Book Description

Reviews (7)

Lucid and elegant, but not for beginners
This tiny textbook is well organized with an incredible amount of information. If you manage to read this, you will have much machinery of algebraic topology at hand. But, this book is not for you if you know practically nothing about the subject (hence four stars). I believe this work should be understood to have compiled "what topologists should know about algebraic topology" in a minimum number of pages.

An Outstanding Achievement.
As a matter of fact all the materials written by J. P. May are precise, concise and useful. He is not of kind of those people who write 1000 pages and reach at obvious matters. This book is really a good introduction to the modern aspects of algebraic topology. It has less than 250 pages. I liked the treatment very much and appreciate it for teaching me a lot of mathematics. I dare to say that if someone else wants to write a book including all materials treated in this book, then the book would consist of at least 1000 pages. There is more to this book than just classical algebraic topology.

A Unique and Necessary Book
Ones first exposure to algebraic topology should be a concrete and pictorial approach to gain a visual and combinatorial intuition for algebraic topology. It is really necessary to draw pictures of tori, see the holes, and then write down the chain complexes that compute them. Likewise, one should bang on the Serre Spectral Sequence with some concrete examples to learn the incredible computational powers of Algebraic Topology. There are many excellent and elementary introductions to Algebraic Topology of this type (I like Bott & Tu because of its quick introduction of spectral sequences and use of differential forms to bypass much homological algebra that is not instructive to the novice).

However, as Willard points out, mathematics is learned by successive approximation to the truth. As you becomes more mathematically sophisticated, you should relearn algebraic topology to understand it the way that working mathematicians do. Peter May's book is the only text that I know of that concisely presents the core concepts algebraic topology from a sophisticated abstract point of view. To make it even better, it is beautifully written and the pedagogy is excellent, as Peter May has been teaching and refining this course for decades. Every line has obviously been thought about carefully for correctness and clarity.

As an example, ones first exposure to singular homology should be concrete approach using singular chains, but this ultimately doesn't explain why many of the artificial-looking definitions of singular homology are the natural choices. In addition, this decidedly old-fashioned approach is hard to generalize to other combinatorial constructions.

Here is how the book does it: First, deduce the cellular homology of CW-complexes as an immediate consequence of the Eilenberg-Steenrod axioms. Considering how one can extend this to general topological spaces suggests that one approximate the space by a CW-complex. Realization of the total singular complex of the space as a CW-complex is a functorial CW-approximation of the space. As the total singular complex induces an equivalence of (weak) homotopy categories and homology is homotopy-invariant, it is natural to define the singular homology of the original space to be the homology of the total singular complex. Although sophisticated, this is a deeply instructive approach, because it shows that the natural combinatorial approximation to a space is its total singular complex in the category of simplicial sets, which lets you transport of combinatorial invariants such as homology of chain complexes. This approach is essential to modern homotopy theory.

Excellent Modern Treatment of Algebraic Topology
One of the reasons that Algebraic Topology is difficult to learn is that often the more general constructions (which are algebraic) are difficult to motivate visually. In fact, I have often found that attempts at visuallizing lead to confusion. J. Peter May avoids confusing illistrations in this book. Constructions are motivated by the results they consort. Most importantly May employes a thoroughly modern point of view. For example: the language of cofibrations/fibrations is used throughout, the handy idea of fundamental groupoid is introduced early in the treatment of the fundamental groups, there are a couple of chapters dedecated to homological algebra intersperced, both homology and cohomology are developed from the axiomatic point of view. May concludes the text with introductions to several more advanced topics such as cobordism, K-theory, and characteristic classes. The list of books that May offers in the suggestions for further reading section at the end is fairily comprehensive.

