Book Description

Greek, Indian and Arabic Logic marks the initial appearance of the multi-volume Handbook of the History of Logic. Additional volumes will be published when ready, rather than in strict chronological order. Soon to appear are The Rise of Modern Logic: From Leibniz to Frege. Also in preparation are Logic From Russell to Gödel, The Emergence of Classical Logic, Logic and the Modalities in the Twentieth Century, and The Many-Valued and Non-Monotonic Turn in Logic. Further volumes will follow, including Mediaeval and Renaissance Logic and Logic: A History of its Central.

In designing the Handbook of the History of Logic, the Editors have taken the view that the history of logic holds more than an antiquarian interest, and that a knowledge of logic's rich and sophisticated development is, in various respects, relevant to the research programmes of the present day. Ancient logic is no exception. The present volume attests to the distant origins of some of modern logic's most important features, such as can be found in the claim by the authors of the chapter on Aristotle's early logic that, from its infancy, the theory of the syllogism is an example of an intuitionistic, non-monotonic, relevantly paraconsistent logic. Similarly, in addition to its comparative earliness, what is striking about the best of the Megarian and Stoic traditions is their sophistication and originality.

Logic is an indispensably important pivot of the Western intellectual tradition. But, as the chapters on Indian and Arabic logic make clear, logic's parentage extends more widely than any direct line from the Greek city states. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that for centuries logic has been an unfetteredly international enterprise, whose research programmes reach to every corner of the learned world.

Like its companion volumes, Greek, Indian and Arabic Logic is the result of a design that gives to its distinguished authors as much space as would be needed to produce highly authoritative chapters, rich in detail and interpretative reach. The aim of the Editors is to have placed before the relevant intellectual communities a research tool of indispensable value.

Together with the other volumes, Greek, Indian and Arabic Logic, will be essential reading for everyone with a curiosity about logic's long development, especially researchers, graduate and senior undergraduate students in logic in all its forms, argumentation theory, AI and computer science, cognitive psychology and neuroscience, linguistics, forensics, philosophy and the history of philosophy, and the history of ideas. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

CS Professors Love This Book.CS Students Hate It.
If you are seasoned in the ways of computer science and mathematics, you will probably love this book. However if you are new to the concepts presented in the pages of this book, you will probably hate it. It is particularly bad once you really start getting into the meat of things, around chapter three. The examples and explanations are utterly terse.

Here is how the book defines "cardinality": "...The number of elements in a finite set is the cardinality of the set, so this would be a set of cardinality k." That is the best explanation the book offers as to the meaning of the word cardinality, a word my professor used close to fifty times every lecture, a word that really deserves better explanation than a single sentence, especially with regard to sets.

If I were providing something constructive the author, I would probably say that definitions should be much easier to find and much more detailed and examples of definitions should cover all the angles. I suppose my largest complaint with the book would simply be that if you are a CS student and you REALLY NEED a strong foundation in the concepts of discrete math, this book doesn't quite get there. The book misses its target audience.

Not quite the best, but close
Although there is now consensus over the coverage in a first course in discrete mathematics, the level of difficulty one finds in books for this audience has a wide range. Some opt for the basic approach, with very little rigor, and anything labeled as a proof is either trivial or an advanced waving of the hands. Notational complexity is kept to a minimum, which is fine for the beginner, but limits the value as the student goes on into more advanced courses. On the other end, there are those where rigorous proofs abound, it reads more like a book for traditional math majors rather than one largely designed for computer science majors.
While Gersting is somewhere in the middle, the slant is more towards the advanced. The first four chapters cover logic, the fundamentals of proofs, set theory and relations and functions respectively. This order is in complete agreement with my beliefs. I would not give any book that does not start with these basic topics a second look much less consider adopting it. Graphs are covered in chapters five and six; Boolean algebra in seven and the theory of computation is covered in chapter eight. The treatment is on the high end, but still within the bounds of a first course in discrete mathematics. Worked examples are everywhere and a large number of exercises are at the end of each section. Practice problems are embedded inside the chapters and solutions to all the practice problems are found in an appendix.
While I believe I have found a better book to use in my discrete class, this one is my second choice. In fact I successfully used it for two years, until I replaced it. The primary reasons for the change was that the new book has biographical sketches of mathematicians (something I adore), the font is larger and there are more solutions to the exercises.

A very valuable book!!
With all due respect to some of the other reviewers, I found this book extremely helpful and extremely well written. Much of the polarity in the reviews may stem from the fact that different people have different learning models and corresponding expectations. As a career changer with several degrees in other engineering disciplines, I found many of the explanations very helpful and very appropriate relative to my current learning/retraining objectives. With the examples and practice problems, this book provides what I believe to be an excellent introduction to a wide range of topics relating to the mathematical basis for computer science. I find that I typically consult this book first before moving to other more rigorous (and often more obscure) treatments of the same topics.

Nice book!
I've been studying this book for a semester and I found this a good one. However there are too much helpful exercises, I think the book should have all the answers and be more thorough. Because most of time it's hard to understand it when studying alone.

Makes a Simple things Harder than they should be
This book makes simple things harder than they should be.It lacks good examples and explanation which makes it hard to learn some topics as the reader has no clue of how the author came with her solution.

In the exercises, only 15% of the questions have solutions and are not concise enough to give the reader an idea of how to solve the harder questions with no solutions.It does contain practice questions with solutions but alot of the solutions are just answers with little description.Again, the practice questions are elementary in comparision to the exercises. ... Read more

Book Description

After you graduated from high school, college, or even graduate school you might have vowed never to deal with math again, right? But everyday, you’re faced with some form of math, from balancing your checkbook to tipping your server at a restaurant. Well, there’s no reason to be intimidated when it comes to math, and this book will show you why.

Everyday Math for Dummies is intended to be a quick, enjoyable adult-oriented course in the aspects of math you need all the time. Whether you’re looking for a refresher on math skills you might have forgotten or want to obtain math skills you never fully understood, Everyday Math For Dummies can help you discover the answers to all kinds of problems.

