This volume provides a source for the math needed to understand the emergence and evolution of five contemporary problems whose development can be traced through elementary, high school, college, and university level math: the four numbers problem, rational right triangles, lattice point geometry, rational approximation, and dissection. Each chapter begins with the elementary math involved at its source, then discusses the development of the concepts and results in contemporary research. The book is meant for math students and teachers in high school through graduate school, and mathematicians. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)