[too much] for a book that will just sit on your bookself
this is not a bad book, but it isnt for real. the back of the book says: ...treatment is sophisticated, no prior knowledge of the subject is assumed.

i think not.

you better be armed with a few other books and be prepared to spend some hours if you want to "learn" from this book as a beginner. ... Read more

Book Description

From the reviews: This book is devoted to the study of sheaves by microlocal methods..(it) may serve as a reference source as well as a textbook on this new subject. Houzel's historical overview of the development of sheaf theory will identify important landmarks for students and will be a pleasure to read for specialists. Math. Reviews 92a (1992). The book is clearly and precisely written, and contains many interesting ideas: it describes a whole, largely new branch of mathematics.(...)The book can be strongly recommended to a younger mathematician enthusiastic to assimilate a new range of techniques allowing flexible application to a wide variety of problems. Bull. L.M.S. (1992) ... Read more

Book Description

This two volume work on ... Read more

Book Description

The purpose of this book is to introduce algebraic topology using the novel approach of homotopy theory, an approach with clear applications in algebraic geometry as understood by Lawson and Voevodsky. This method allows the authors to cover the material more efficiently than the more common method using homological algebra. The basic concepts of homotopy theory, such as fibrations and cofibrations, are used to construct singular homology and cohomology, as well as K-theory. Throughout the text many other fundamental concepts are introduced, including the construction of the characteristic classes of vector bundles. Although functors appear constantly throughout the text, no knowledge about category theory is expected from the reader. This book is intended for advanced undergraduates and graduate students with a basic knowledge of point set topology as well as group theory and can be used in a two semester course.

Marcelo Aguilar and Carlos Prieto are Professors at the Instituto de Matemticas, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, and Samuel Gitler is a member of El Colegio Nacional and professor at the Centro de Investigacion y Estudios Avanzados del IPN. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Random fractals
From the standpoint of deterministic dynamics and multifractals defined by a generating partition, I do not like this book. However, for affine fractals and methods like R/S analysis it provides a very nice introduction! Like Hull's book on options, stochastic calculus is unfortunately not formulated using Ito calculus. Also nice, the gambler's ruin is presented as an example of affine scaling. What is missing is an introductory discussion of multiaffine scaling, which is of interest for soft turbulence in fluids (an introduction to multiaffine scaling with simple examples can be found in the book on surface fluctuations by Barabasi and Stanley). ... Read more

Book Description

This book is meant for a one year course in Riemannian Geometry. The approach the author has taken deviates in some ways from the standard path. Instead of discussing variational calculus, the author introduces a more elementary approach which simply uses standard calculus together with some techniques from differential equations. This book will appeal to readers with a knowledge of standard manifold theory, including such topics as tensors and Stoke's theorem. Scattered throughout the text is a variety of exercises which will help the readers to deepen their understanding of the subject. ... Read more

Book Description

This is a book on topology and geometry and, like any books on subjects as vast as these, it has a point-of-view that guided the selection of topics. Naber takes the view that the rekindled interest that mathematics and physics have shown in each other of late should be fostered and that this is best accomplished by allowing them to cohabit. The book weaves together rudimentary notions from the classical gauge theory of physics with the topological and geometrical concepts that became the mathemtical models of these notions. We ask the reader to come to us with some vague notion of what an electromagnetic field might be, a willingness to accept a few of the more elementary pronouncements of quantum mechanics, a solid background in real analysis and linear algebra and some of the vocabulary of modern algebra. To such a reader we offer an excursion that begins with the definition of a topological space and finds its way eventually to the moduli space of anti-self-dual SU(2) connections on S4 with instanton number -1. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

MATH AND TOPOLOGY
Topology is very important scince in the fields of mathematics. And it using in many of another sinceis.

required reading for a topologist interested in physics
As a mathematician turned physics grad student, it is often difficult to read "Math for Physicists" books simply because of the focus on making "numbers churn out;" which, at least for me personally, more difficult to get a handle on the subject and then, in turn, use it fruitfully.

This book on the other hand, is exemplary of why I got into physics in the first place. The first chapter (Physical motivations) and the last chapter (Gauge Fields and Instantons) can be read by any one with undergraduate topology under their belt and come away with a more powerful understanding of gauge theory than, in my opinion, can be found in other introductory gauge theory texts I've been directed to.

