Mathematics

10967 books

The Pythagorean Theorem: A 4,000-Year History - Paperback

$18.95

by Eli Maor (Author)By any measure, the Pythagorean theorem is the most famous statement in all of mathematics. In this book, Eli Maor reveals the full story of this ubiquitous geometric theorem. Maor shows that the theorem, although attributed to Pythagoras, was known to the Babylonians more than a thousand years earlier. Pythagoras may have been the first to prove it, but his proof--if indeed he had one--is lost to us. The theorem itself, however, is central to almost every branch of scienc...

Wizards, Aliens, and Starships: Physics and Math in Fantasy and Science Fiction - Paperback

$19.95

by Charles L. Adler (Author)Explaining the science behind science fiction and fantasy--from the probable to the impossible From space elevators to interstellar travel, science fiction and fantasy writers have come up with some brilliant, innovative ideas. Yet how plausible are these ideas--for instance, could Mr. Weasley's flying car in the Harry Potter books really exist? Which concepts might happen, and which ones wouldn't work? From the works of Ursula K. Le Guin to Star Trek and Avatar, t...

Reverse Mathematics: Proofs from the Inside Out - Paperback

$31.61

by John Stillwell (Author)The first book surveying the history and ideas behind reverse mathematics Reverse mathematics is a new field that seeks to find the axioms needed to prove given theorems. In Reverse Mathematics, John Stillwell offers a historical and representative view, emphasizing basic analysis and giving a novel approach to logic. By using a minimum of mathematical logic in a well-motivated way, Reverse Mathematics will engage advanced undergraduates and all mathematicians intere...

The Best Writing on Mathematics - Paperback

$43.13

by Mircea Pitici (Editor), William P. Thurston (Foreword by)The year's most memorable writing on mathematics This anthology brings together the year's finest writing on mathematics from around the world. Featuring promising new voices alongside some of the foremost names in mathematics, The Best Writing on Mathematics makes available to a wide audience many articles not easily found anywhere else--and you don't need to be a mathematician to enjoy them. These writings offer surprising insights...

Why Cats Land on Their Feet: And 76 Other Physical Paradoxes and Puzzles - Paperback

$28.73

by Mark Levi (Author)How to use physical reasoning to solve surprising paradoxes Ever wonder why cats land on their feet? Or what holds a spinning top upright? Or whether it is possible to feel the Earth's rotation in an airplane? Why Cats Land on Their Feet is a compendium of paradoxes and puzzles that readers can solve using their own physical intuition. And the surprising answers to virtually all of these astonishing paradoxes can be arrived at with no formal knowledge of physics. Mark Lev...

$18.95

by Eli Maor (Author)The interest earned on a bank account, the arrangement of seeds in a sunflower, and the shape of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis are all intimately connected with the mysterious number e. In this informal and engaging history, Eli Maor portrays the curious characters and the elegant mathematics that lie behind the number. Designed for a reader with only a modest mathematical background, this biography brings out the central importance of e to mathematics and illuminates a go...

$18.95

by Eli Maor (Author)Trigonometry has always been an underappreciated branch of mathematics. It has a reputation as a dry and difficult subject, a glorified form of geometry complicated by tedious computation. In this book, Eli Maor draws on his remarkable talents as a guide to the world of numbers to dispel that view. Rejecting the usual arid descriptions of sine, cosine, and their trigonometric relatives, he brings the subject to life in a compelling blend of history, biography, and mathemat...

Gamma: Exploring Euler's Constant - Paperback

$20.95

by Julian Havil (Author), Freeman Dyson (Foreword by)Among the many constants that appear in mathematics, π, e, and i are the most familiar. Following closely behind is y, or gamma, a constant that arises in many mathematical areas yet maintains a profound sense of mystery. In a tantalizing blend of history and mathematics, Julian Havil takes the reader on a journey through logarithms and the harmonic series, the two defining elements of gamma, toward the first account of gamma's place in ma...

$70.11

by Ken Binmore (Author)It is widely held that Bayesian decision theory is the final word on how a rational person should make decisions. However, Leonard Savage--the inventor of Bayesian decision theory--argued that it would be ridiculous to use his theory outside the kind of small world in which it is always possible to "look before you leap." If taken seriously, this view makes Bayesian decision theory inappropriate for the large worlds of scientific discovery and macroeconomic enterprise. ...

The Calculus of Friendship: What a Teacher and a Student Learned about Life While Corresponding about Math - Paperback

$22.95

by Steven Strogatz (Author)The Calculus of Friendship is the story of an extraordinary connection between a teacher and a student, as chronicled through more than thirty years of letters between them. What makes their relationship unique is that it is based almost entirely on a shared love of calculus. For them, calculus is more than a branch of mathematics; it is a game they love playing together, a constant when all else is in flux. The teacher goes from the prime of his career to retiremen...

