria
4This is correct and well-written mathematics!
3This is a good piece of work, yet there are some mathematical errors or some writing errors that need addressing.
2There is some good intuition here, but there is at least one serious flaw.
1I don't understand this, but I see that you have worked on it.
0I believe that you have not worked on this problem enough or have not submitted any work.
Make-up quizzes will only be given under extreme circumstances, as judged by me. It would be best to communicate conflicts ahead of time. Each quiz is worth 3% of your final score.
The grading rubric above was borrowed from Dana C. Ernst's course materials at Northern Arizona University, which are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. This page is licensed under the same.