Everyday Math For Dummies helps build your skills so that you can better deal with all sorts of stressful math situations, from refinancing your house to evaluating business news and understanding sports statistics. There’s even a fun chapter on puzzles! With this book as your guide, you’ll be able to:

• Finally make sense of your checkbook
• Master the simplest tipping rules in the world
• Calculate compound interest like an investment pro
• Understand the math of refinancing and debt management
• Decipher the fine print in a credit card agreement
• Figure percentages easily with a calculator, on paper, or in your head
• Get a handle on all that stuff from high school—algebra, geometry, and trig

Reviews (3)

Great Book for Teachers
I was looking for a supplemental text to teach my 7th graders about practical math. This is it! I use this book to develop applied projects for students. This book helps answer the question: "When will I ise this stuff?"

On the money
The really strong feature of this book is the attention to consumer finance issues, like credit card management and car leasing. You probably don't care about trigonometry once you're out of high school, but you WILL want to save money buying a car. Also, don't miss the chapter on gambling!

Everyday Math for Dummies is good... if you're not so dumb.
If many of the mathematical skills you learned in school are just sitting there at the edge of your brain, this book is probably for you. However, if you're trying to retrieve something you haven't done in years and are looking to be shown the hard math skills, you won't find it here. ... Read more

Book Description

This book evolved from an interdisciplinary graduate course entitled Molecular Modeling developed at New York University. Its primary goal is to stimulate excitement for molecular modeling research while introducing readers to the wide range of biomolecular problems being solved by computational techniques and to those computational tools. The book is intended for beginning graduate students in medical schools and scientific fields such as biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and computer science. Other scientists who wish to enter, or become familiar, with the field of biomolecular modeling and simulation may also benefit from the broad coverage of problems and approaches.

The book surveys three broad areas: biomolecular structure and modeling: current problems and state of computations; molecular mechanics: force field origin, composition, and evaluation techniques; and simulation methods: geometry optimization, Monte Carlo, and molecular dynamics approaches. Appendices featuring homework assignments, reading lists, and other information useful for teaching molecular modeling complement the material in the main text. Extensive use of world wide web resources is encouraged, and additional course and text information may be found on a supplementary website.

Some praise for Tamar Schlick's "Molecular Modeling and Simulation: An Interdisciplinary Guide":||"The interdisciplinary structural biology community has waited long for a book of this kind which provides an excellent introduction to molecular modeling."|-Harold A. Scheraga, Cornell University||"A uniquely valuable introduction to the modeling of biomolecular structure and dynamics. A rigorous and up-to-date treatment of the foundations, enlivened by engaging anecdotes and historical notes."|-J. Andrew McCammon, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California at San Diego||"I am often asked by physicists, mathematicians and engineers to recommend a book that would be useful to get them started in computational molecular biology. I am also often approached by my colleagues in computational biology to recommend a solid textbook for a graduate course in the area. Tamar Schlick has written the book that I will be recommending to both groups. Tamar has done an amazing job in writing a book that is both suitably accessible for beginners, and suitably rigorous for experts."|-J.J. Collins, Boston University

FROM THE REVIEWS:

BIOTECH INTERNATIONAL [BTI]: " . . . The text emphasises that the field is changing very rapidly and that it is full of exciting discoveries. Many of these findings have lead to medical and technological breakthroughs. This book stimulates this excitement, while still providing students many computational details . . . It should appeal to beginning graduate students in medical schools, and in many scientific departments such as biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and computer science. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Excellent book for both students and researchers
This book covers state-of-arts technologies used in today's hot field: molecular modeling. The book is easy to understand and it is suitable for graduate students in both theoretic majors and experimental majors. The homeworks in the book are practical for students to learn basic molecular modeling computer skills very fast.

Dr. Schlick is an expert in this field and her group has published tons of molecular modeling research papers. Her expertise also makes this book valuable for computational scientific researchers. I highly recommend it.

A long expected book in molecular modeling is finally here
I highly recommend Professor T. Schlick's book. It is beautifully written with many examples and great illustrations. The book is truly interdisciplinary; it covers, in good depth, both the biological and mathematical aspects of computational structural biology. Most chapters start with an amenable introduction and finish with "hands-on" recommendations and future challenges. I was particularly pleased with the level of detail in each chapter (in particular those that show the reader the advantages and pitfalls of the different methods presented). My colleague Mariel Vazquez and I used this book in the design and preparation of our "Special topics in Mathematics" course at the UC Berkeley Mathematics Department during the Spring of 2003.

This upper-level undergraduate/lower-level graduate course was centered on mathematical and computational models of the three dimensional structure of DNA, and DNA topology. We found Professor T. Schlick's book very useful in our class preparation. In particular we covered chapter 5 (DNA structure) completely, sections 3 and 4 from chapter 7 (basic principles and formulation of atomic interactions in molecular mechanics), and several sections or subsections from chapters 8 and 9 (force terms used in molecular dynamics simulations). We also covered most of the material in chapter 10 (Multivariate Minimization), and gave a brief introduction to chapter 11 (Monte-Carlo techniques) and chapter 12 (Molecular Dynamics algorithms).

Chapter 5 starts with a very amenable and brief introduction that relates DNA with other biological processes and describes some of the challenges in studying DNA structure. It continues describing the basic building blocks of DNA. The author wisely spends some time defining the nomenclature for each of the atoms, angles and bonds that form these basic blocks. The following sections teach the reader what parameters are relevant for describing a DNA double helix and how they characterize the A, B and Z- forms of DNA. Illustrations in this chapter are particularly helpful.

Although our course's approach to DNA supercoiling was different that the one in the book I found particularly useful some illustrations in chapter 6 and movies (to be found in her webpage) that Prof. Schlick's group has developed over the years. In brief, chapter 6 is a study of more complex structures and behavior of DNA (such as structural role of the DNA sequence, DNA-protein interactions, and higher order organization of DNA -i.e. DNA supercoiling and histone-DNA interactions). This chapter can be a good source for short research projects (e.g. final projects).