Of course I'll read all those said texts as well, but I'm thankful that I found this one. ... Read more

Book Description

This is the first volume of a three-volume introduction to modern geometry, with emphasis on applications to other areas of mathematics and theoretical physics. Topics covered include tensors and their differential calculus, the calculus of variations in one and several dimensions, and geometric field theory. This material is explained in as simple and concrete a language as possible, in a terminology acceptable to physicists. The text for the second edition has been substantially revised. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Required background reading...
..if you want to understand the much of Arnol'd's book on classical mechanics. Written for physicists in language that physicists can follow, the book starts with advanced calculus (geometry of surfaces and curves in 2D and 3D) and provides a readable and informative introduction to Riemannian geometry, including connections defined by structure coefficients of a Lie algebra, all the way through gauge theories. However, the books by Schutz and by Nakahara cover interesting topics not included here, so see them as well. ... Read more

Book Description

The complete works of antiquity's great geometer appear here in a highly accessible English translation by a distinguished scholar. Remarkable for his range of thought and his mastery of treatment, Archimedes addressed such topics as the famous problems of the ratio of the areas of a cylinder and an inscribed sphere; the measurement of a circle; the properties of conoids, spheroids, and spirals; and the quadrature of the parabola. This edition offers an informative introduction with many valuable insights into the ancient mathematician's life and thought as well as the views of his contemporaries. Modern mathematicians, physicists, science historians, and logicians will find this volume a source of timeless fascination. Unabridged reprint of the classic 1897 edition, with supplement of 1912.
... Read more

Book Description

Incorporated in this volume are the first two books in Mukai's series on Moduli Theory.The notion of a moduli space is central to geometry. However, its influence is not confined there; for example, the theory of moduli spaces is a crucial ingredient in the proof of Fermat's last theorem. Researchers and graduate students working in areas ranging from Donaldson or Seiberg-Witten invariants to more concrete problems such as vector bundles on curves will find this to be a valuable resource. Among other things this volume includes an improved presentation of the classical foundations of invariant theory that, in addition to geometers, would be useful to those studying representation theory. This translation gives an accurate account of Mukai's influential Japanese texts. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is a general introduction to the theory of schemes, followed by applications to arithmetic surfaces and to the theory of reduction of algebraic curves. The first part introduces basic objects such as schemes, morphisms, base change, local properties (normality, regularity, Zariski's Main Theorem). This is followed by the more global aspect: coherent sheaves and a finiteness theorem for their cohomology groups. Then follows a chapter on sheaves of differentials, dualizing sheaves, and grothendieck's duality theory. The first part ends with the theorem of Riemann-Roch and its application to the study of smooth projective curves over a field. Singular curves are treated through a detailed study of the Picard group. The second part starts with blowing-ups and desingularization (embedded or not) of fibered surfaces over a Dedekind ring that leads on to intersection theory on arithmetic surfaces. Castelnuovo's criterion is proved and also the existence of the minimal regular model. This leads to the study of reduction of algebraic curves. The case of elliptic curves is studied in detail. The book concludes with the fundamental theorem of stable reduction of Deligne-Mumford. The book is essentially self-contained, including the necessary material on commutative algebra. The prerequisites are therefore few, and the book should suit a graduate student. It contains many examples and nearly 600 exercises. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Very good exposition
Liu's book has two distinct parts to it. The first 7 chapters combine to give a wonderful exposition of the language of schemes; the other chapters are of a specialised nature and concentrate on arithmetic curves. I will talk about the former. (So when I say "this book", I am only referring to the first 7 chapters)

The book starts off with a chapter on some topics in basic commutative algebra - localisation, flatness and completion. Once this is done, the stage is set to introduce schemes in the next chapter and prove their basic properties. Chapter 3 talks about morphisms of schemes and base change. Chapter 4 continues with a discussion of morphisms and also presents some results about some special types of schemes (normal, regular). It culminates with a proof of Zariski's main theorem. The next chapter takes up sheaf cohomology and is followed up with a chapter on differential calculus on schemes (Kahler differentials, duality theory). Lastly, chapter 7 takes up divisors, proves the Riemann Roch theorem and culminates with some applications to curves.

