number theory

American  

noun

Mathematics.

1. the study of integers and their relation to one another.

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number theory British  

noun

1. the study of integers, their properties, and the relationship between integers

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Etymology

Origin of number theory

First recorded in 1910–15

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

number theory

Inspired by Coxon and a formula in number theory known as the Chicken McNugget Theorem, they pooled their remaining food vouchers and bought hundreds of nuggets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

In recent months, the AI companies have flaunted the capabilities of their models by trumpeting advances in combinatorial geometry and algebraic number theory, turning math into an unlikely form of advertising.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

But OpenAI’s solution drew on methods from a seemingly unrelated field, algebraic number theory, which studies deep patterns in numbers and the structures built from them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

Looking at Palantir’s chart, round number theory came into play at the $200 level with only two closes above that figure on Oct.

From Barron's ● May 7, 2026

A strong streak of romanticism runs through mathematics, manifesting itself most clearly in the most fundamental areas of mathematics, number theory and logic.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

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