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Mathematics
David Berlinski, The Advent of the Algorithm: The Idea that Rules the World“Following his enormously successful A Tour of the Calculus, [this book} completes Berlinski’s monumental task—explaining for the general reader the ideas that have created our world. And while calculus is a subject that has intimidated generations of students, the algorithm is a relatively new idea, virtually unknown except to the computerati.
“Now, for the millions of people whose lives are regularly changed, enriched, and regulated by computers, here is the story of the search for and eventual discovery of the algorithm, the set of instructions that drives computers. . . . Leibniz, Goedel, Hilbert, Turing, some of these names you may be familiar with; but after reading The Advent of the Algorithm, you will know these men, understand their genius, and appreciate the theoretical as well as the practical greatness of the algorithm.”
Harcourt, 2000. 345 pages, about 6 x 9 inches, hardcover. New, remainder.
Item #498. Shipping weight: 1.8 lbs. Publisher’s price: $28.00. Your price: $5.50
Michael C. Gemignani, Elementary Topology“Topology is one of the most rapidly expanding areas of mathematical thought; while its roots are in geometry and analysis, topology now serves as a powerful tool in almost every sphere of mathematical study. This book is intended as a first text in topology, accessible to readers with at least three semesters of a calculus and analytical geometry sequence.
“In addition to superb coverage of the fundamentals of metric spaces, topologies, convergence, compactness, connectedness, homotopy theory and other essentials, Elementary Topology gives added perspective as the author demonstrates how abstract topological notions developed from classical mathematics. For this second edition, numerous exercises have been added as well as a section dealing with paracompactness and complete regularity. The Appendix on infinite products has been extended to include the genera; Tychonoff theorem; a proof of the Tychonoff theorem which does not depend on the theory of convergence has also been added in Chapter 7.”
Unabridged republication of the 1972 second edition.
Dover Publications, 1990. 270 pages, about 5½ x 8½ inches, paperback. New.
Item #563. Shipping weight: 1.0 lb. Publisher’s price: $9.95. Your price: $9.00
Professor Konrad Knopp, Infinite Sequences and Series“One of the finest expositors in the field of modern mathematics, Dr. Konrad Knopp here concentrates on a topic that is of particular interest to 20th-century mathematicians and students. He develops the theory of infinite sequences and series from its beginnings to a point where the reader will be in a position to investigate more advanced stages on his own. The foundations of the theory are therefore presented with special care, while the developmental aspects are limited by the scope and purpose of the book.
“All definitions are clearly stated; all theorems are proved with enough detail to make them readily comprehensible. The author begins with the construction of the system of real and complex numbers, covering such fundamental concepts as sets of numbers abd functions of real and complex variables. In the treatment of sequences and series that follows, he covers arbitrary and null sequences; sequences and sets of numbers; convergence and divergence; Cauchy’s limit theorem; main tests for sequences; and infinite series. Chapter three deals with main tests for infinite series and operating with convergent series. Chapters four and five explain power series and the development of the theory of convergence, while chapter six treats expansion of the elementary functions. The book concludes with a discussion of numerical and closed evaluation of series.”
Dover Publications, 1956. 186 pages, about 5½ x 8 ½ inches, paperback. New.
Item #562. Shipping weight: 0.8 lb. Publisher’s price: $8.95. Your price: $8.05
Ivars Peterson, Islands of Truth: A Mathematical Mystery Cruise“Do you know of a mathematical formula that can transform circles into squares? Can you turn a beach ball inside out without letting out the air? Do you want to know how a rubber band may help a traveling salesman? What’s really inside the fourth dimension?
“Ivars Peterson, the best-selling author of The Mathematical Tourist, takes you on another fantastic voyage into Mathland where the habitat is purely mysterious and the inhabitants invariably fascinating. Explore uncharted islands as the author introduces you to strange vibrations in the shadows of chaos, new twists in knot physics, and the straight side of circles. The author speaks in a way that’s accessible and enjoyable to experienced travelers and first-time tourists alike.”
W.H. Freeman and Company, 1990. 325 pages, about 6½ x 9½ inches, hardcover. New, remainder.
Item #497. Shipping weight: 2.0 lbs. Publisher’s price: $21.95. Your price: $7.50
Dirk J. Struik, A Concise History of Mathematics“This compact, well-written history—first published in 1948, and now in its fourth revised edition—describes the main trends in the development of all fields of mathematics from the first available records to the middle of the 20th century. . . .
“Beginning with the ancient Near East, the author traces the ideas and techniques developed in Egypt, Babylonia, China and Arabia, looking into such manuscripts as the Egyptian Papyrus Rhind, the Ten Classics of China, and the Siddhantas of India. He considers Greek and Roman developments from their beginnings in Ionian rationalism to the fall of Constantinople; covers medieval European ideas and Renaissance trends; analyzes 17th- and 18th-century contributions; and offers an illuminating exposition of 19th-century concepts. . . .
“For this latest edition, Dr. Struik has both revised and updated the existing text, and also added a new chapter on the mathematics of the first half of the 20th century. Concise coverage is given to set theory, the influence of relativity and quantum theory, tensor calculus, the Lebesque integral, the calculus of variations, and other important ideas and concepts.”
Dover Publications, 1987. 228 pages, about 5½ x 8½ inches, paperback. New.
Item #564. Shipping weight: 0.8 lb. Publisher’s price: $8.95. Your price: $8.05
J. Eldon Whitesitt, Boolean Algebra and Its Applications“The algebraic system created by English mathematician George Boole (1815-1864) is the foundation for the theory of probability and has numerous practical applications in the design of telephone switching circuits, automatic control devices, electronic computers and more. This book introduces the subject on a level accessible even to those with a limited mathematical background, yet it examines its applications in enough detail to give every student a thorough appreciation of its scope and usefulness.”
Dover Publications, 1995 (originally published 1961). 182 pages, about 5½ x 8½ inches, paperback. New.
Item #561. Shipping weight: 0.8 lb. Publisher’s price: $10.95. Your price: $9.85
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