In this paper we consider the dynamical system involved by the Ricci operator on the space of Kähler metrics of a Fano manifold. Nadel has defined an iteration scheme given by the Ricci operator and asked whether it has some non-trivial periodic points. First, we prove that no such periodic points can exist. We define the inverse of the Ricci operator and consider the dynamical behaviour of its iterates for a Fano Kähler–Einstein manifold. Then we define a finite-dimensional procedure to give an approximation of Kähler–Einstein metrics using this iterative procedure and apply it on ℂℙ2 blown up in three points.

Let M be a commutative cancellative atomic monoid. We consider the behaviour of the asymptotic length functions and on M. If M is finitely generated and reduced, then we present an algorithm for the computation of both and where x is a nonidentity element of M. We also explore the values that the functions and can attain when M is a Krull monoid with torsion divisor class group, and extend a well-known result of Zaks and Skula by showing how these values can be used to characterize when M is half-factorial.

In this paper, we derive a number of explicit lower bounds for rational approximation to certain cubic irrationalities, proving, for example, that for any non-zero integers p and q. A number of these irrationality measures improve known results, including those for . Some Diophantine consequences are briefly discussed.

We consider the Egyptian fraction equation and discuss techniques for generating solutions. By examining a quadratic recurrence relation modulo a family of primes we have found some 500 new infinite sequences of solutions. We also initiate an investigation of the randomness of the distribution of solutions, and show that there are infinitely many solutions not generated by the aforementioned technique.