Chapters 7, 8 and 9 describe the basic concepts in molecular mechanics. From sections 7.3 and 7.4 I found of interest how the author addresses the problem of the system size (i.e. number of interacting molecules) and some of the details that the author gives for modeling the geometry of atomic interactions. At the end of the chapter (section 7.4.3) interested readers can find some of the limitations of current approaches. Chapters 8 and 9 describe in depth the force fields and how to implement them. Chapter 9 also illustrates with clarity how to implement periodic boundary conditions and the advantages of using different lattice models.

Chapter 10 describes a number of familiar methods for energy minimization (i.e. steepest descent, conjugate gradient, etc....). We used sections 10.1 to 10.4 and section 10.5.2 (conjugate gradient). I found the Hessian patterns shown in figures 10.4 and 10.5 and the minimization trajectories shown in 10.10 very pedagogical. As in previous chapters the author finishes with practical recommendations and future challenges.

We left chapter 11 (Monte Carlo methods) for last in the course and discussed chapter 12 (molecular dynamics) first. As in previous chapters the author gives a very nice introduction (section 12.1 and 12.2) and covers the basics on simulation protocols in sections 12.3 and 12.4. Section 12.4 describes the basic integration algorithms such as leap-frog, verlet, etc... Figure 12.3 was revealing for the students as it compares the time scales in biological systems.

Chapter 11 (Monte-Carlo methods) provides a very comprehensive introduction to Monte-Carlo methods. We found particularly useful some of the subsections of random number generation and the treatment of Importance sampling and Markov chains in section 11.5.

As mentioned earlier we were particularly delighted with the amount of details given in each topic. For example chapters 7 and 8 provide all the formalism needed for the problems of molecular mechanics. In section 8.4 (bond angle potential) the author highlights the differences (both formally and by figures-see figure 8.4) between different formulations of the problem (see also figure 8.6). In Chapter 10 the author describes minimization algorithms in detail and shows some of the patterns that one observes in the Hessian associated to minimization functions of biological structures (see figs. 10.4, 10.5 and 10.11). She also makes very detailed comparisons between the different minimization methods (see figs 10. 2, 10.10). In chapter 12 she compares the different methods and initial conditions for the algorithms discussed (figs 12.3, 12.4, 12.6).

Overall we found that Prof. T. Schlick's book is very adequate for a broad spectrum of levels and very accessible to both graduate and undergraduate students interested in mathematical modeling and computational biology. It is also very well organized facilitating the option of selecting parts of the material for the classroom or for use in one's research.

Outstanding introduction
... not only to molecular modeling, but to some of the subtleties of DNA and protein behavior and geometry, too.

This book's focus is generally on interactions with large molecules, DNA and proteins, although it does discuss small molecules (drugs, a few dozen to a few hundred atoms) too. That means that it skips most of the quantum mechanical modeling of more advanced computational chemistry texts.

Nothing is lost, because Schlick covers her chosen topic (molecular modeling and dynamics) in such detail. She starts with a very clear discussion of the structure of large biomolecules, with emphasis on the features that need quantitative description for modeling. That covers protein structure at ever level. It also covers DNA/RNA structure in the best detail I've ever seen. The double-helix is the just the starting point. There are alternative helix forms, non-standard binding between nucleotides, and asymmetries caused by nucleotide composition. The next chapters describe the geometric model and, briefly, the forces acting between atoms.

The second half of the book gets down to the nuts and bolts of modeling. This includes numerical techniques, minimization, sampling and Monte Carlo techniques, and the start of dynamics. Schlick attacks some of the nasty points of the calculations, such as modeling of forces that act on very different time scales. As with the simpler material, the development is clear, descriptive, and free of pointless theorems. The meticulous reader should come away able to implement most or all of the techniques described. The level of presentation is consistent and approachable. I think freshman physics should be enough preparation for most students to get most of the value out of the discussion.

The book is written with clarity as a top priority. The glossary is in the front, making sure that the reader knows it's a first-class part of the text. After that, every chapter starts with a list of the mathematical symbols and variables used and a one-line description of each. These are small things, but they increase the book's readability immensely. The illustrations are generally informative enough. On the whole, though, they don't seem quite up to the level of the textual and mathematical presentations.

I needed a crash course in the mathematical techniques used for describing molecular structure and behavior. I should have read this book first - its clarity and thoroughness would have saved me a lot of time. After this one, I can now go back and reread the more complex texts with more hops of understanding. Do yourself a favor and read this one first.

Beautifully written!
As a person with no expertise in molecular modeling who wanted to learn about this field, this book is right on! I find the author's lively text to be as well-written and clear as any science textbook I have ever read. I especially enjoyed the first two chapters for their historical perspective and their practical illustrations of applications of genetics in the world today. These chapters can be understood by non-scientists, whereas the rest of the book is clearly designed for graduate students in any one of the science disciplines.

The interesting information sprinkled throughout the book, including the boxes and figures, help keep the reader stimulated and yearning for greater knowledge of this exciting field. The color graphics also complement the book nicely. Although the subject covered in the book is extremely broad, the author managed to convey the perspectives of multiple scientific disciplines (e.g., biology, chemistry, computer science, math) very well. The combination of breadth and depth in a readable style is remarkable.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to readers interested in the area.

Never short of something exciting
It contains many many exiting problems and stimulate to go through the world of art of biology and mathematics. This book can guide the way where to go when you lost in the world of biomathematics, specifically molecular modeling. It looks like a well-organized dictionary with analysis. So it is good for a beginner and also deep-thinker in computational biology field. ... Read more

Book Description

The most practical, comprehensive, and highly praised guide to Active Directory has now been fully updated for Windows Server 2003. The second edition of Inside Active Directory: A System Administrator’s Guide offers a definitive reference to the design, architecture, installation, and management of Active Directory, the cornerstone technology within Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 distributed networks. This new edition—based on the final release software of Windows Server 2003—emphasizes security and covers all the new features, including enhancements in replication and Group Policy, forest trusts, functional levels, and working with dynamic objects.

