Birch Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture: Introduction
Channel: Richard E Borcherds
Date: 2021-02-08

This talk is an graduate-level introduction to the Birch Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture in number theory, relating the rank of the Mordell group of a rational elliptic curve to the order of the zero of its L series at s=1. We explain the meaning of these terms, describe the motivation for the  conjecture, and discuss some of the progress that has been made on proving it. 

(This topic was suggested by several viewers. I have not yet decided whether this is a one-off talk or the first of a series.)