Bücher von John Stillwell

Many people think there is only one ¿right¿ way to teach geometry. For two millennia, the ¿right¿ way was Euclid¿s way, and it is still good in many respects. But in the 1950s the cry ¿Down with triangles!¿ was heard in France and new geometry books appeared, packed with linear algebra but with no diagrams. Was this the new ¿right¿ way, or was the ¿right¿ way something else again, perhaps transformation groups? In this book, I wish to show that geometry can be developed in four fundamentally different ways, and that all should be used if the subject is to be shown in all its splendor. Euclid-style construction and axiomatics seem the best way to start, but linear algebra smooths the later stages by replacing some tortuous arguments by simple calculations. And how can one avoid projective geometry? It not only explains why objects look the way they do; it also explains why geometry is entangled with algebra. Finally, one needs to know that there is not one geometry, but many, and transformation groups are the best way to distinguish between them. Two chapters are devoted to each approach: The ?rst is concrete and introductory, whereas the second is more abstract. Thus, the ?rst chapter on Euclid is about straightedge and compass constructions; the second is about axioms and theorems. The ?rst chapter on linear algebra is about coordinates; the second is about vector spaces and the inner product.

In recent years, many students have been introduced to topology in high school mathematics. Having met the Mobius band, the seven bridges of Konigsberg, Euler's polyhedron formula, and knots, the student is led to expect that these picturesque ideas will come to full flower in university topology courses. What a disappointment "e;undergraduate topology"e; proves to be! In most institutions it is either a service course for analysts, on abstract spaces, or else an introduction to homological algebra in which the only geometric activity is the completion of commutative diagrams. Pictures are kept to a minimum, and at the end the student still does nr~ understand the simplest topological facts, such as the rcason why knots exist. In my opinion, a well-balanced introduction to topology should stress its intuitive geometric aspect, while admitting the legitimate interest that analysts and algebraists have in the subject. At any rate, this is the aim of the present book. In support of this view, I have followed the historical development where practicable, since it clearly shows the influence of geometric thought at all stages. This is not to claim that topology received its main impetus from geometric recreations like the seven bridges; rather, it resulted from the l'isualization of problems from other parts of mathematics-complex analysis (Riemann), mechanics (Poincare), and group theory (Dehn). It is these connec- tions to other parts of mathematics which make topology an important as well as a beautiful subject.

This textbook provides a unified and concise exploration of undergraduate mathematics by approaching the subject through its history. however, biographical sketches have been omitted. Mathematics and Its History: A Concise Edition is an essential resource for courses or reading programs on the history of mathematics.

This text plugs a gap in the standard curriculum by linking set theory with analysis. It features a distinctive, detailed treatment of the real numbers system, and combines an introduction to set theory with exposition of the essence of analysis.

Algebra is abstract mathematics - let us make no bones about it - yet it is also applied mathematics in its best and purest form. Algebra emerged from the struggle to solve concrete, physical problems in geometry, and succeeded after 2000 years of failure by other forms of mathematics.

This book offers a collection of historical essays detailing a large variety of mathematical disciplines and issues; it's accessible to a broad audience. This third edition includes new chapters on simple groups and new sections on alternating groups and the Poincare conjecture. Many more exercises have been added as well as commentary that helps place the exercises in context.

Addresses the technical and data-related side of studying population flows. With expert international contributors currently working in the field, this authoritative book allows readers to better understand interaction data and the ways knowledge of population flows can be put to use.

In this new textbook, acclaimed author John Stillwell presents a lucid introduction to Lie theory suitable for junior and senior level undergraduates.

This book is unique in that it looks at geometry from 4 different viewpoints - Euclid-style axioms, linear algebra, projective geometry, and groups and their invariantsApproach makes the subject accessible to readers of all mathematical tastes, from the visual to the algebraicAbundantly supplemented with figures and exercises

A beautiful and relatively elementary account of a part of mathematics where three main fields - algebra, analysis and geometry - meet. Stillwell has chosen an array of exciting and worthwhile topics and elegantly combines mathematical history with mathematics.