Talk:Advanced modular arithmetic theory

Intro

This article in its current form is dog crap, and needs to be re-written. It is meant to be provide an advanced expostion of modular arithmetic that goes beyond the scope of the more basic article modular arithmetic.

Question

Linas wrote in the article:

The first encyclopedia entry on modular arithmetic was written by Euclid, in Book 7 of Euclid's Elements.

Now, was it encyclopedia what Euclid wrote? The Euclid's Elements page says it was a mathematical treatise, aka, an Abramowitz and Stegun before its time. Oleg Alexandrov 22:11, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Yes well, encyclopedia is an 18th century Enlightnment concept, so, by definition, anything written before that time cannot technically be called an encyclopedia. On the other hand, the Elements, along with Aristotle's works and Pliny's History, come close to what in modern times would be called an "encyclopedia". So I think the usage is entirely approriate. A&S is an excellent reference work, but its neither encylopeadic nor is it a treatise. linas 00:17, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC)