TariqI'm working through this beginner-friendly number theory book ..
.. and writing up my attempts at the exercises here:
https://numbertheorystepbystep.blogspot.com
rtnthere are quite a few people who don't like the book, and some who criticise it
i have tried a few number theory textbooks and they have not worked for me because they are just written in a difficult manner, and assume they are to be used as part of a course with access to a teacher/tutor
those classic textbooks are not ideal for self-study
this book i find has a really nice friendly writing tone, has plenty of worked examples, the exercises have a gentle gradient with plenty of easy ones to build confidence
and that for me works really well
the author's official solutions have some really bad errors and some bad solutions and i think this is because they were actually written by maybe a student of the author's ... for me it means I am extra alert when comparing my solutions to the official ones
@rzeta0 Thanks for input. Sounds like the book for me. I majored in math but it was 25 years ago and decided recently to get back into it. Not expecting any big results, it's just for pure enjoyment and expanding my way of thinking. Will keep the erroneous results in mind and can also double check with you.
Similar situation for me - i didn't do maths at university, and am now filling in out of interest.
i also found this really helpful because i was never introduced to mathematical thinking and phrasing
https://www.coursera.org/learn/mathematical-thinking
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also for interest I'm working through
Formal Proof and Type Theory
i think this book is excellent at takign someone with no background and gently guiding them through quite a formal field - i managed to get to chapter 9 without too much pain and actually feel confident i understand the main ideas
my solitions: https://type-theory-and-formal-proof.blogspot.com
@rzeta0 The sad part is that even if you do maths at uni it's not certain you get good teachers that guide you into mathematical thinking. There's usually also a big divide between "real" rigorous math compared to what they teach you in school.