At a first glance, this would basically look like Hartshorne - the most popular book for an introduction to schemes. However, there are few differences which I will point out. Firstly, Hartshorne emphasizes geometric applications and, as such, uses algebraically closed fields freely. Liu, on the other hand, does not hesistate to give arithmetic applications whenever possible and, therefore, tries to relax the hypotheses on the base field whenever possible. Secondly, Liu is much more readable than Hartshorne which, in its supreme elegance, is a tad dense for a first reading. Unlike Hartshorne, a majority of important results are not presented in the exercises (though many are!). Moreover, unlike Harshorne, this book develops all the necessary commutative algebra along the way (chapter 1,2 of Atiyah-Macdonald should be good enough to read this book). Coming back to the geometry, Hartshorne's chapter 4,5 form an excellent resource for classical geometric applications for theory of schemes. Moreover, chapter 1 presents a very readable and scheme-free account of classical algebraic geometry (pre-Grothendieck) in the language of varieties. Liu's book, however, does not emphasize classical or geometric applications and is not the best place to start if one wishes to learn about varieties.

In the current literature on algebraic geometry, there is a noticeable void. Namely, on one hand, we have Grothendieck's "Elements" (EGA) which present all results about schemes and sheaf cohomology in utmost generality, prove everything with excruciating detail, and are almost unreadable as texts (they're a great references). On the other hand, we have Hartshorne which is basically a beautiful summary of EGA along with geometric applications, but is quite hard to read for an introduction. The book under review is not as concise as Hartshorne's book, presents arithmetic applications and is more readable in a reasonable amount of time than EGA.

In conclusion, this book should be an invaluable resource to anyone who wishes to learn about schemes, especially with arithmetic applications in mind. For those inclined towards geometry, an account of schemes from this book coupled with applications from another book (like Hartshorne) would be a good combination. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Not a real calculus book
"Thomas and Finney is remarkably easy to read." I agree. It's easy to read because there is not much of substance there. It's basically a recipe cookbook. The authors are not mathematicians and don't truly understand some of the more advanced concepts (in the last parts of the book.)

The problems are not challenging, and do not lead to any new insights. For a book with great problems and insightful discussions of the key concepts, I recommend Swokowski's Calculus.

Yet it is a decent text for what it is intended to do, which is to teach engineers. That's why the two stars.

A fine Calculus Textbook
This is perhaps one of the finest high-school Calculus textbooks in existance. The first eight chapters of Thomas-Finney deal with calculus of functions of a single variable, going through what is commonly known as BC calculus. In addition to covering the essential topics of differentiation and integration, Thomas-Finney pays ample attention to the applications of the two. What results is a lucid text full of examples that ground calculus in the real world.

The second half of Thomas-Finney is devoted mainly to three-dimensional analytic geometry, multivariate calculus, and finally vector calculus. Partial derivitives, conic sections, vector-valued functions, and multiple integrals are just some of the topics covered in the second half. Here too, the book devotes ample time to examples and applications. The presentation of advanced concepts is top-notch.

The text is also interspersed with mathematical biography and sidebars that explain how to use CAS to help understand concepts. These are well presented and do not take away from the core math taught in the book.

I taught myself calculus during a summer using this book and without teacher intervention. It was the only one of five calculus textbooks that presented material clearly and simply enough to understand without outside help. In my mind, that's the highest compliment a math textbook can be given.

A manditory read for Science Majors
Use this book along with CDs on intermediate algebra Calc I and Calc II from www.thinkwell.com. as an excellent way to start your college studies.

I especially liked the depth he went into with conic sections. I for one had not had that much prior use for conic sections. Newton did. He invented calculus in order to answer specific questions and that involved conics. I like that the writer goes beyond using some of Newtons conclusions and goes into more depth. If you dont like depth, then you can read the first first half of the book and stop there (as is done by most nonscience majors). I have seen other calculus books and specifically bought this once because I dont like just memorizing formulas. I wanted to know more about why this subject was invented in the first place.

The amaising thing is that if you get through this book, you will be able to understand some math and physics known a few generations ago only to Newton and Libenez. Dont you feel smarter already? Even if you have read other calculus books, read this one!

