Book Description

This text is designed for the sophomore/junior level introduction to discrete mathematics taken by students preparing for future coursework in areas such as math, computer science and engineering.Rosen has become a bestseller largely due to how effectively it addresses the main portion of the discrete market, which is typically characterized as the mid to upper level in rigor. The strength of Rosen's approach has been the effective balance of theory with relevant applications, as well as the overall comprehensive nature of the topic coverage. ... Read more

Reviews (59)

The "Violin" Book of Discrete Mathematics
This book easily ranks as my favorite lower-division math/computer science textbook. Aside from its omission of elementary coding theory, this book contains just about every important discrete mathematical topic (logic, sets, functions, algorithms, complexity, combinatorics, relations, graphs, Boolean algebra, formal language theory) that a beginning student should be introduced to. Plenty of examples in each section that reflect the end-of-section exercises. Very well organized in that key definitions, rules, and theorems are boxed and well highlighted.
Concepts are well explained and reinforced with numerous examples.
And most importantly, plenty of engaging problems that range from trivial to quite challenging. Applications to areas such as computer science are in abundance. But most enjoyable for me are the numerous biographical sketches of important discrete mathematicians. All around an excellent text, and one I had been searching for since my days as a freshman in college when I had wondered when, as a math major, I would ever get to the fun stuff: logic, graphs, codes, etc.. Little did I know that I would have to wait 17 years as a professor at the same college to finally get to it.

Excellent Discrete Math book
This is a very good book on Discrete Math. I have looked at several books and the only other book that comes close to quality is "Discrete Mathematics" by Hein.
To get the most out of this book it is recommended to get the solutions manual. Also the book's website has several useful worked out examples and links. Discrete Math is what computer science is all about and if you don't like Discrete Math then you should stay away from CS.

Well I liked It
I like the layout, I like the explanations, I like the coverage. It's my favorite textbook. But the material isn't easy, and I think this will always mean Discrete Math textbooks get low reviews.

A great introductory book
I was impressed by the breadth and depth of the book. It starts off by building a thorough foundation, and goes on to cover important topics in discrete math - graph theory, cryptography and combinatorics. The author really shows you why the subject is relevant and makes it interesting. I was most impressed with the exercises which can really help you learn the subject. The historical and biographical material is a nice touch. This is the only good discrete math book I found after checking out at least half a dozen others.

No beauty here
On the surface this seems like a great book - all of the topics in a Discrete Mathematics course are covered, the information is cleanly laid out, and the quality of the binding is excellent. At closer observation, though, this book has some serious flaws that should keep it from being considered from any universitie's curriculum.

Discrete math should be the class that introduces students to the beauty that can be found in math through proofs. Proofs are the foundation of mathematics and - especailly in an introductory text - should be comprehensive. This book leaves out important steps in a good deal of the proofs, making the proofs themselves hard to read. This should be an easy, clear class for anyone intrested in math. If you are struggling, you owe it to yourself to find a real text on proofs to see what mathematical beauty really is.

My advise is - if you have to use this text - buy a good book on proofs and another good book on number theory. There are plenty on Amazon. ... Read more

Book Description

There are two kinds of math: the hard kind and the easy kind. The easy kind, practiced by ants, shrimp, Welsh corgis—and us—is innate.

What innate calculating skills do we humans have? Leaving aside built-in mathematics, such as the visual system, ordinary people do just fine when faced with mathematical tasks in the course of the day. Yet when they are confronted with the same tasks presented as "math," their accuracy often drops.

But if we have innate mathematical ability, why do we have to teach math and why do most of us find it so hard to learn? Are there tricks or strategies that the ordinary person can do to improve mathematical ability? Can we improve our math skills by learning from dogs, cats, and other creatures that "do math"? The answer to each of these questions is a qualified yes. All these examples of animal math suggest that if we want to do better in the formal kind of math, we should see how it arises from natural mathematics.

From NPR’s "Math Guy"—The Math Instinct will provide even the most number-phobic among us with confidence in our own mathematical abilities. ... Read more

Book Description

Now the omnibus edition Numerical Recipes Code CDROM contains all the source code from the brand-new Numerical Recipes in C++ and the Numerical Recipes in C++ Example Book, including a stand-alone class library, in addition to all the source code for the routines and examples from: Numerical Recipes in Fortran 77: The Art of Scientific Computing (Second Edition); Numerical Recipes in Fortran 90: The Art of Parallel Scientific Computing; Numerical Recipes in C: The Art of Scientific Computing (Second Edition); Numerical Recipes in Pascal: The Art of Scientific Computing; Numerical Recipes Routines and Examples in BASIC plus the complete public domain SLATEC Common Mathematical Library, a freely redistributable collection of over 1400 mathematical and statistical routines, and many other extras. The ISO 9660 standard format CD-ROM can be used by Windows (all versions) and Macintosh compatible computers.HTML files included on the CD-ROM allow the use of any Web browser to navigate among all the program files. Included with the CD-ROM is a license to use all the copyrighted Numerical Recipes code on a single Windows or Macintosh compatible computer. ... Read more

Book Description

Are you ready for the SAT II: Mathematics exam?You will be.

SAT II: Mathematics, Levels IC and IIC, 2004-2005 Edition comes complete with a targeted review of all the material on the exam, plus Kaplan's proven score-increasing strategies. This powerful combination will help you go into the test with confidence -- and come out with a higher score.

