|         |         | 
Simplemindedly, a number theoretic transform is a generalization of a Fast Fourier Transform obtained by replacing
 with an
 with an  th Primitive Root of Unity.  This effectively means doing a transform over the
Quotient Ring
th Primitive Root of Unity.  This effectively means doing a transform over the
Quotient Ring 
 instead of the Complex Numbers
 instead of the Complex Numbers  .  The theory is
rather elegant and uses the language of Finite Fields and Number Theory.
.  The theory is
rather elegant and uses the language of Finite Fields and Number Theory.
See also Fast Fourier Transform, Finite Field
References
Arndt, J.  ``Numbertheoretic Transforms (NTTs).''  Ch. 4 in ``Remarks on FFT Algorithms.''
  http://www.jjj.de/fxt/.
 
Cohen, H.  A Course in Computational Algebraic Number Theory.  New York: Springer-Verlag, 1993.