Hmmm..2.55 stars only!
This book, in my opinion, is not a very good book especially if you are the kind who enjoys an intellectual challenge. But it takes up a hell of a lot of time making you work through silly repetitive exercises and never ever giving you a challenging problem!! And doesnt give you any sort of "insight" into calculus... In short its like the "The Ultimate Calculus Cookbook!" But cookbooks
dont really increase your math ability and may even suppress it!

But theres another side to the story.. if you are kind who is interested in just knowing the recipies and how to apply them( engineering students)...then this must THE BEST BOOK you can find. And this can also be very helpful if you find calculus "hard"!!

BUT LEMME WARN YOU AGAIN IF YOU USE UR BRAINS A LOT DONT GO FOR THIS BOOK.. U'LL SOON STAR GETTING DAMN BORED!!

A classroom user from LA
I tried using this book's previous edition for a correspondence course, and with a math major, a doctor, and a college grad with 2 B's his entire 4 yrs we couldn't make it make sense. I'm not stupid. I have a 4.0 in my math classes (all the way to multivariable, differential equations, and a discrete dynamical systems course). I recommend Calculus: Early Transcendentals ed. 4th by James Stewart.

Unfortunately my previous review is not up, and I don't remember all the specific reason's why it didn't make since, but I could add and subtract negative numbers before I could read and I learned Calculus without a problem from the AP Calculus book by the Princeton Review (I used this instead of Finney's Calculus book). ... Read more

Book Description

Knot Theory, a lively exposition of the mathematics of knotting, will appeal to a diverse audience from the undergraduate seeking experience outside the traditional range of studies to mathematicians wanting a leisurely introduction to the subject.Graduate students beginning a program of advanced study will find a worthwhile overview, and the reader will need no training beyond linear algebra to understand the mathematics presented. The interplay between topology and algebra, known as algebraic topology, arises early in the book, when tools from linear algebra and from basic group theory are introduced to study the properties of knots, including one of mathematics' most beautiful topics, symmetry. The book closes with a discussion of high-dimensional knot theory and a presentation of some of the recent advances in the subject - the Conway, Jones and Kauffman polynomials. A supplementary section presents the fundamental group, which is a centerpiece of algebraic topology. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Excellent!
Livingston does a good job on basic knot theory in this text. While Adams seems to jump around a bit in his book, Livingston keeps a nice flow to his work. The proofs require another text and a good background in algebra to understand, but the problems are wonderful for a deeper understanding of the material.

Good for an introduction
This book is an excellent introduction to knot theory for the serious, motivated undergraduate students, beginning graduate students,mathematicains in other disciplines, or mathematically oriented scientists who want to learn some knot theory.

Prequisites are a bare minimum: some linear algebra and a course in modern algebra should suffice, though a first geometrically oriented topology course (e. g., a course out of Armstrong, or Guillemin/Pollack) would be helpful.

Many different aspects of knot theory are touched on, including some of the polynomial invariants, knot groups, Alexander polynomial and related abelian invariants, as well as some of the more geometric invariants.

This book would serve as a nice complement to C. Adams "Knot Book" in that Livingston covers fewer topics, but goes into more mathematical detail. Livingston also includes many excellent exercises. Were an undergraduate to request that I do a reading course in knot theory with him/her, this would be one of the two books I'd use (Adam's book would be the other).

This book is intentionally written at a more elementary level than, say Kaufmann (On Knots), Rolfsen (Knots and Links), Lickorish (Introduction to Knot Theory) or Burde-Zieshcang (Knots), and would be a good "stepping stone" to these classics.

A very thorough volume for the serious student
Livingston's book is very concise and dense. It contains a lot of information, but is not the kind of book you could sit down and read through from cover to cover. It is excellent as a reference, a sort-of knot theory encyclopedia. ... Read more

Book Description

This text has been adopted at:

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia University of Connecticut, Storrs Duke University, Durham, NC California Institute of Technology, Pasadena University of Washington, Seattle Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA University of Chicago, IL University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

"In the reviewer's opinion, this is a superb book which makes learning a real pleasure."

- Revue Romaine de Mathematiques Pures et Appliquees

"This main-stream presentation of differential geometry serves well for a course on Riemannian geometry, and it is complemented by many annotated exercises."