Fashion, Faith, and Fantasy in the New Physics of the Universe - Paperback

$19.95

by Roger Penrose (Author)Nobel Prize-winning physicist Roger Penrose questions some of the most fashionable ideas in physics today, including string theory What can fashionable ideas, blind faith, or pure fantasy possibly have to do with the scientific quest to understand the universe? Surely, theoretical physicists are immune to mere trends, dogmatic beliefs, or flights of fancy? In fact, acclaimed physicist and bestselling author Roger Penrose argues that researchers working at the extreme ...

$102.60

by Michael H. Freedman (Author), Frank Quinn (Author)One of the great achievements of contemporary mathematics is the new understanding of four dimensions. Michael Freedman and Frank Quinn have been the principals in the geometric and topological development of this subject, proving the Poincar and Annulus conjectures respectively. Recognition for this work includes the award of the Fields Medal of the International Congress of Mathematicians to Freedman in 1986. In Topology of 4-Manifolds th...

The Global Nonlinear Stability of the Minkowski Space - Paperback

$196.65

by Demetrios Christodoulou (Author), Sergiu Klainerman (Author)The aim of this work is to provide a proof of the nonlinear gravitational stability of the Minkowski space-time. More precisely, the book offers a constructive proof of global, smooth solutions to the Einstein Vacuum Equations, which look, in the large, like the Minkowski space-time. In particular, these solutions are free of black holes and singularities. The work contains a detailed description of the sense in which these soluti...

Fractals in the Natural Sciences - Paperback

$85.50

by M. Fleischmann (Editor), D. J. Tildesley (Editor), R. C. Ball (Editor)In the words of B. B. Mandelbrot's contribution to this important collection of original papers, fractal geometry is a "new geometric language, which is geared towards the study of diverse aspects of diverse objects, either mathematical or natural, that are not smooth, but rough and fragmented to the same degree at all scales." This book will be of interest to all physical and biological scientists studying these phenome...

Chow Rings, Decomposition of the Diagonal, and the Topology of Families (Am-187) - Paperback

$172.71

by Claire Voisin (Author)In this book, Claire Voisin provides an introduction to algebraic cycles on complex algebraic varieties, to the major conjectures relating them to cohomology, and even more precisely to Hodge structures on cohomology. The volume is intended for both students and researchers, and not only presents a survey of the geometric methods developed in the last thirty years to understand the famous Bloch-Beilinson conjectures, but also examines recent work by Voisin. The book f...

$169.29

by Eduard Jan Dijksterhuis (Author)This classic study by the eminent Dutch historian of science E. J. Dijksterhuis (1892-1965) presents the work of the Greek mathematician and mechanical engineer to the modern reader. With meticulous scholarship, Dijksterhuis surveys the whole range of evidence on Archimedes' life and the 2000-year history of the manuscripts and editions of the text, and then undertakes a comprehensive examination of all the extant writings. Originally published in 1987. The ...

$80.37

by Edward Nelson (Author)This book develops arithmetic without the induction principle, working in theories that are interpretable in Raphael Robinson's theory Q. Certain inductive formulas, the bounded ones, are interpretable in Q. A mathematically strong, but logically very weak, predicative arithmetic is constructed. Originally published in 1986. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguis...

$63.27

by Karl Sigmund (Author)A pioneer in evolutionary game theory looks at selfishness and cooperation How does cooperation emerge among selfish individuals? When do people share resources, punish those they consider unfair, and engage in joint enterprises? These questions fascinate philosophers, biologists, and economists alike, for the "invisible hand" that should turn selfish efforts into public benefit is not always at work. The Calculus of Selfishness looks at social dilemmas where cooperati...

A Source Book in Mathematics, 1200-1800 - Paperback

$164.16

by Dirk Jan Struik (Author)These selected mathematical writings cover the years when the foundations were laid for the theory of numbers, analytic geometry, and the calculus. Originally published in 1986. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable pa...

Reliability: Probabilistic Models and Statistical Methods - Paperback

$57.60

by Lawrence Mark Leemis (Author)An elementary introduction to the probabilistic models and statistical methods used by reliability engineers as applied to, for example, electrical or mechanical systems. Leemis offers explanations of how the mathematical models and results apply to engineering design and the analysis of lifetime data sets, with simple, supplementary proofs and derivations provided when necessary. Applications are drawn from a variety of disciplines. Number of Pages: 368 Dimens...

Pseudodifferential Operators - Paperback

$177.84

by Michael Eugene Taylor (Author)Here Michael Taylor develops pseudodifferential operators as a tool for treating problems in linear partial differential equations, including existence, uniqueness, and estimates of smoothness, as well as other qualitative properties. Originally published in 1981. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These edit...