Inside this core reference, you’ll find practical strategies for managing Active Directory, along with detailed instructions for efficiently administering your entire network operating environment. You will find detailed coverage of the following:

Site basics and replication topologies, processes, and diagnostics
Group Policy architecture, planning, management, and diagnostics
Security and permission architecture and management scenarios
Administration scripts, from basic concepts to advanced topics, including more than 50 sample scripts
New cross-forest security features, including Selective Authentication, SID Filtering, and Name Suffix Routing
A detailed drill-down to the schema, and practical strategies and examples for extending it
Using Active Directory hierarchies to implement an effective structure for your network

This is an indispensable reference for anyone working with Active Directory. Network operating system novices will gain a solid understanding of Active Directory, while administrators experienced in NT, NetWare, or UNIX will learn how to utilize their current skills in Active Directory. Experienced Windows 2000/Windows Server 2003 professionals will pick up advanced techniques, and developers will benefit strongly from the architecture topics. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Absolutely the Best Single Book on AD
Quite simply it is the best guide to Active Directory in a single book. The quality of writing is superb, it has the benefit of appearing a couple of years after the release of W2K and you can tell that the authors know their subject. I found information in this book that I have never seen anywhere else (like what AdminSDHolder does)! A direct competitor to this book would be Alistair G. Lowe-Norris "Windows 2000 Active Directory" but IMHO that book does not have the benefit of 2 years experience in the real-world.

Highlights are the chapters on AD security, replication, schema management and group policy. There are also two superb chapters on ADSI scripting.

However, there are some things it doesn't cover (wisely in my opinion as it would become too large). Specifically it does not cover migration or deployment planning. It also does not cover DNS planning in depth. These topics are large enough to require books on their own.

All in all if you want serious in-depth technical detail on managing AD, explained clearly and precisely (rare qualities in technical books) then this is the book to go for.

The must-have Active Directory book!
This is a must-have Active Directory book. As the title states, it takes you inside Active Directory. Good writing style doesn't bore. Good coverage of scripting. Excellent references.

This makes a great AD reference, in addition to 'Mission Critical Active Directory', and Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit - I regularly quote material from this book in class and highly recommend it to everyone interested in getting under the hood of AD.

Bharat Suneja
MCT

Best book on AD I have read so far
I am only part way through this book and loving it. I can't seem to put it down. The author explains in clear detail important topics that you need to know to manage AD. Instead of boring you with highly detailed internals which you would never use anyway, you get simplistic view and explanation of all the things you need to know to be an AD admin. I find myself looking ahead because I can't wait to see whats covered next. As I said, I am only part way through the book but after 200+ pages, I don't think my opinion is going to change.

The STANDARD for Active Directory Administration
I'm not sure what book the unimpressed reviewer below read, but it certainly wasn't this book. I've been a senior Active Directory Engineer at one of the largest international companies in the world for the past 2 1/2 years. Our implementation of Active Directory is one of the largest and most complex out there. Due to this, I've been searching everywhere for books that go beyond the 'beginning to intermediate' concepts that seem to dominant in other books.

With 'Inside Active Directory' I've truly found it. The way I tell if a book is worth its salt is to check some of the esoteric topics I've encountered, and see if the book covers them. I can say that I've yet to find something that these guys didn't cover in depth. Just the treatment on Security and Group Policies alone makes the book worth the cover price. But they don't stop there. They go through Active Directory with a fine-toothed comb and explore every nook and cranny, showing you details you'll never find anywhere else.

As an example, see if you can find other books that give you details on using the LDP tool to view deleted items. Or see how many other books talk about SDDL (Security Data Definition Language) that's used to establish default permissions for all object classes (including how to modify them). Or how about the overview of how Active Directory uses LDAP?

The only other book I've found that goes into this depth is the 'Windows 2000 Server Distributed Systems Guide' that's part of the Windows 2000 Resource Kit. But it was much drier than this one, and even it had areas that it didn't cover.

Trust me on this one...if you're an Active Directory engineer or architect, this is the book you need. It's the companion that's going to help you keep your job if you're up in the middle of the night trying to understand how something works or why it's not working.

It's truly an amazing book. Well done, guys! I hope they write an update for this soon to cover AD 2003!

Average AD book
Not sure what all the fuss about this book is over. I found the writing style to be dry and unimaginative. I found the chapters to be difficult to read and the explanations of the myriad of AD concepts to be quite difficult to follow at times.

Overall, this is a book that is packed with the nuts and bolts of AD, I just can't make it past the desert dry writing and the poor conceptual explanations. ... Read more

Book Description

The second edition is intended for the junior-senior-graduate level course in finite element method. This text includes a step-by-step, systematic approach to the formulation and analysis of differential and integral equations in variational forms for use as finite element methods. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

a very good book
I learnt FE from this book. It is clear, coincise, full of well-worked examples. It covers almost all of the aspectes of FE programming. The book contains two educational codes, thought both are FORTRAN77 code, one can easily understand what's going on, so as to rewrite it in C or, say, FORTRAN90.

The first s chapters of the book regard the FEm method in general, the 4th focuses on structural mechanics, 5th is about errors in FE analysis, 6th and 7th about numerical integration and 8th is on 2 and 3 dimension FE problem.

Actually this is an introductory book, so the 2 and 3 D problems are not deeply trated.

The book is never hard to understand, and it's suitable (waw!!) for self study.

It is one of my best list.
Just completing his second and third chapter in FE formulation, you cannot deny Dr.Reddy's ingenius in FE. His solid background in Variational Calculus will enlight you the real nature of Finite Element approximation and bring you understand how can fomulate FE statement from BVP. Don't be bored in his mathematical written styles, because you could not understand FE in other ways. Absolutely, this book is one in my best list of FE textbook. His enlightment could not be found in a plenty of FE textbooks sold in your bookstore. Just read it!!! You may think like me.