- Monatshefte F. Mathematik

"This is one of the best (if even not just the best) book for those who want to get a good, smooth and quick, but yet thorough introduction to modern Riemannian geometry."

- Publicationes Mathematicae

Contents: Differential Manifolds * Riemannian Metrics * Affine Connections; Riemannian Connections * Geodesics; Convex Neighborhoods * Curvature * Jacobi Fields * Isometric Immersions * Complete Manifolds; Hopf-Rinow and Hadamard Theorems * Spaces of Constant Curvature * Variations of Energy * The Rauch Comparison Theorem * The Morse Index Theorem * The Fundamental Group of Manifolds of Negative Curvature * The Sphere Theorem * Index

Series: Mathematics: Theory and Applications ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent start~!
I have gone through many books about riemannian geometry, only to find that most of them are playing magic in front of me. When it comes to curvature and variation of energy (arc length), most of the book are just playing around with the notations without drawing any geometric insight. When defining Levi-Civita connections, many books simply list out 4 meaningless formulae. I was so happy to read this book since it explains everything in riemannian geometry in a clear and concise way. Theoretical facts and geometrical interpretations are both having their place in this book.

Only one thing to notice: This book is a basic elementary introductory text in riemannian geometry. Those who want to know more should consult other book. Yet, as a first book in riemannian geometry, this book is undoubtedly the best. ... Read more

Book Description

This remarkable book has endured as a true masterpiece of mathematical exposition. There are few mathematics books that are still so widely read and continue to have so much to offer--after more than half a century! The book is overflowing with mathematical ideas, which are always explained clearly and elegantly, and above all, with penetrating insight. It is a joy to read, both for beginners and experienced mathematicians.

"Hilbert and Cohn-Vossen" is full of interesting facts, many of which you wish you had known before, or had wondered where they could be found. The book begins with examples of the simplest curves and surfaces, including thread constructions of certain quadrics and other surfaces. The chapter on regular systems of points leads to the crystallographic groups and the regular polyhedra in $\mathbb{R}^3$. In this chapter, they also discuss plane lattices. By considering unit lattices, and throwing in a small amount of number theory when necessary, they effortlessly derive Leibniz's series: $\pi/4 = 1 - 1/3 + 1/5 - 1/7 + - \ldots$. In the section on lattices in three and more dimensions, the authors consider sphere-packing problems, including the famous Kepler problem.

One of the most remarkable chapters is "Projective Configurations". In a short introductory section, Hilbert and Cohn-Vossen give perhaps the most concise and lucid description of why a general geometer would care about projective geometry and why such an ostensibly plain setup is truly rich in structure and ideas. Here, we see regular polyhedra again, from a different perspective. One of the high points of the chapter is the discussion of Schlafli's Double-Six, which leads to the description of the 27 lines on the general smooth cubic surface. As is true throughout the book, the magnificent drawings in this chapter immeasurably help the reader.

A particularly intriguing section in the chapter on differential geometry is Eleven Properties of the Sphere. Which eleven properties of such a ubiquitous mathematical object caught their discerning eye and why? Many mathematicians are familiar with the plaster models of surfaces found in many mathematics departments. The book includes pictures of some of the models that are found in the Göttingen collection. Furthermore, the mysterious lines that mark these surfaces are finally explained!

The chapter on kinematics includes a nice discussion of linkages and the geometry of configurations of points and rods that are connected and, perhaps, constrained in some way. This topic in geometry has become increasingly important in recent times, especially in applications to robotics. This is another example of a simple situation that leads to a rich geometry.

It would be hard to overestimate the continuing influence Hilbert-Cohn-Vossen's book has had on mathematicians of this century. It surely belongs in the "pantheon" of great mathematics books. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Beautiful, Rewarding, and Deep.
I have some 47 books in the geometry section of my shelves. If I had to discard 40 of these, Geometry and the Imagination would be among the 7 remaining.

Geometry is the study of relationships between shapes, and this book helps you see how shapes fit together. Ultimately, you must make the connections in your mind using your mind's eye. The illustrations and text help you make these connections. This is a book that requires effort and delivers rewards.

