This chapter uses Bezout's identity and induction to prove the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic, that every natural number factors uniquely into a product of prime numbers. After exploring some initial consequences of the Fundamental Theorem, we introduce the study of prime numbers, a deep and fascinating area of number theory.
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© 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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(2009). Unique Factorization. In: Childs, L.N. (eds) A Concrete Introduction to Higher Algebra. Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-74725-5_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-74725-5_4
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
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