p-adic numbers

the long version

There are numbers of all kinds: rational, real, complex, p-adic... The p-adic numbers are less well known than the others, but they play a fundamental role in number theory and in other parts of mathematics. This book is an elementary introduction to p-adic numbers. Most other books on the subject are written for more advanced students. This book can almost be viewed as an introduction to be read in preparation for reading these more advanced texts. Readers who want to have an idea and appreciation of the subject but do not need to become specialists will probably find what they need in this book, while other texts may be too technical.