Valuation Theory and Its Applications

Book excerpt: This book is the first of two proceedings volumes stemming from the International Conference and Workshop on Valuation Theory held at the University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, SK, Canada). Valuation theory arose in the early part of the twentieth century in connection with number theory and has many important applications to geometry and analysis: the classical application to the study of algebraic curves and to Dedekind and Prufer domains; the close connection to the famousresolution of the singularities problem; the study of the absolute Galois group of a field; the connection between ordering, valuations, and quadratic forms over a formally real field; the application to real algebraic geometry; the study of noncommutative rings; etc. The special feature of this book isits focus on current applications of valuation theory to this broad range of topics. Also included is a paper on the history of valuation theory. The book is suitable for graduate students and research mathematicians working in algebra, algebraic geometry, number theory, and mathematical logic.