Recurrence in Ergodic Theory and Combinatorial Number Theory - Paperback

$87.21

by Harry Furstenberg (Author)Topological dynamics and ergodic theory usually have been treated independently. H. Furstenberg, instead, develops the common ground between them by applying the modern theory of dynamical systems to combinatories and number theory. Originally published in 1981. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions p...

Fourier Analysis on Local Fields - Paperback

$116.28

by M. H. Taibleson (Author)This book presents a development of the basic facts about harmonic analysis on local fields and the n-dimensional vector spaces over these fields. It focuses almost exclusively on the analogy between the local field and Euclidean cases, with respect to the form of statements, the manner of proof, and the variety of applications. The force of the analogy between the local field and Euclidean cases rests in the relationship of the field structures that underlie the re...

Who's #1?: The Science of Rating and Ranking - Paperback

$46.08

by Amy N. Langville (Author), Carl D. Meyer (Author)The mathematics behind today's most widely used rating and ranking methods A website's ranking on Google can spell the difference between success and failure for a new business. NCAA football ratings determine which schools get to play for the big money in postseason bowl games. Product ratings influence everything from the clothes we wear to the movies we select on Netflix. Ratings and rankings are everywhere, but how exactly do they work? ...

X and the City: Modeling Aspects of Urban Life - Paperback

$42.66

by John a. Adam (Author)What mathematical modeling uncovers about life in the city X and the City, a book of diverse and accessible math-based topics, uses basic modeling to explore a wide range of entertaining questions about urban life. How do you estimate the number of dental or doctor's offices, gas stations, restaurants, or movie theaters in a city of a given size? How can mathematics be used to maximize traffic flow through tunnels? Can you predict whether a traffic light will stay gree...

The Real Analysis Lifesaver: All the Tools You Need to Understand Proofs - Paperback

$29.95

by Raffi Grinberg (Author)The essential "lifesaver" that every student of real analysis needs Real analysis is difficult. For most students, in addition to learning new material about real numbers, topology, and sequences, they are also learning to read and write rigorous proofs for the first time. The Real Analysis Lifesaver is an innovative guide that helps students through their first real analysis course while giving them the solid foundation they need for further study in proof-based mat...

$148.77

by Robert E. Stong (Author)These notes contain the first complete treatment of cobordism, a topic that has become increasingly important in the past ten years. The subject is fully developed and the latest theories are treated. Originally published in 1968. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of thes...

Making Up Your Own Mind: Thinking Effectively Through Creative Puzzle-Solving - Hardcover

$19.95

by Edward B. Burger (Author)How you can become better at solving real-world problems by learning creative puzzle-solving skills We solve countless problems--big and small--every day. With so much practice, why do we often have trouble making simple decisions--much less arriving at optimal solutions to important questions? Are we doomed to this muddle--or is there a practical way to learn to think more effectively and creatively? In this enlightening, entertaining, and inspiring book, Edward B...

$18.95

by Hermann Weyl (Author)Symmetry is a classic study of symmetry in mathematics, the sciences, nature, and art from one of the twentieth century's greatest mathematicians. Hermann Weyl explores the concept of symmetry beginning with the idea that it represents a harmony of proportions, and gradually departs to examine its more abstract varieties and manifestations--as bilateral, translatory, rotational, ornamental, and crystallographic. Weyl investigates the general abstract mathematical idea ...

The Calculus Gallery: Masterpieces from Newton to Lebesgue - Paperback

$19.95

by William Dunham (Author), William Dunham (Preface by)More than three centuries after its creation, calculus remains a dazzling intellectual achievement and the gateway to higher mathematics. This book charts its growth and development by sampling from the work of some of its foremost practitioners, beginning with Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in the late seventeenth century and continuing to Henri Lebesgue at the dawn of the twentieth. Now with a new preface by the author, this...

Elliptic Tales: Curves, Counting, and Number Theory - Paperback

$16.95

by Avner Ash (Author), Robert Gross (Author)A look at one of the most exciting unsolved problems in mathematics today Elliptic Tales describes the latest developments in number theory by looking at one of the most exciting unsolved problems in contemporary mathematics--the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture. In this book, Avner Ash and Robert Gross guide readers through the mathematics they need to understand this captivating problem. The key to the conjecture lies in elliptic curves, which...

$87.21

by Solomon Lefschetz (Author)The first application of modern algebraic techniques to a comprehensive selection of classical geometric problems. Written with spirit and originality, this is a valuable book for anyone interested in the subject from other than the purely algebraic point of view. Originally published in 1953. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton Un...