• 4 Full-Length Practice Tests with Detailed Answer Explanations
• The Most Up-to-Date Information on the Test
• Review of All Tested Subjects, Including:
  • Algebra
  • Plane Geometry
  • Coordinate Geometry
  • Functions
  • Solid Geometry
  • Trigonometry
• Powerful Strategies to Help You Take Control and Succeed on the Exam

Also available from Kaplan:
AP Biology 2004

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Kaplan has helped more than 3 million students achieve their educational and career goals. With 185 centers and over 1,200 classroom locations throughout the U.S. and abroad, Kaplan provides a full range of services, including test prep courses, admissions consulting, programs for international students, professional licensing preparation, and more.

For more information, contact us at 1-800-KAP-TEST or visit kaptest.com. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Boring, but effective
This is not a fun book, but the contents are logically presented. The contents are divided into several chapters, and this is very helpful if you are to work on the book in stages. Also, the books reviews all the necessary information without dwelving into too many details.
If you want a solid--but dry--preparation, buy this book.
Buttom line: it did the job for me--800.

Very bad
There are absolutely no changes you have made concerning the previous edition. I wish I had bought an old version with a cheaper price. I am absolutely dissatisfied with this book and I recommend it to no one. ... Read more

Book Description

This book presents in a systematic and comprehensive manner the modeling of uncertainty, vagueness, or imprecision, alias "fuzziness," in just about any field of science and engineering. It delivers a usable methodology for modeling in the absence of real-time feedback.The book includes a short introduction to fuzzy logic containing basic definitions of fuzzy set theory and fuzzy rule systems. It describes methods for the assessment of rule systems, systems with discrete response sets, for modeling time series, for exact physical systems, examines verification and redundancy issues, and investigates rule response functions.Definitions and propositions, some of which have not been published elsewhere, are provided; numerous examples as well as references to more elaborate case studies are also given.Fuzzy rule-based modeling has the potential to revolutionize fields such as hydrology because it can handle uncertainty in modeling problems too complex to be approached by a stochastic analysis. There is also excellent potential for handling large-scale systems such as regionalization or highly non-linear problems such as unsaturated groundwater pollution. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent intro to fuzzy rule-based modeling, with examples.
Many good books have recently been published on fuzzy rule-based systems for control, but few authors have dealt with open systems. The book by Bardossy and Duckstein, which does an excellent job of introducing fuzzy rule-based modeling of open systems, may stimulate more research in this area. Indeed, the realistic examples presented in the book are very convincing. More emphasis could however have been put on the complex processes of selecting input variables and defining fuzzy rules. The discussion, in the introduction, of the differences between fuzzy numbers and probability distributions is certainly too short to convince a statistician of the usefulness of fuzzy sets for uncertainty modeling. However, if the book does not contribute to this philosophical debate, it certainly does a good job of showing the practical value of fuzzy models for nonparametric modeling of open systems. ... Read more

Book Description

This combination activity manual and resource handbook provides a two-part learning system for prospective K-6 teachers. It uses activities to help develop a deep and lasting understanding of the mathematical concepts, procedures, and skills that are essential for teaching mathematics to elementary school children.Chapter topics include getting started in learning mathematics via problem solving; numeration; operations on natural numbers, whole numbers and integers; number theory; data and chance; fraction models and operations; real numbers: rationals and irrationals; patterns and functions; geometry; and measurement.For teachers of mathematics at the elementary school level. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent approach to problem solving skills.
This book goes beyond the typical math textbook.Its approach to problem solving and the techniques to accomplish the solutions is a valuable toolin preparing students for problem solving.With this book, students willget a better grasp of how to think about mathematics. ... Read more

Book Description

In today's increasingly competitive financial world, successful risk management, portfolio management, and financial structuring demand more than up-to-date financial know-how. They also call for quantitative expertise, including the ability to effectively apply mathematical modeling tools and techniques. An Introduction to Credit Risk Modeling supplies both the bricks and the mortar of risk management. In a gentle and concise lecture-note style, it introduces the fundamentals of credit risk management, provides a broad treatment of the related modeling theory and methods, and explores their application to credit portfolio securitization, credit risk in a trading portfolio, and credit derivatives risk. The presentation is thorough but refreshingly accessible, foregoing unnecessary technical details yet remaining mathematically precise.Whether you are a risk manager looking for a more quantitative approach to credit risk or you are planning a move from the academic arena to a career in professional credit risk management, An Introduction to Credit Risk Modeling is the book you've been looking for. It will bring you quickly up to speed with information needed to resolve the questions and quandaries encountered in practice.Features"Concisely presents the most fundamental and up-to-date concepts of credit portfolio management "Introduces modeling frameworkssuch as KMV, CreditMetrics, and CreditRisk+"Presents best practices in credit risk modeling "Keeps mathematical proofs to a minimum while remaining mathematically solid ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent Book For Credit Risk Managers
This is an excellent book covering the latest thinking in credit risk modeling. It could have used more on documentation and structuring risk, so I only gave it four stars, but it is five stars in model review.

For more on product descriptions and structuring risk, I highly recommend Tavakoli's "Credit Derivatives" 2nd Edition.

CreditTrader
This is an excellent treatise on the near state-of-the-art in credit risk management. Although the focus is on sell-side risk management, many (if not all) of the techniques described can be used on the buy-side also.

This is the first book that really focusses on the portfolio problem of credit risk - many books have touched on vendor-provided models and their shortcomings but Bluhm et al. take it further into the practitioner's world.

The reader does not need a very strong background in math or physics but some understanding of finance and stochastic calculus would help to get the most out of it.

