The Ongoing Binomial Revolution

Abstract

The Binomial Theorem has long been essential in mathematics. In one form or another it was known to the ancients and, in the hands of Leibniz, Newton, Euler, Galois, and others, it became an essential tool in both algebra and analysis. Indeed, Newton early on developed certain binomial series (see Section \ref{newton}) which played a role in his subsequent work on the calculus. From the work of Leibniz, Galois, Frobenius, and many others, we know of its essential role in algebra. In this paper we rapidly trace the history of the Binomial Theorem, binomial series, and binomial coefficients, with emphasis on their decisive role in function field arithmetic. We also explain conversely how function field arithmetic is now leading to new results in the binomial theory via insights into characteristic $p$ $L$-series.