A glimpse of mathematics as Hilbert saw it
The leading mathematician of the 20th century, David Hilbert liked to quote "an old French mathematician" saying "A mathematical theory should not be considered complete until you have made it so clear that you can explain it to the first man you meet on the street". By that standard, this book by Hilbert was the first to complete several branches of geometry: for example, plane projective geometry and projective duality, regular polyhedra in 4 dimensions, elliptic and hyperbolic non-Euclidean geometries, topology of surfaces, curves in space, Gaussian curvature of surfaces (esp. that fact that you cannot bend a sphere without stretching some part of it, but you can if there is just one hole however small), and how lattices in the plane relate to number theory.

It is beautiful geometry, beautifully described. Besides the relatively recent topics he handles classics like conic sections, ruled surfaces, crystal groups, and 3 dimensional polyhedra. In line with Hilbert's thinking, the results and the descriptions are beautiful because they are so clear.

More than that, this book is an accessible look at how Hilbert saw mathematics. In the preface he denounces "the superstition that mathematics is but a continuation ... of juggling with numbers". Ironically, some people today will tell you Hilbert thought math was precisely juggling with formal symbols. That is a misunderstanding of Hilbert's logical strategy of "formalism" which he created to avoid various criticisms of set theory. This book is the only written work where Hilbert actually applied that strategy by dividing proofs up into intuitive and infinitary/set-theoretic parts. Alongside many thoroughly intuitive proofs, Hilbert gives several extensively intuitive proofs which also require detailed calculation with the infinite sets of real of complex numbers. In those cases Hilbert says "we would use analysis to show ..." and then he wraps up the proof without actually giving the analytic part.

If you find it terribly easy to absorb Hilbert's THEORY OF ALGEBRAIC NUMBER FIELDS and also Hilbert and Courant METHODS OF MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS, then of course you'll get a fuller idea of his math by reading them--but only if you find it very easy. Hilbert did. And that ease is a part of how he saw the subject. I do not mean he found the results easily but he easily grasped them once found. And you'll have to read both, and a lot more, to see the sweep of his view. For Hilbert the lectures in GEOMETRY AND THE IMAGINATION were among the crowns of his career. He showed the wide scope of geometry and finally completed the proofs of recent, advanced results from all around it. He made them so clear he could explain them to you or me.

A Book to Put under Your Pillow
There might be less than 10 mathematics books in the world that I am glad to put under my pillow when I go to sleep. And this book is one of the top three.

A masterpiece!
This is one of the best books on Mathematics ever written. The author is arguably the best mathematician of the century. Here he treats geometry, including topology, in an elementary, though profound, way, with no formalism. A work of art. Books like this shouldn't ever become "out-of-print". ... Read more

Book Description

This practical introduction to the techniques needed to produce high-quality mathematical illustrations is suitable for anyone with basic knowledge of coordinate geometry. Bill Casselman combines a completely self-contained step-by-step introduction to the graphics programming language PostScript with an analysis of the requirements of good mathematical illustrations. The many small simple graphics projects can also be used in courses in geometry, graphics, or general mathematics. Code for many of the illustrations is included, and can be downloaded from the book's web site: www.math.ubc.ca/~cass/graphics/manualMathematicians, ... Read more

Book Description

Geometry is probably the most accessible branch of mathematics, and can provide an easy route to understanding some of the more complex ideas that mathematics can present. This book is intended to introduce readers to the major geometrical topics taught at undergraduate level, in a manner that is both accessible and rigorous. The author uses world measurement as a synonym for geometry - hence the importance of numbers, coordinates and their manipulation - and has included over 300 exercises, with answers to most of them. The text includes such topics as:- Coordinates- Euclidean plane geometry- Complex numbers- Solid geometry- Conics and quadratic surfaces- Spherical geometry- QuaternionsIt is suitable for all undergraduate geometry courses, but it is also a useful resource for advanced sixth formers, research mathematicians, and those taking courses in physics, introductory astronomy and other science subjects. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Calculus and Analytic Geometry:Student Solution Manual, Part
The examples worked in this manual are a great help when used along side of the text book.A must have for everyone purchasing the test book.