I recommend to everyone who is either in or thinking of getting into credit risk as a career - enjoy.... ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A must have for the serious scientist.
Ruel Churchill 's Operational Mathematics is a very easy to follow full featured course covering LaPlace transform techniques. If you have ever wanted to solve differential equations with algebra, LaPlace transforms are for you. I used this book in a collage graduate course in integral transforms. Churchill ties in real world problems with each chapter to enhance your learning. Complex variables, Fourier series, Fourier transforms and inverse integral analysis are all covered in a very well done manner. A truly fun math experience. ... Read more

Book Description

Using high-quality, real-world case studies and examples, this introduction to mathematical statistics shows how to use statistical methods and when to use them. This book can be used as a brief introduction to design of experiments. This successful, calculus-based book of probability and statistics, was one of the first to make real-world applications an integral part of motivating discussion. The number of problem sets has increased in all sections. Some sections include almost 50% new problems, while the most popular case studies remain.For anyone needing to develop proficiency with Mathematical Statistics. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Excellent introduction to statistics...
This book manages to stay focused on the main ideas all the way through. It uses no more math than what is necessary to derive the proofs of most theorems (although some are omitted). The main ideas of each chapter is introduced before the details are worked out, and summarized at the end of each chapter. The examples and case-studies are usually interesting (sometimes thought-provoking), instead of solely being based on urns and coloured balls. And the exercises range from trivial to interesting...

In short, this is about as good as a textbook gets...

Great Book
This book is very useful in learning statistics. The text has many applications and problems that are practical. The authors include interesting biographical background on certain mathematicians and topics--this helps the student feel more connnected with the material. I highly recommend buying a copy (especially used--better deal) of this book for class or personal study.

Excellent Introductory Text
This is an excellent introductory text for students who wish to know more about mathematical statistics. The book is ideal for a student with a good solid year of mathematics, and the case studies really make the statistics theory more relevant

Clear exposition of statistical concepts
I found the book to have clear explanations of many statistical concepts. I am a computer science graduate student with no formal background in statistics. I have looked at several statistics and probability theory textbooks and have found this one to be the easiest to understand and clearly written. That said, I am not using this book for a course, so I am not doing practice problems. The small number of problems for each section may be a shortcoming for those who are using this book for a course. Also, the proofs can be a little terse, although I have found this to be the case with other stat books.

Good Intro for the Mathematically Mature
This text is a good introduction to probability theory and mathematical statistics for the mathematically mature. It presumes a working knowledge of multivariate calculus and good facility with symbolic manipulation. The major shortcoming, though, is the small amount of sample problems and exercises after each section. As this book has not been revised since the mid-1980's, perhaps the authors will take this into account for the next edition (I await). Two particularly nice features of this book are the historical backgrounds of probability theory and the dry, dark humor that the authors interject. These make the book a bit more entertaining.

As for the reviewer below, from Wharton: I give you credit for taking STAT-430 and not 101, but do you really believe the book is quite that bad? ... Read more

Book Description

This text presents the basic theory and practice of system dynamics. It introduces the modeling of dynamic systems and response analysis of these systems, with an introduction to the analysis and design of control systems. KEY TOPICS Specific chapter topics include The Laplace Transform, mechanical systems, transfer-function approach to modeling dynamic systems, state-space approach to modeling dynamic systems, electrical systems and electro-mechanical systems, fluid systems and thermal systems, time domain analyses of dynamic systems, frequency domain analyses of dynamic systems, time domain analyses of control systems, and frequency domain analyses and design of control systems.For mechanical and aerospace engineers. ... Read more

Book Description

Digital arithmetic plays an important role in the design of general-purpose digital processors and of embedded systems for signal processing, graphics, and communications. In spite of a mature body of knowledge in digital arithmetic, each new generation of processors or digital systems creates new arithmetic design problems. Designers, researchers, and graduate students will find solid solutions to these problems in this comprehensive, state-of-the-art exposition of digital arithmetic.

Ercegovac and Lang, two of the field's leading experts, deliver a unified treatment of digital arithmetic, tying underlying theory to design practice in a technology-independent manner. They consistently use an algorithmic approach in defining arithmetic operations, illustrate concepts with examples of designs at the logic level, and discuss cost/performance characteristics throughout. Students and practicing designers alike will find Digital Arithmetic a definitive reference and a consistent teaching tool for developing a deep understanding of the "arithmetic style" of algorithms and designs.

úGuides readers to develop sound solutions, avoid known mistakes, and repeat successful design decisions.
úPresents comprehensive coverage_from fundamental theories to current research trends.
úWritten in a clear and engaging style by two masters of the field.
úConcludes each chapter with in-depth discussions of the key literature.
úIncludes a full set of over 250 exercises, an on-line appendix with solutions to one-third of the exercises and 600 lecture slides ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Every Bookshelf Should Have this Book
One of the best books on arithmetic out there for professionals, researchers, students, and those generally interested in computer arithmetic. It explains everything in a simple and understandable manner.

I teach a computer arithmetic class and this is one of the best books out there. Its superb and super-highly recommended. The only thing to watch out for is that it doesn't cover topics in residue, logarithmic, and cryptographic arithmetic. However, I am sure the authors will include this in future editions.

Its an outstanding buy and something every VLSI and computer architecture should not be without.

A good book by a good Professor
I had taken the course "Digital Arithmetic" under Prof. Ercegovac in UCLA and had used the draft version of this book. Professor Ercegovac is extremely knowledgable and well-known in his area and I was amazed at how quickly he was able to answer all our doubts.

