In the wrong hands, math can be deadly. Even the simplest numbers can become powerful forces when manipulated by politicians or the media, but in the case of the law, your liberty--and your life--can depend on the right calculation.
In "Math on Trial," mathematicians Leila Schneps and Co[...]
Traditionally, $p$-adic $L$-functions have been constructed from complex $L$-functions via special values and Iwasawa theory. This book presents a theory of $p$-adic $L$-functions coming directly from $p$-adic Galois representations (or, more generally, from motives).[...]