Abstract
THE theory of numbers, which was called the queen of mathematics by Gauss, the originator of the modern theory, still remains supreme. The present era is pre-eminently one in which she dominates the mathematical world. Her willing, loyal, and devoted subjects include the foremost mathematicians in every land. Their recent achievements bear comparison in difficulty and significance with those of any other period. Their propaganda in the last few years includes a surprisingly large number of thrilling treatises, which deal with most aspects of her conquests, and far exceed in number and importance those dealing with any other advanced mathematical subject. There is no lack of effort to present the most recent developments in as inviting and attractive a form as possible. One need only mention recent books in the last few years by Bachmann, Hecke, Landau, and Feuter. No small part of their subject-matter is closely related to or perhaps had its foundations in one or more of the six problems I have selected for discussion, which are associated with such distinguished names, namely: 1. Euler's Three Biquadrate Problem.
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MORDELL, L. The Present State of Some Problems in the Theory of Numbers. Nature 121, 138–140 (1928). https://doi.org/10.1038/121138a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/121138a0