Now about the book. I have not read any other book on this subject except this one. So, keep that in mind while considering my review. This book is about efficient algorithms for arithmetic operations like addition, multiplication, etc and the ciruits for realizing these algorithms. The book deals with circuits at a high black-box level, so you don't have to be an expert in low-level circuits (in fact, it hardly needs any electrical enginering knowledge). I found the book to be pretty good. First the organization. The book starts with a brief review of various number systems, etc. I was pleasantly surpised to know that apart from the decimal, binary, n-ary number systems, we have what are called redundant number systems, etc. It was also fascinating to know how different number systems had different tradeoffs which made one number system better for certain operations (for eg. redundant number system is good for multiplication) but maybe not for other operations. Then the book discusses two-operand addition techniques. By the first few pages of the this chapter, you would have covered simple schemes like ripple carry adder, carry-save adder, etc which are normally covered in undergraduate computer architecture courses. Then the chapter discusses various other schemes for two operator addition. The next chapter deals with multioperand addition, which as the name implies, discusses different techniques for adding more than two operands. It is very amazing to see the authors use very clever tricks to reduce the complexity of the circuits needed to realize the operations. The later chapters discuss the more complicated operations of multiplication, division, square roots, etc. There is also a chapter on serial arithmetic. These later chapter may be a bit difficult to understand if you are planning to study them on your own and if you don't have much background in this area.

Overall, I found the book to be excellent. It has plenty of figures to explain the concepts and a number of exercises to test your understanding. The only minus point I found was that some sentences in the text were confusingly framed. This might be expected because the authors are not native English speakers. But, then I had used the draft version and I have been told that the print version is much better having gone through the editing phase. To conclude, after taking the course (with this textbook), I came out totally amazed by the fact that there is so much more to know than we can imagine about the "everyday operations" of addition, multiplication, etc. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (7)

It is the Globally Optimal Solution!
I can't say more than what already been said by other reviewers. To recap,

F = {all excellent combinatorial optimization books}
cost(this_book) <= cost(y) for all y in F.

;)

Inexpensive, excellently written, and quite interesting!
I had this book on my shelf for two years before taking a serious look at it, and only wish I had read it much earlier in life. Christos Papadimitriou has written quite a gem! On one hand this book serves as a good introduction to combinatorial optimization algorithms, in that it provides a flawless introduction to the simplex algorithm, linear and integer programming, and search techniques such as Branch-and-Bound and dynamic programming. On another, it serves as a good reference for many graph-theoretic algorithms. But most importantly Papadimitriou and Steiglitz seem to be on a quest to understand why some problems, such as Minimum Path or Matching, have efficient solutions, while others, such as Traveling Salesman, do not. And in doing so they end up providing the reader with a big picture behind algorithms and complexity, and the connection between optimization problems and complexity.

After reading this and Papadimitriou's "Introduction to Computational Complexity" (which I also highly recommend), I now consider him one of the best at conveying complex ideas in a way that rarely confuses the reader. I also had the priviledge of attending one of his talks on complexity, and he seems just as effusive and transparent as a lecturer as he does a writer. Ah, for once I bought a Dover book that did not disappoint.

It worths exponentially much more than its price
One could buy this book for different reasons: interests in combinatorial optimization, of course; interests in what Papadimitriou has to say, since his thoughts on this subject are definitely invaluable; perhaps the price is a good reason alone.
Whatever the reason, however, I think that would be a rare event to remain duped.

I was preparing my exam in Computability and Complexity when I first used it. I've been wonderfully surprised by the amount of definitions, algorithms, concepts I've found in this book. I think one could use this book for a simple course on Algorithms, on Computability and/or Complexity, on the whole Combinatorial Optimization, and the book would be always and costantly useful.

The chapters on algorithms and complexity, or those on NP completeness have proved to be gems. The chapters on Approximation and Local Search are great, and they feature a bunch of detailed and excellent quality stuff (e.g. there is a detailed treatment of Christofides' algorithm to approximate the TSP, that is quite an idiosyncratic topic).

All in all, a very great book, with a value exponentially greater than the very insignificant price.

A great book and a great deal
As a computer science graduate student I carried Papadimitriou and Steiglitz with me almost every day. Its target subject is combinatorial optimization, but going through this book, you might think that graph theory and computational complexity are just subfields of combinatorial optimization. It builds a beautiful theory that brings these and other fields together, and with a fraction of the page count of, say, Cormen, Rivest Leiserson. Now that it's a Dover book, it's a fraction of the price I paid, and I was gladly willing to pay that.

A Masterpiece on Combinatorial Optimisation
Christos Papadimitriou, my hero is a hope for all of us who wish to master the fascinating field of Combinatorial Optimisation. Especially recommended are the chapters on matching, NP Completeness and Approximation Algorithms.

As another reader has remarked, this book is quite old though (published first in 1982). For a more to date book on Combinatorial Optimisation, one might want to look at Cook, Cunningham, Pulleyblank and Schrijver's book on Combinatorial Optimisation (published in 1998). ... Read more

Book Description

This new ADVANTAGE SERIES, one-semester prealgebra text smoothly bridges the gap between arithmetic and beginning algebra and is suitable for a variety of course formats, including lab (both supervised and self-paced), lecture, group, and a combination of all three. With a heavy emphasis on important study skills and habits, PREALGEBRA, Third Edition, aims to instill mathematical confidence and help build a solid foundation for students going on to future math courses. The text provides a complete and thorough treatment of algebra and arithmetic, allowing students to better understand the relationship between the two. Group activities, scientific calculator exercises, critical thinking problems, and exercises requiring written answers are included throughout the text, in accordance with the latest NCTM Guidelines. As part of the ADVANTAGE SERIES, this new version will offer all the quality content you've come to expect from Van Dyke/Adams/Rogers sold to your students at a significantly lower price. ... Read more

Book Description

A sharp mind, like a healthy body, is subject to the same rule of nature: Use it or lose it.