THE BOOK
This book is a nice starting point for FEM modeling.
I have had experience with contol volume and
finite difference and am trying to catch on FEM.
It helps me where i need help. There is this other
book by Schaums that complements this book. I am buying the second book on Finite Elements authored by him....You can imagine....I am in love with the book.....really...the mathematical formulations....the very fact that it looks so abstruse that is the reason i love it..clarity of thought i respect like mad! And he has it all!!!

One of the Best Textbooks in FE
Not only was I introduced to the infinite world of Finite Elements through this book, but I have also used it in the FE class I teach at UCSD. I have found the variational formulations approach most helpful as it fits anyone in the various disciplines of engineering and applied mathematics. "Give me the field equation and I shall develop the FE model" is the motto I have used to build a career in FE; and Dr. Reddy's Book was certainly the cornerstone. OK..I am biased...Dr. Reddy was my doctoral advisior; he is the best in the business.

Samuel K. Kassegne, PhD, PE San Diego, California bikila_97@yahoo.com

Great Introductory Book
This book is quite good. It will really teach you the basics of Finite element Method. But one problem i encountered is that if you use this book to learn, the next time you need to study deeper FEM, you will have a hard time understanding the very different approaches and also notation. But still this book will give you many things you need to know. ... Read more

Book Description

Get the information you need – fast!

Precalculus Prerequisites:

• Algebraic properties
• Exponential, radical, polynomial, and rational expressions
• Equations, inequalities, and linear equations

Functions:

• Function graphs and transformations
• Combining and composing functions
• Graphing and finding inverse functions
• Exponential and logarithmic functions
• Trigonometry and Analytic Geometry

Measuring angles and working with triangles:

• Inverse trigonometric functions
• Analytic trigonometry including quadratic equations
• Vectors and trigonometry of complex numbers
• Equations and graphs of conic sections and hyperbolas
• Matrices and Systems of Equations

Two-variable, linear, and non-linear systems:

• Solving systems of equations with matrices
• Inverse matrices
• Linear programming

Review and Resources

• Tear-out pocket-guide for key formulas and concepts
• Glossary of key terms
• Handy Chapter Check-ins/Chapter Checkouts introduce new concepts and test your knowledge

Book Description

Third edition of popular undergraduate-level text offers overview of historical roots and evolution of several areas of mathematics. Topics include mathematics before Euclid, Euclid’s Elements, non-Euclidean geometry, algebraic structure, formal axiomatics, sets, more. Emphasis on axiomatic procedures. Problems. Solution Suggestions for Selected Problems. Bibliography.
... Read more

Reviews (3)

'Swiss Army Knife' of Upper Level Mathematics
I totally agree with the previous two reviewers on what they had to say about this wonderful book. However, I did want to briefly note that -- beyond merely being a fascinating overview of the development of beyond-calculus mathematics -- it is also a great resource for people needing to look up or review topics in advanced mathematics (especially mathematical logic). Again, to repeat what the others have said, buy this book if you have ANY interest in mathematics. You won't regret it.

Excellent Overview. Belongs on Your Bookshelf.
Howard Eves presents this five-star story of mathematics as two intertwined threads: one describes the growing content of mathematics and the other the changing nature of mathematics. In exploring these two elements, Eves has created a great book for the layman. I find myself returning to his book again and again.

My few semesters of calculus, differential equations, and other applied math failed to formally introduce me to abstract algebras, non-Euclidian geometries, projective geometry, symbolic logic, and mathematical philosophy. I generally considered algebra and geometry to be singular nouns. Howard Eves corrected my grammar.

"Foundations and Fundamental Concepts" is not a traditional history of mathematics, but an investigation of the philosophical context in which new developments emerged. Eves paints a clear picture of the critical ideas and turning points in mathematics and he does so without requiring substantial mathematics by the reader. Calculus is not required.

The first two chapters, titled "Mathematics Before Euclid" and "Euclid's Elements", consider the origin of mathematics and the remarkable development of the Greek axiomatic method that dominated mathematics for nearly 2000 years.

In chapter three Eves introduces non-Euclidian geometry. Mathematics is transformed from an empirical method focused on describing our real, three-dimensional world to a creative endeavor that manufactures new, abstract geometries.

This discussion of geometries, as opposed to geometry, continues in chapter four. The key topics include Hilbert's highly influential work that placed Euclidian geometry on a firm (but more abstract) postulational basis, Poincaire's model and the consistency of Lobachevskian geometry, the principle of duality in projective geometry, and Decartes development of analytic geometry. For the non-initiated these topics may seem daunting, but Eves' approach is clear and quite fascinating.

Chapter five, which might have been titled "The Liberation of Algebra", may at first be a bit overwhelming to those unaware of algebraic structures like groups, rings, and fields. But take solace as even mathematicians in the early nineteenth century still considered algera to be little more than symbolized arithmetic. As Eves says, non-Euclidian geometry released the "invisible shackles of Euclidian geometry". Likewise, abstract algebra created a parallel revolution. (Again, don't be intimidated by the terminology. Eves is quite good.)

The remaining four chapters look at the axiomatic foundation of modern mathematics, the real number system, set theory, and finally mathematical logic and philosophy. Eves concludes with the surprising discovery of contradictions within Cantor's set theory as well as Hilbert's unsuccessful effort to define procedures to avoid inconsistencies or contradictions within an axiomatic system.

Eves mentions Godel's fundamental contribution to mathematical logic, but stops short of delving into Godel's Proof. For additional reading I highly recommend "Godel's Proof" by Ernest Nagel and James R. Newman.

I also highly recommend Richard Courant's and Herbert Robbins' classic, "What is Mathematics?", a more detailed examination of the development of fundamental ideas and methods underlying mathematics. I would suggest that most readers, particularly non-math majors, first read Eves and later tackle Courant and Robbins.

I have read "Foundations and Fundamentals of Mathematics" at least twice. I gave my son a copy for Christmas. He says that the book is great and he even claims to be reading it as he walks across his campus between classes. The price is great. It belongs in your book collection.

