Unlocking the Language of Mathematics in the Fourth Dimension

UI Mathematician Deepens Understanding of Arithmetic Geometry

You have just invented the nail. Its new, and confusing, but youre sure that it holds
countless possibilities. Maybe someday it could be used to hold items together pieces of wood, in the distant future, which may even become some sort of shelter
a house perhaps, but that hasnt been invented yet. Youre still at the stages of
inventing the nail, perfecting the angles and smoothing the edges, with the hopes
that eventually this instrument will have real use.
This is incredibly similar to the invention of a theory published by UI professor
Jennifer Johnson-Leung. Her theory demonstrates the relationship between
quadratic modular forms and fourth dimensional elliptical curves.
Remember back to Pythagoras theorem of a2 + b2= c2 and how it had an intense
relationship with triangles? While the relationship is more complex when dealing
with modular forms and elliptical curve because of the kind of numbers this form
uses, the connection is similarly formed.
Jennifer Johnson-Leung, professor in mathematics specializing in number theory and
cryptography at the University of Idaho, published the paper Siegel modular forms
of degree two attached to Hilbert modular forms. Johnson-Leung strengthened the
connection between modular forms and elliptical curves by showing the relationship
between quadratic modular forms and fourth dimensional elliptical curves. Within
the field of number theory, mathematicians will work separately to understand A
(modular forms) and to understand B (elliptical curves) and other mathematicians
study how A and B can relate to each other and reveal different kinds of math, in
this case arithmetic geometry.
Modular forms are like time. Similar to a clock counting 24 hours and then the
mod starts over with a new 24 hours but the numbers are the same. The second
day would be written as mod 2 which would be made up of 23 mod units, because
0 counts as one unit. Eventually mod can be used in an equation similar to
multiplying it you can mod the problem.
Elliptical curves are usually represented as three dimensional doughnut-like shapes,
but can also be four dimensional, with the fourth dimension being time. They are
created by combining two planes, planes being two dimensional and by combining
the planes a new shape takes form.
This discovery does not have immediate real world application, rather the beginning
to creating more complex encryptions. Currently encryptions use RSA which is
based on old mathematics. The way to access the encrypted information is for the
computer to solve a math problem using prime numbers. Quadratic modular forms
would further complicate the encrypted information and make the information

harder to reach. As the modular forms stand now, they would not be much use
because they would move too slowly.
This field of mathematics is not about solving real world problems but more about
the persistent human achievement, in fact one might say that theoretical math is
more of an art form rather than a science.
Jennifer Johnson-Leung can be reached at the University of Idaho at her email
jjohnson@uidaho.edu