Need a calculator just to work out a 15 percent service charge? Not exactly sure how to get the calculator to give you the figure you need? Turn to this revised and updated edition of All the Math You'll Ever Need, the friendliest, funniest, and easiest workout program around.

In no time, you'll have total command of all the powerful mathematical tools needed to make numbers work for you. In a dollars-and-cents, bottom-line world, where numbers influence everything, none of us can afford to let our math skills atrophy. This step-by-step personal math trainer:

• Refreshes practical math skills for your personal and professional needs, with examples based on everyday situations.
• Offers straightforward techniques for working with decimals and fractions.
• Demonstrates simple ways to figure discounts, calculate mortgage interest rates, and work out time, rate, and distance problems.
• Contains no complex formulas and no unnecessary technical terms. ... Read more

  Reviews (7)

  great math review
  This book is for anyone who needs to brush up on their math skills and for anyone with dyscalculia or math disabilities. This book is a great review of "life math"--including how to calculate how much social security the government deducts from your paycheck and how to calculate tips and sales percentages. Full chapters are devoted to personal finances, rate & time problems (like figuring gas mileage), and interest rates. Not too scary for math phobics and definitely useful.

  Brush up on math - successfully
  I bought this book because my job search requires me to take civil service exams again and again for various jobs. The exams are full of mathematics (even if the job has nothing to do with that subject). I needed a math refresher course in the worst way when I realized that I'd forgotten my long division and multiplication, the more difficult stretches of the multiplication table, percentages, and anything to do with fractions. This book teaches you these things (and much more) in a very nice, courteous, non-intimidating, non-condescending manner. I really appreciate it. I don't want to become a mathematician. I just want to recall enough to get by. Thank goodness this book helps you do that. I definitely recommend it. I bought it together with a similar refresher math book and found out that this one is the only one you really need.

  This is all the math I'll ever need for a while!
  This a beautiful resource book with easy to understand lessons, funny stories, and no unneccesary math terms! This book has taught me long division, long multiplication, interest rates, and tutored me a bit in finding the area of circles! I keep this book handy during class to read in my spare time so I can excell in my mathematics skills. This book is great for going ahead, turoring, and for adults who need to brush up on math!

  change the name to all the math a high school grad needs
  This book is very limited in scope. In my opinion it is written towards a high school grad. It covers addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, (applied to fractions), solving for X, ratios, big numbers, areas, etc. The explanation is clear, but the examples have little variety. You are not instructed to apply the math to a broad variety of applications or situations. The section on personal finances and business math is so simplified that it is not useful.

  Most math you'll ever need.
  This book resumes all the math you'll ever need if you work as a janitor or a clerck, that said, it does a good job at explaining the basic mathematics of elementary and secondary school. The weakness of this book: it barely touches geometry, in it you'll only find how to measure the perimeter and area of rectangles, triangles and circles, nothing on volume or angles.

  It's a well written book, and overall a good one, and with more pages on geometry, it would have been an excellent one. Four stars. ... Read more

Book Description

Technology today allows the collection of biological information at an unprecedented level of detail and in increasingly vast quantities. To reap real knowledge from the mountains of data produced, however, requires interdisciplinary skills-a background not only in biology but also in computer science and the tools and techniques of data analysis.To help meet the challenges of DNA research, Data Analysis Tools for DNA Microarrays builds the foundation in the statistics and data analysis tools needed by biologists and provides the overview of microarrays needed by computer scientists. It first presents the basics of microarray technology and more importantly, the specific problems the technology poses from the data analysis perspective. It then introduces the fundamentals of statistics and the details of the techniques most commonly used to analyze microarray data. The final chapter focuses on commercial applications with sections exploring various software packages from BioDiscovery, Insightful, SAS, and Spotfire. The book is richly illustrated with more than 230 figures in full color and comes with a CD-ROM containingfull-feature trial versions of software for image analysis (ImaGene, BioDiscovery Inc.) and data analysis (GeneSight, BioDiscovery Inc. and S-Plus Array Analyzer, Insightful Inc.).Written in simple language and illustrated in full color, Data Analysis Tools for DNA Microarrays lowers the communication barrier between life scientists and analytical scientists. It prepares those charged with analyzing microarray data to make informed choices about the techniques to use in a given situation and contribute to further advances in the field. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Far from superficial...
When entering the minefields of microarray data analysis, one has to understand and keep up with state-of-the-art technologies and interdisciplinary literatures. A background in molecular biology is clearly not enough to evaluate the pro and cons of the various statistical methods for selecting truly modulated candidate genes in a given experimental biological system. Choosing between the available analysis software's is not an easy task either. Draghici presents a complete visit of the microarray underworld by initiating the reader to all the facettes of this domain. From the fundamentals of slide production and target hybridization to image processing, statistical analysis, experimental design, data management and biological interpretation, all aspects treated herein are described with pertinent details. Draghici slowly, but successfully, tames the reticent molecular biologist to the arid world of statistics and even entertains the reader with anecdotes and humoristic citations.
Clearly written, with appropriate mathematical examples for each topic, this book even includes exercises at the end of some chapters, for the zealous student sleeping in all of us. It constitutes a very good didactic tool and the included CD's allow a good peek in some of the available image/data analysis software's on the market.
As a core facility manager and eternal student, I strongly recommend Draghici's book to life scientists and students who are struggling with statistical analysis and data mining techniques.

