Abstract: The partitio numerorum, the number of ways to divide a set into smaller sets, arises in the purest of pure mathematics, namely number theory. It is the subject of a famous theorem by Hardy and Ramanujan. We will discuss its relevance to the “bootstrap “ theory of elementary particles. In paticular, it led to the prediction of the existence of an ultimate temperature, in a theory that was the precursor of modern string theory.

Vita: Kerson Huang（黄克孙）教授，清华大学周培源应用数学研究中心讲席教授组成员，自1966年起担任MIT教授，他撰写的“统计力学”自1965年来多次再版，并译成多种文字，是国际著名的统计力学教材。