Well done solution manual
It was very helpful and useful.This solution manual is a great way for students to check their work and learn from their mistakes.I found some (minor) typo errors that needed to be fix. ... Read more

Book Description

Based on a graduate course given at the Technische Universität, Berlin, these lectures present a wealth of material on the modern theory of convex polytopes. The clear and straightforward presentation features many illustrations, and provides complete proofs for most theorems. The material requires only linear algebra as a prerequisite, but takes the reader quickly from the basics to topics of recent research, including a number of unanswered questions. The lectures - introduce the basic facts about polytopes, with an emphasis on the methods that yield the results (Fourier-Motzkin elimination, Schlegel diagrams, shellability, Gale transforms, and oriented matroids) - discuss important examples and elegant constructions (cyclic and neighborly polytopes, zonotopes, Minkowski sums, permutahedra and associhedra, fiber polytopes, and the Lawrence construction) - show the excitement of current work in the field (Kalai's new diameter bounds, construction of non-rational polytopes, the Bohne-Dress tiling theorem, the upper-bound theorem), and nonextendable shellings) They should provide interesting and enjoyable reading for researchers as well as students. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent!
If you are browsing around for a recent advanced text on modern polytope theory, this is it. Ziegler is very clear, comprehensive, and provides hundreds of references. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is an introduction to manifolds at the beginning graduate level. It contains the essential topological ideas that are needed for the further study of manifolds, particularly in the context of differential geometry, algebraic topology, and related fields. Its guiding philosophy is to develop these ideas rigorously but economically, with minimal prerequisites and plenty of geometric intuition.

A course on manifolds differs from most other introductory mathematics graduate courses in that the subject matter is often completely unfamiliar. Unlike algebra and analysis, which all math majors see as undergraduates, manifolds enter the curriculum much later. It is even possible to get through an entire undergraduate mathematics education without ever hearing the word "manifold." Yet manifolds are part of the basic vocabulary of modern mathematics, and students need to know them as intimately as they know the integers, the real numbers, Euclidean spaces, groups, rings, and fields.

In his beautifully-conceived Introduction, the author motivates the technical developments to follow by explaining some of the roles manifolds play in diverse branches of mathematics and physics. Then he goes on to introduce the basics of general topology and continues with the fundamental group, covering spaces, and elementary homology theory. Manifolds are introduced early and used as the main examples throughout.

John M. Lee is currently Professor of Mathematics at the University of Washington in Seattle. In addition to pursuing research in differential geometry and partial differential equations, he has been teaching undergraduate and graduate courses on manifolds at U.W. and Harvard University for more than fifteen years. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Review of a non-mathematician
Being a physicist I've always been fascinated with the use of manifolds and differential geometry in mechanics, field theory, etc ... Most differential geometry books I've encountered only devote about 1 chapter to manifolds and smooth manifolds at that. However this text takes its time to teach the reader what the author states he thinks is the minimum amount of general knowledge about topological manifolds (no discussion of smooth/analytic manifolds is included). The author takes his time developing everything from scratch, not even assuming any experience with (point set) topology, so this book is particularly suited for those who shy away from the subject just because they're not mathematicians and don't know topology. The only prerequisites are advanced calculus and linear algebra, nothing too fancy. The writing itself is very clear and while rigorous this book does not get lost in the boring lemma-theorem-proof vicious cycle so many other math books fall flat at. Throughout the book are scattered exercises for the reader to do (about 10-20 each chapter) and there are problems at the end of each chapter (no solutions/hints included). All-in-all I feel this text has offered me a much greater understanding of manifolds and the general theory dealing with them. Highly recommended.

A very readable text
An excellent text for a beginning graduate level class. This is NOT a comprehensive text covering the material in exhaustive detail, but it is an excellent overview of surfaces, simplicial complexes, homotopy, homology, and the briefest peek at cohomology. The sequence is efficient, and the author does a good job of motivating the discussions, rather than simply dumping an abstraction into your lap. As always, one should be familiar with point-set and groups before jumping in. If you are looking for a text at an undergraduate level, see Armstrong's Basic Topology or Kinsey's Topology of Surfaces. ... Read more