Brigitte Malette, Ph. D.
Project Leader, Microarray Platform
Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics
Concordia University
Montreal

Detailed and understandable
Draghici managed to write a manual on applying microarray (data) with a great feeling for explanation of hard issues. The book is relatively easy to read, very complete and covers most, if not all, analysis techniques that are currently around for microarrays.

Highly recommendable!

Good Overview of Microarray Technology
I have had the book for about a month now and I consult it quite frequently. Great coverage of Microarray Data Anlysis. It manages to be thourough without being dry or using excessive jargon. It's very readable and useful for both novices and experienced readers.

It's main strength lies in the use of excellent examples that show the main pitfalls encountered in analyzing microarray data. It has great coverage of statistics and their potential misuse and misunderstanding when they are applied to gene expression data sets. The experimental design section is especially helpful for researchers that are designing a project.

The graphics are excellent and the book is printed on good quality paper.

The book includes two CD's with demo versions of several commercial software packages.

Overall a great buy.

Data Analysis Tools for DNA Microarrays
A much needed book for the biologist interested in using DNA/protein microarrays. Examples are specific for microarrays. The material starts from ground zero and begins
with image analysis. All major methods for analysis are discussed.
Well worth the cost, quality graphics, includes software (have not used as yet).
A must read before discussing experimetnal design with your stats person. ... Read more

Book Description

Mathematica Navigator is the only book you need to understand and use the new Mathematica 5.0. Part tutorial and part handbook, this updated guidebook provides a thorough introduction to the software plus practical information and tips for using Mathematica on a daily basis to solve mathematical problems. The book emphasizes the use of graphics, methods of applied mathematics and statistics, and programming.

While no previous experience with Mathematica is required, most chapters also include advanced material so that the book will be a valuable resource for beginners and experienced users. You'll want to keep it close by your computer for easy reference.

Based on the soon to be released Mathematica 5.0
With the CD-ROM, the whole book can be installed into the help system of Mathematica
Most chapters, while starting from the basics, go up to advanced topics
Studies several real-life data sets ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Got Mathematica? Buy This Book NOW!
The positive reviews were right on the money, this book is the best! It allowed me to start using Mathematica with ease, compared to the many hours of past frustration while working on optimizations. I fought endlessly, struggling to decipher the software's baroque navigation, cryptic errors, hostility to the user which borders on abuse - but now Mathematica and I are becoming great friends thanks to Heikki Ruskeepaa's wonderful tome. THANK YOU FOR WRITING THIS BOOK!!!

Of particular benefit is the guidance s/he provides for best practices in formatting cells to avoid common, productivity-killing pitfalls.

Absolutely Great Mathematica Textbook
While it is unlikely that there is a pure Mathematica course anywhere, the textbook for it already exists!
Mathematica Navigator by Heikki Ruskeepaa is an absolutely wonderful book that teaches you everything you ever wanted to know about Mathematica.
Out of about 10 books I've used, this book is THE BEST on Mathematica out there.

Solutions
To solve practical problems in Mathematica the navigator is very usefull. If you want to go deeper,"modeling nature" by Gaylord and Nishidate is a usefull guide.

The best book on Mathematica.
Forget Stephan Wolfram's book "Mathematica" -- Ruskeepaa's Mathematica Navigator is the indispensible book on your desk next to the computer when using Mathematica.

Mathematica Navigator
Outstanding book for Mathematica. Ruskeepaa does an outstanding job of coherently, and logically explaining how to use Mathematica in a straight forward way. If there was only one book to buy to learn Mathematica this should be the one. ... Read more

Book Description

This book reflects more than 25 years of author involvement with business math education and the business community. The focus of this edition is on linking mathematics with real business practices in real businesses—giving readers a better appreciation for and understanding of the concepts that are vital in the business world. The book is filled with chapter-opening scenarios, chapter-ending case studies, cases, boxed features, and exercise sets. It is organized in workbook format and opens with chapters on basic math. Coverage includes banking, business statistics, trade and cash discounts, markups and markdowns, payroll, consumer credit, mortgages, insurance, taxes, and stocks and bonds. For entrepreneurs and anyone interested in personal finance. ... Read more

Book Description

Authors Ward Cheney and David Kincaid show students of science and engineering the potential computers have for solving numerical problems and give them ample opportunities to hone their skills in programming and problem solving. The text also helps students learn about errors that inevitably accompany scientific computations and arms them with methods for detecting, predicting, and controlling these errors. A more theoretical text with a different menu of topics is the authors' highly regarded NUMERICAL ANALYSIS: MATHEMATICS OF SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING, THIRD EDITION. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

From a student's view......Garbage
I had to use this book for an undergraduate Numerical Analysis class. I'm a Computer Science major with a math minor and this is my last semester. I found this book to be horrible when coupled with an instructor that is equally as horrible. The explainations are too short and lack examples, the problems in each chapter are hard to solve based on the chapter's explaination; they seem to deviate far beyond what was explained in the corresponding chapter. There are some formulas and theorem's mentioned that have no examples to show how they work.

The book is not totally at fault in my case. I also have a horrible instructor and have to rely soley on this book to learn the material. This book just makes it very, very hard to teach myself. My only praise of the book is it's pseudocode for implementing the methods explained. They can easily be used to program them in C++ or other languages.