Ecellent description of the history of mathematical thinking
There are several books available on the history of mathematics. Some give an account on the development of a certain area, others focus on a group of persons and some do hardly more than story telling. I was looking for one that tells the story of the development of the main ideas and the understanding of what mathematics and science in general is (or what people thought it is and should be). Howard Eves' book is the first book I bought that gives me the answers I was looking for. Starting with pre-Euclidean fragments, going on with Euclid, Aristotle and the Pythagoreans, straight to non-Euclidean geometry it focuses on the axiomatic method of geometry. What pleased me most here is that the author really takes each epoch for serious. He quotes longer (and well chosen) passages from Euclid, Aristotle and Proclus to demonstrate their approaches. Each chapter ends with a Problems section. I was surprised to see how much these problems reveal of the epoch, its problems and thinking.

The book goes on with chapters on Hilbert's Grundlagen, Algebraic Structure etc, always showing not only the substance of these periods but also the shift in the way of thinking and the development towards rigor. The last chapter is titled Logic and Philosophy. Eves divides "contemporary" philosophies of mathematics into three schools: logistic (Russel/Whitehead), intuitionist (Brouwer) and the formalist (Hilbert).

The book ends with some interesting appendices on specific problems like the first propositions of Euclid, nonstandard analysis and even Gödel's incompleteness theorem. Bibliography, solutions to selected problems and an index are carefully prepared to round up an excellent book.

Should you buy this book ? Yes. What kind of mistake can you make in spending US$ 12.95 on a book that has withstood the test of time through three editions (each with a different publisher). I havent completed reading the book yet, but I dont regret having bought it. ... Read more

Book Description

A comprehensive statistics text for graduate students

Explaining Psychological Statistics, Second Edition successfully bridges the gap between statistics and research methods courses by incorporating research methods throughout the text.In a clear and engaging manner, this comprehensive text covers both introductory and advanced topics in statistics, including the concepts (and limitations) of hypothesis testing; linear correlation and regression; the t-test and matched t-test; basic analysis of variance in one- and two-way designs; and repeated measures ANOVA.This new edition also features:

• Multiple regression, the regression approach to one- and two-way ANOVA, and ANCOVA
• Advanced topics, such as the intraclass correlation, the analysis of Latin-square designs, and the analysis of trend components
• Relevant research designs for numerous areas of psychological research

Early Reviews of the Second Edition"I like the presentation of the summaries and exercises at the end of blocks of material rather than just at the end of the chapter . . . students need to start active work earlier on–they aren’t generally good at things quantitative and need frequent homework and review."–DR. JOHN PITTENGER, University of Arkansas, Little Rock On the integration of research methods and statistics: "I have been using several texts at the same time and have not found a text that combines [this] feature. I believe that this text can serve that function."–DR. RONAN BERNAS, Eastern Illinois University ... Read more

Book Description

The revision of this book introduces the 2000 NCTM Principles and Standards and explains their use for teaching secondary school mathematics instruction. Unlike other books, it utilizes 125 enrichment units to provide the staples in preparing to teach mathematics. The authors provide step-by-step techniques on preparing lessons and tests, motivating students, designing assignments, and organizing the classroom. This valuable book also provides practical teaching methods for immediate use along with answers to typical questions readers have about teaching math.Chapter topics include the mathematics teacher today, long-range and short range planning, teaching more effective lessons, the role of problem solving in the mathematics classroom, using technology to enhance mathematics instruction, authentic assessment and grading strategies, enriching mathematics instruction, and extracurricular activities in mathematics.For mathematics teachers in secondary schools. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A book for the novis and experenced mathematics teacher.
This is an excelent text to use both in the college class room and everyday teaching. The text covers all developmental point of effective teaching. It puts to teacher in a positve position that makes you want to teach and students to learn. If you are looking to sharpen your skills in teaching Math, or any subject you need this text. If you follow it closely "IT WILL KEEP YOU OFF OF A PDP(Professional Development Plan)" ... Read more

Book Description

The powerful statistical software Stata has streamlined data analysis, interpretation, and presentation for researchers and statisticians around the world. But because of its power and plethora of features, particularly in version 8, Stata manuals are usually quite extensive and detailed.The third edition of the Handbook of Statistical Analyses Using Stata describes the features of Stata version 8 in the same concise, convenient format that made the previous editions so popular. But the revisions updating the handbook to version 8 are not all this edition has to offer: the authors also added important material in three all-new chapters and focused more attention on Stata's improved graphical features.More Highlights of the Third EditionÖ Updates in all chapters that reflect the features of Stata 8Ö A new chapter on random effects modelsÖ A new chapter on generalized estimating equationsÖ A new chapter on cluster analysisÖ Increased emphasis on diagnosticsEach chapter deals with a particular data set, identifies the appropriate analysis for it, and while it includes a brief account of the statistical background of the technique applied, the primary focus remains firmly on using Stata 8 and interpreting its results. Ideal for researchers, statisticians, and students alike, this handbook forms a perfect complement to the Stata manuals, by giving new users a head start on using the program and providing experienced users with a handy quick reference. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Excellent way to learn Stata
The book is arranged as a tutorial introduction to Stata, explaining the statistics and how to implement these in Stata.
It is well-crafted, showing different approaches where tasks are repeated tasks in different chapters and increasing in complexity and adding new twists and features as you go through.
I was new to Stata and read the Getting Started Manual and then this. It was an excellent way to get comfortable in the new environment.
Don't expect to learn a lot of statistics, but it illustrates a way of thinking about statistics that runs with the grain of the package.
This relates to the 3rd edition of the book that has been updated for Stata version 8.

Not really a manual
This book looks like a collection of lecture notes, it is not a comprehensive list of all stata can do. Rather, it is a short book, rather small (compared to price), that illustrate how to do some things. I bet you can figure this things out from the online help. I was hoping to find good input/output information, but there is almost nothing.

A book to avoid.

