CONWAY, Ark. (August 23, 2018) – A new textbook by Dr. Duff
Campbell, professor of mathematics and computer science at Hendrix College, was
published this summer by the American Mathematical Society.
Campbell designed An Open
Door to Number Theory as a textbook for a junior-level course in number
theory.
“I started writing it as a set of lecture notes in 1994, and it
developed into a book over many years,” he said.
As with his lectures, Campbell aimed for the book to have an
informal, engaging style. Its approach emphasizes geometry and big concepts to
provide a natural lead-in to the study of algebraic number theory, and Campbell
worked to develop a balance between calculations and proofs in the exercises
the book offers.
“There are over 450 exercises and nine major projects,” he said.
“The intention is that the students learning from this text will do much of the
work in developing the main ideas in number theory.”
An Open Door to Number Theory underwent a review and refinement
process in classrooms for the past several years. Campbell has used various versions
of the book’s material in classes at Hendrix College, and mathematics faculty at
St. Olaf College, the University of Hawaii, and Western New England University
have done the same. In addition, Hendrix student Olivier Kwizera ’17 undertook
a special project his senior year, working with Campbell to write a complete
Solutions Manual that is now available to instructors who use the book.
Campbell, who lives in Little Rock with his wife, Beth Levi, and
their two children, dedicated the book to his grandfather, LeRoy Archer
Campbell. He followed in his grandfather’s footsteps by attending Harvard
College as an undergraduate, earning his Ph.D., becoming a college professor,
and producing a book. The project carries another family connection, too: Campbell’s
sister, Kristin McCullough, contributed the cover photograph, which she took in
Ireland.
An Open Door to Number Theory may be purchased on Amazon.
About Hendrix College
A private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix
College consistently earns recognition as one of the country’s leading liberal
arts institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40
Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic
quality and rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a fixture
in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has
been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more,
visit www.hendrix.edu.