Overall the book is very confusing but it is still far better than my instructor who doesn't explain anything or answer questions.

Basic but Good
This is a good, basic, undergraduate text covering scientific computing. It gives a nice, broad overview of some basic topics, problems for the student to solve, and is generic as far as programming languages are concerned.

That being said, for my use this book was not detailed enough and failed to go into sufficient detail into many different areas (such as the eigenproblem). It is definantly an undergrad text and would be an excellent choice for a 300-level math or computer science class, it also provides a good general background in numerical computing. In that regard this book is a fine choice.

Reader from Belgium compares to the wrong book
The description "it looks like they cut the 2nd edition in half and labeled it '4th edition'" would be approximately correct if you talk about the 2nd edition of the much more advanced text by approximately the same authors, "Numerical Analysis: Mathematics of Scientific Computing" by Kincaid, Cheney and Cheney, which was published in 1995 and does conform to the description "covered so much in detail". If you expect graduate level coverage, that is the book to get, not this one, which is an undergraduate text, and aimed at students that don't major in math.

A concise text for introductory numerical analysis
I am a mathematics professor at a liberal art college. This is one of the few textbooks that is suitable for our students who are mathematics majors or related sciences majors. The approach is mathematical and computer science oriented, rather than cookbook type or overwhemingly applied. I and my colleages use this text and recommend it.

Total piece of crap
Our professor for numerical analysis at the university told us to get this book because it covered so much in detail. He has the 2nd edition for some time now. I just got my 4th edition and it looks like they cut the 2nd edition in half and labeled it '4th edition'. Get another book instead. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is intended to serve as an invaluable reference for anyone concerned with the application of wavelets to signal processing. It has evolved from material used to teach "wavelet signal processing" courses in electrical engineering departments at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tel Aviv University, as well as applied mathematics departments at the Courant Institute of New York University and ecole
Polytechnique in Paris.

Key Features
* Provides a broad perspective on the principles and applications of transient signal processing with wavelets
* Emphasizes intuitive understanding, while providing the mathematical foundations and description of fast algorithms
* Numerous examples of real applications to noise removal, deconvolution, audio and image compression, singularity and edge detection,
multifractal analysis, and time-varying frequency measurements
* Algorithms and numerical examples are implemented in Wavelab, which is a Matlab toolbox freely available over the Internet
* Content is accessible on several level of complexity, depending on the individual reader's needs
New to the Second Edition
* Optical flow calculation and video compression algorithms
* Image models with bounded variation functions
* Bayes and Minimax theories for signal estimation
* 200 pages rewritten and most illustrations redrawn
* More problems and topics for a graduate course in wavelet signal processing, in engineering and applied mathematics ... Read more

Reviews (8)

The worst textbook I have ever seen
I just finished Chapter 3 of this book, but I have had enough of it. Conceptions about Fourier Transform are not clear at all. And the most unbearable thing is that, there are many printing errors which may lead to misunderstanding.

Algorithms and much more!
The subject of wavelets has many facets, --infinite in all directions;-- some of the more exciting sides of the subject
are algorithmic, and the underlying mathematical principles are both simple and powerful. Stephane Mallat's great, and readable, book, in both of its editions, brings
this out wonderfully!

A bold approach to wavelet transforms that simplifies
This is an outstanding tour through the field of wavelet decompositions of both continuous and discrete signals. It employs the formalism of Hilbert space, instead of linear algebra. This is important because the power of this formalism yields insights into the subject matter that are practically impossible in linear algebra. The formalized approach allows a wide variety of subjects to be placed on a common basis (no pun intended). For example, the transition of the treatment of the Fourier transform into Hilbert space, brings to bear the powerful guns of that space (such guns as inner product and completeness), and allows for a truly elegant proof of the Parseval and Plancherel formulas.
Parseval's theorem, simply stated, is that the inner products in Hilbert space are conserved by the Fourier transform. How simple. Linear algebra approaches cannot hope to make things this simple.

Proof of the General Sampling Theorem is equally elegant; it is shown that the projection of the function to be decomposed onto a basis function gives the discrete spectral coefficient.

Readers will also enjoy the treatment of windowed Fourier transforms and frames.

I should add a note about the style of the treatise. This treatise is not ordinary. It consistently uses very precise and carefully defined symbology. Contrary to popular belief, this makes the text easier to read, not more difficult. Once the reader understands the symbol set being used (they are all defined in the front of the text), even the proofs are tractable. Yes, I said proofs. That is another aspect of the text. There are proofs embedded in the text, without loss of continuity or clarity. Proofs are necessary to a good understanding of the subject matter. The formalism of theorems, lemmas and propositions makes the conclusions understandable, because the theorems, lemmas and propositions supporting the conclusions are identifiable.

I applaud the author for his approach and recommend that other text book writers use the same approach.

I could rate this book with all the stars in the Universe.
1980:Marr:"Theory of edge detection" Subject text:"A major difficulty with natural images is that changes can and do occur over a wide range of scales. NO single filter can be optimal SIMULTANEUSLY at all scales, so it follows that one should seek a way of dealing separately with the changes occuring at different scales"...

Well here is the man who used unconsiously wavelets I thought when I first read this article. Canny just computerized these thoughts embedding some additional signal theory. They both concluded on the same filter: Gaussian filter. Well the gaussian is a wavelet I thought...(Year 2000)

1990:Mallat:He extended these filters producing a family of wavelets. And of course the gaussian is now a wavelet base shattering my dreams of a new discovery. I thought of another thing, found in this book, and another thing also found in this book. So in this book I see what I wanted for wavelts to repesent. Well I am using images as signals but I am convinced that the same happens with other kind of signals.