For Beginners
When I started work with Stata I have many problems with tables, graphics on stata, etc, this book would be help you, the book introduces the stata's language with basic examples in statistic analysis, if you need learn stata this book is an excellent start point, the book includes basic aspects of: Tables, Graphs, Descriptive Statistics, probit, logit, and Maximum Likelihood, and content examples, exercises and solutions all with stata. ... Read more

Book Description

Thoroughly updated and more straightforward than ever, Applied Linear Regression Models includes the latest statistics, developments, and methods in multicategory logistic regression; expanded treatment of diagnostics for logistic regression; a more powerful Levene test; and more. Cases, datasets, and examples allow for a more real-world perspective and explore relevant uses of regression techniques in business today.

Reviews (2)

Expensive
This is actually a pretty good book for a first course in regression analysis, examples are easy to understand and detailed.

The only bad thing about this book is its price, I also bought the Applied Linear Statistical Models from my friend. He told me that book cost less than this one and it is. That book includes all the pages this book has but with 2nd half of the book on experimental design topics. It's 2 times thicker but much cheaper, and by the same author. Just the publisher that is different.

If it wasn't that pricy, I would give a 5.

Can't I receive 'Student Solutions Manual'?
I'm a senior, business administration, Yonsei Univ. in Korea. I'm studying Regression Analysis with this book. This book is easy for students specilizing in other fields to understand Regression Analysis. Very good. I could understand Regression Analysis easily because all theorems are proved in the level of introductory statistics. There are, however, no solutions of problems. In preface I read that instructors may order from the publisher, Irwin, copies of the Student Solutions Manual. Can't a student like me studying by himself receive 'Student Solutions Manual'? I'm eager to check my solutions. I don't want to stop to study Regression Analysis ... Read more

Book Description

Authors Gustafson and Frisk present simple arithmetic, geometry, and algebra concepts in a way that vividly shows how the language of numbers plays an integral role in day-to-day life. Because Essential Mathematics with Geometry is more comprehensive than most workbooks and reaches up into the topics of intermediate algebra, it provides the prerequisite background for either a college algebra or a finite mathematics course. Effective in both the classroom and the laboratory, this is one book that contains numerous features that help bring mathematics down to earth. ... Read more

Book Description

Few beginning graduate students in mathematics and other quantitative subjects possess the daunting breadth of mathematical knowledge expected of them when they begin their studies. This book will offer students a broad outline of essential mathematics and will help to fill in the gaps in their knowledge.The author explains the basic points and a few key results of all the most important undergraduate topics in mathematics, emphasizing the intuitions behind the subject.The topics include linear algebra, vector calculus, differential and analytical geometry, real analysis, point-set topology, probability, complex analysis, set theory, algorithms, and more.An annotated bibliography offers a guide to further reading and to more rigorous foundations. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Good for a recap, bad for anything more
This book has a very particular purpose: to recap some basic concepts from undergraduate mathematics so that you get the "big picture". In other words, for every math course you took as an undergrad, this book provides a good outline of the major ideas and how they fit together. But, it is only an outline; nothing more. If you actually missed out on some topic, or your knowledge of a subject is shaky, then this book won't help much. It will only help by providing a bibliography of some other references for that subject.

This book is meant to organize your undergraduate math knowledge, not to supplement it.

With that said, I'll mention a few words about the content of the book. It is quite well written and definitely extracts the essential ideas for your quick consumption. There are a few topics that I personally feel are missing, such as Gram-Schmidt and Jordan Canonical Forms for Linear Algebra, and UFDs and PIDs from Algebra. In general, it seemed like the book leaned a little more towards analysis than algebra, but the vast majority of important topics were indeed encapsulated in their synopsis.

Good for a very specific audience, but otherwise not wonderfully useful.

A Good Tool for Diligent Self-Study
There's no doubt about it -- this book designed for people who want to learn some real math. It doesn't take, as the title and description might lead you to believe, a "Math for Engineers" approach.

Each chapter covers, in the span of 10 or 15 pages, what would normally be an entire semester's worth of material, and as a result, is quite dense -- there are alot of ideas crammed onto each page. But unlike traditional advanced math books (which are notoriously dense) the focus is more on developing intuitions than on long strings of equations.

An important strength is that every chapter ends with suggestions on textbooks in that chapter's subject. This turns out to be quite helpful, since one can't reasonably expect to learn everything important about any of these subjects from a brief chapter in any book.

I can envision three main ways in which this book might be useful: First, in combination with one or more of the books in listed in the bibliography for learning a new subject. Second, on its own for review of topics you've seen before. Third, as a reference for "basic" definitions and theorems, as in: "What's a Hilbert space again?"

Overall, this will be a good book to have around, but not a substitute for real study.

Little Value for Self-Preparation
As an individual with a limited background in mathematics entering a technical graduate program, I was initially enthused when I came across this book. From its description I thought it would provide the reader with the ability to be introduced to the practical aspects of some key mathematical concepts. Instead, it is basically a stripped down book for mathematicians, focusing on proofs rather than examples. My two main gripes with this book:

1) It is devoted almost entirely to theoretical proofs and nearly devoid of numerical examples. Again, this is of limited value unless you're entering specifically a theoretical mathematics program (I'm in physics).
2) Unless I'm missing the point, the target audience for this book is the individual reviewing this material on his/her own, outside of or in preparation for a classroom. Yet the book has no answers to any of the end-of-chapter exercises; this is a fatal flaw for a book of this type.

I'm sorry to have to give this book such a negative review, but a more appropriate title would be 'Review of key theoretical concepts for Graduate Students in Mathematics".

Uniquely Informative
I used this book for an opposite purpose to the one the author intended. For me it served to review all the math I *had* learned long ago in school (both undergraduate and graduate), but was starting to forget. The author's informal style and rapid-fire delivery were just right for these topics. The subjects I had truly missed, mainly the more abstract parts of algebra and geometry, I found difficult to follow, though I did come away with some feeling for them. This is not a perfect book. The informal style extends to numerous typos in equations, and modern computer-oriented approaches get short shrift. Nevertheless, I found it a unique resource and a pleasure to read. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Most valuable book
This is the only book I keep reading.
This is absolutly the most valuable book in finite element method area for engineers and students.
There is no doubt.
Do not spend time and money to buy other books.

Not exactly easy
This book is a comprehensive one, but it isn't absolutely for beginners. I am a mechanical/aerospace engineer working in the field of FE, and I must be sincere: examples are quite hard, the book itself, even though it covers all of the aspect of FE, is hard to understand. There's a code at the end of the book, it's FORTRAN77, pretty old. Even, there are no solution to the problems (this is the very drawback: problems are hard...).
Buy it if you have a good background in FE. Apart from this, the book is good.

You will see what Finite Element Method in its nature is.
Prof.Bathe has written this book in a very natural manner. He unified almost all problems by the perspicuous style. Furthermore, several clear examples illustrate you more understanding what his purposes are. However it is supposed that you have some background of FE before starting this one. This is one of the books I love most.

Better know your stuff.
It maybe good for the well versed FE student, I had it as a text in college and got little value out of it. I talks at a high level and never gives a undergrad a chance.

An Excellent Text on Finite Element for postgraduate
Bathe's approach in writing this book makes it a distinguishing one from the "sea" of finite element text books. I personally owns 14 books on finite element method, this book and the other two are the only three I keep on my bookshelf, the rest are really quite garbage and packed up in paper boxes. ... Read more

Book Description

INVESTIGATING BASIC COLLEGE MATHEMATICS is a flexible worktext that supports a variety of teaching methods. The book engages students in active learning, allowing them to discover knowledge and describe their understandings. Through a blend of lecture-type Discussions and Investigations, this book provides a comprehensive foundation in basic mathematical concepts.While the table of contents for this text is similar to others on the market, the presentation is unique. Carefully designed INVESTIGATIONS lead students to discover key concepts, while DISCUSSIONS offer a more traditional explanation. The INVESTIGATIONS can be completed as a class led by the instructor, in cooperative groups, or by the student alone. Instead of passively listening to an explanation of the concept, the student participates in its development, followed immediately by practice and application of the concept. This method helps developmental students understand and retain concepts. Selected for their high interest, the application problems are drawn from the media and everyday situations. Students find the problems relevant and easy to visualize; a variety of applications provides substantial practice. The authors also provide an organizer (the five step method) to help students learn to get started and finish problems successfully. Because students are constantly asked to apply their skills in application problems, systems of measurement are introduced early. This also prepares students for success in related classes in the natural sciences, social sciences, and technology. ... Read more

Book Description

The definitive lay reader's account of the Everests of mathematics--the seven unsolved problems that definethe state of the art in contemporary math.

In 2000, the Clay Foundation of Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced a historic competition: whoever could solve any of seven extraordinarily difficult mathematical problems, and have the solution acknowledged as correct by the experts, would receive $1 million in prize money. There was some precedent for doing this: in 1900 David Hilbert, one of the greatest mathematicians of his day, proposed twenty-three problems, now known as the Hilbert Problems, that set much of the agenda for mathematics in the twentieth century. The Millennium Problems are likely to acquire similar stature, and their solution (or lack of one) is likely to play a strong role in determining the course of mathematics in the current century. Keith Devlin, renowned expositor of mathematics, tells here what the seven problems are, how they came about, and what they mean for math and science.

These problems are the brass rings held out to today's mathematicians, glittering and just out of reach. In the hands of Keith Devlin, "the Math Guy" from NPR's "Weekend Edition," each Millennium Problem becomes a fascinating window onto the deepest and toughest questions in the field. For mathematicians, physicists, engineers, and everyone else with an interest in mathematics' cutting edge, The Millennium Problems is the definitive account of a subject that will have a very long shelf life. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

An honest attempt to explain deep mathematics
In this book the author makes a sincere attempt to describe to a popular audience the content behind seven mathematical problems that were chosen by a private foundation called "The Clay Institute" as being deep enough to warrant a prize of $1,000,000 for their solution. The goal is realized in some parts of the book, but falls short in others, but it still is of value to those who are curious about the history and content behind these problems. The author is aware of the difficulty in describing the content of the problems to readers without substantial mathematical preparation, and he does a good job in general.

One can of course think of many other problems that fit the stature of the millennium problems, such as the invariant subspace conjecture, or developing a complete mathematical model of the cell, but these seven will no doubt spark the curiosity of a few young persons as they further their studies in mathematics. Some of the millennium problems, such as the Riemann hypothesis, the NP problem, the Poincare conjecture, and the Navier-Stokes equations, require only an undergraduate education. The others definitely require more background, just to understand even the statement of the problem. All of the them are fascinating, and will no doubt stimulate some incredibly interesting mathematical constructions.

Personal note for anyone interested (from someone who has worked on one of these problems for several years): For those readers who are thinking about attacking one of these problems, it is important to be really interested in solving it, for your own satisfaction, and not to be concerned about the financial reward or what the solution will bring you in terms of professional advancement. Large blocks of time will be needed to think about the problem, and therefore you will have to be concerned with your livelihood in the interim. Being a single person will definitely relieve you of the financial burden of having to support a family, but on the other hand a family will bring you personal warmth as you take the roller coaster ride of confidence and depression that goes with this kind of research. A traditional tenure-track position might be difficult to justify, since you will not be publishing and therefore your chances of obtaining tenure will be greatly diminished. It might also be wise in whatever job you work in to keep your ambitions to yourself, as colleagues and other mathematicians will typically not be encouraging in your decision to work on the problem. Therefore, you will definitely find yourself working on two problems in your life: the millennium problem and a constrained optimization problem, the latter being how to live your life in the interim, and whose solution possibly ranks in similar complexity. Your research in the millennium problem will probably take years, and as you see more lines appear on your face and your colleagues take the normal professional route, you might have doubts about your decisions. The more time spent on it without resolution of course will close the doors on a standard career in academia, and you will approach a critical point where there is no turning back. It is at this time that you will realize that it is you that has taken charge of yourself, your goals, and your attitudes about mathematics and life...and this of course is the best possible life anyone can have.

It's Not An "Idiot's Guide to the Millenium Problems"
Let's be frank: most people have a better chance of winning $1M at the state lottery than by proving any of these "millennium problems". Keith Devlin does a go