This book is a must in Signal Processing. Obtain it!

Not complete, mathematically
The book is difficult to follow. Though Mallat has attempted to be mathematically rigorous, the proofs unfortunately involve steps that have never been satisfactorily explained. So, to get a solid foundation, I believe it is important to go through the proofs of the theorems, not just the statements & that's hard in this book. The portion on Fourier Analysis especially was important to get a good foundation on why wavelets are important but it was way too short & the proofs had problems as mentioned above. If you are looking for an easy guide (as some non-serious programmers do tend to do), it however involves sifting through too much material till you can piece together what you need so the book is not for the dilettante either. ... Read more

Book Description

Why did the stock market crash more than 500 points on a single Monday in 1987? Why do ancient species often remain stable in the fossil record for millions of years and then suddenly disappear? In a world where nice guys often finish last, why do humans value trust and cooperation? At first glance these questions don't appear to have anything in common, but in fact every one of these statements refers to a complex system. The science of complexity studies how single elements, such as a species or a stock, spontaneously organize into complicated structures like ecosystems and economies; stars become galaxies, and snowflakes avalanches almost as if these systems were obeying a hidden yearning for order.

Drawing from diverse fields, scientific luminaries such as Nobel Laureates Murray Gell-Mann and Kenneth Arrow are studying complexity at a think tank called The Santa Fe Institute. The revolutionary new discoveries researchers have made there could change the face of every science from biology to cosmology to economics. M. Mitchell Waldrop's groundbreaking bestseller takes readers into the hearts and minds of these scientists to tell the story behind this scientific revolution as it unfolds. ... Read more

Reviews (53)

this book should get 6 stars
In one word, this book was awesome. Waldrop's account of the development of the science of complexity is both compelling and spell-binding. His historical account of the Sante Fe Institute and its members was an inspiring story. Written like a novel, this book was very simple to read and understand and very easy to follow. Even the casual reader could follow its simplifying explanations of the complicated theories invovled in the science of complexity. This book is also a great follow-on to James Gleick's "Chaos - Making a New Science". I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in complex adaptive systems theory, especially its applications in the realm of economics. Waldrop's work here is outstanding!!!

A must read!
This book is not about a mathematical explanation of complexity. This book will not teach you how to construct a neural network or create autonomous cellular automata.

This book is about the process that some of the world's best scientists went through to realize why a theory like complexity is needed. The book will give any reader a deeper understanding for, and appreciation of how such a broad and information rich topic like complexity is becoming better understood. Insights are also given into how this new understanding of emergent behavior may soon be applied to what were once considered unsolvable problems of Economics, Artificial Life, Biology, Physics, etc.

Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos is the story of a group of humans trying to understand the very nature of nature itself, a superhuman task. An exciting drama that just happens to be about cutting edge science instead of science fiction.

Wonderful reading for every science enthusiast!
The cover of the book says " If you liked Chaos, you will love complexity". I just finished reading the book, that validated the claim. While Chaos is written as story of discovery of a new science, Complexity excels as a saga of men who ventured into previously unchartered domains addressing for the first time issues like:

What is life? What is driving force that caused cells to appear from a primordal soup of all elements, when the probability of so happening is infinitesimal? What causes evolution? Do nice guys finish last? What makes evolution, coevolution, adaptation, extinction work? Why do we organize ourselves into families, cultures, nations?

Why do stock markets crash, boom? What controls the emergence of economies? Why can USSR go from one of strongest nations/economies to the state of divided helplessness in less than a few years?

Why are we here? What is life? Artificial Life? Are we still evolving? What is the cause of increasing complexity?

On mundane level: What is non-linearity? What is Chaos? If this science is all that important, why did we wait this long for recognizing it?

What are the paradigms in which sociology and physics settle into same patterns? How neural networks were born, brought up and mastered?

This novel/book is as much about these questions as it is about the scientists who engaged in unravelling many of these mysteries. It speaks about their failures and successes, their approach, ethic and driving force, their fears, fights and friendships. For most part it reads like a thriller, and by the time you are done, you find yourself searching for another book on Chaos, complexity, life at the edge of chaos, genetic algorithms, artificial intelligence. After just 358 pages, your imagination and knowledge of science leaps from Newton's linear models to the twentyfirst century stuff.

Good for Science groupies - no description of theory here!
I found it impossible to tolerate the hundreds and hundreds of pages of oggeling the great men of science and the mundane minutia of thier careers, personalities and personal lives. There's not a single equation or chart in the whole book.
Look elsewhere if you want to get up to speed on the "new science".

Easy to Read, Powerful To Ponder
Complexity is one of those rare science books that manages to teach the reader a great deal without boring them to tears. Using the Santa Fe Institute and many of it's founding players as the backdrop for the story, Waldrop tells stories about people, while exploring their science. The result is a book that is fun to read, and that makes you think at a deep, deep level.

The gist of complexity is the notion that nature really does explore, all by itself, the continously evolving boundary between order and chaos. If you've ever explored the boundaries of fractal patterns, such as the Mandelbrot Set, you've seen a visual example of complexity at work. When you're done, you realize that you have a better intuitive understanding of how the universe operates, how evolution works, and how societies organize themselves...all without having to solve a single mathematical equation! I loved it!

This is one of those books that reshaped my world view, and it is one that I highly recommend to any reader, regardless of their scientific background. ... Read more