Colin Adams – författare

For juniors and seniors of various majors, taking a first course in topology.   This book introduces topology as an important and fascinating mathematics discipline.   Students learn first the basics of point-set topology, which is enhanced by the real-world application of these concepts to science, economics, and engineering as well as other areas of mathematics. The second half of the book focuses on topics like knots, robotics, and graphs. The text is written in an accessible way for a range of undergraduates to understand the usefulness and importance of the application of topology to other fields.

The papyri of Egypt offer a rich and complex picture of this important Roman province and provide an unparalleled insight into how a Roman province actually worked. They also afford a valuable window into ancient economic behaviour and everyday life. This study is the first systematic treatment of the role of land transport within the economic life of Roman Egypt, an everyday economic activity at the centre of the economy not only of Egypt but of the Roman world. Colin Adams studies the economics of animal ownership, the role of transport in the commercial and agricultural economies of Egypt, and how the Roman state used provincial resources to meet its own transport demands. He reveals a complex relationship between private individual and state in their use of transport resources, a dynamic and rational economy, and the economic and administrative behaviour imposed when an imperial power made demands upon a province.

"Knot theory is a fascinating mathematical subject, with multiple links to theoretical physics. This enyclopedia is filled with valuable information on a rich and fascinating subject."– Ed Witten, Recipient of the Fields Medal"I spent a pleasant afternoon perusing the Encyclopedia of Knot Theory. It’s a comprehensive compilation of clear introductions to both classical and very modern developments in the field. It will be a terrific resource for the accomplished researcher, and will also be an excellent way to lure students, both graduate and undergraduate, into the field."– Abigail Thompson, Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at University of California, Davis Knot theory has proven to be a fascinating area of mathematical research, dating back about 150 years. Encyclopedia of Knot Theory provides short, interconnected articles on a variety of active areas in knot theory, and includes beautiful pictures, deep mathematical connections, and critical applications. Many of the articles in this book are accessible to undergraduates who are working on research or taking an advanced undergraduate course in knot theory. More advanced articles will be useful to graduate students working on a related thesis topic, to researchers in another area of topology who are interested in current results in knot theory, and to scientists who study the topology and geometry of biopolymers.FeaturesProvides material that is useful and accessible to undergraduates, postgraduates, and full-time researchersTopics discussed provide an excellent catalyst for students to explore meaningful research and gain confidence and commitment to pursuing advanced degreesEdited and contributed by top researchers in the field of knot theory

The remains of Roman roads are a powerful reminder of the travel and communications system that was needed to rule a vast and diverse empire. Yet few people have questioned just how the Romans - both military and civilians - travelled, or examined their geographical understanding in an era which offered a greatly increased potential for moving around, and a much bigger choice of destinations.This volume provides new perspectives on these issues, and some controversial arguments; for instance, that travel was not limited to the elite, and that maps as we know them did not exist in the empire. The military importance of transport and communication networks is also a focus, as is the imperial post system (cursus publicus), and the logistics and significance of transport in both conquest and administration.With more than forty photographs, maps and illustrations, this collection provides a new understanding of the role and importance of travel, and of the nature of geographical knowledge, in the Roman world,

The remains of Roman roads are a powerful reminder of the travel and communications system that was needed to rule a vast and diverse empire. Yet few people have questioned just how the Romans - both military and civilians - travelled, or examined their geographical understanding in an era which offered a greatly increased potential for moving around, and a much bigger choice of destinations.This volume provides new perspectives on these issues, and some controversial arguments; for instance, that travel was not limited to the elite, and that maps as we know them did not exist in the empire. The military importance of transport and communication networks is also a focus, as is the imperial post system (cursus publicus), and the logistics and significance of transport in both conquest and administration.With more than forty photographs, maps and illustrations, this collection provides a new understanding of the role and importance of travel, and of the nature of geographical knowledge, in the Roman world,

How can calculus help you survive the zombie apocalypse? Colin Adams, humor columnist for the Mathematical Intelligencer and one of today's most outlandish and entertaining popular math writers, demonstrates how in this zombie adventure novel. Zombies and Calculus is the account of Craig Williams, a math professor at a small liberal arts college in New England, who, in the middle of a calculus class, finds himself suddenly confronted by a late-arriving student whose hunger is not for knowledge. As the zombie virus spreads and civilization crumbles, Williams uses calculus to help his small band of survivors defeat the hordes of the undead. Along the way, readers learn how to avoid being eaten by taking advantage of the fact that zombies always point their tangent vector toward their target, and how to use exponential growth to determine the rate at which the virus is spreading. Williams also covers topics such as logistic growth, gravitational acceleration, predator-prey models, pursuit problems, the physics of combat, and more. With the aid of his story, you too can survive the zombie onslaught.Featuring easy-to-use appendixes that explain the book's mathematics in greater detail, Zombies and Calculus is suitable both for those who have only recently gotten the calculus bug, as well as for those whose disease has advanced to the multivariable stage.

How can calculus help you survive the zombie apocalypse? Colin Adams, humor columnist for the Mathematical Intelligencer and one of today's most outlandish and entertaining popular math writers, demonstrates how in this zombie adventure novel. Zombies and Calculus is the account of Craig Williams, a math professor at a small liberal arts college in New England, who, in the middle of a calculus class, finds himself suddenly confronted by a late-arriving student whose hunger is not for knowledge. As the zombie virus spreads and civilization crumbles, Williams uses calculus to help his small band of survivors defeat the hordes of the undead. Along the way, readers learn how to avoid being eaten by taking advantage of the fact that zombies always point their tangent vector toward their target, and how to use exponential growth to determine the rate at which the virus is spreading. Williams also covers topics such as logistic growth, gravitational acceleration, predator-prey models, pursuit problems, the physics of combat, and more. With the aid of his story, you too can survive the zombie onslaught.Featuring easy-to-use appendixes that explain the book's mathematics in greater detail, Zombies and Calculus is suitable both for those who have only recently gotten the calculus bug, as well as for those whose disease has advanced to the multivariable stage.

Knots are familiar objects. We use them to moor our boats, to wrap our packages, to tie our shoes. Yet the mathematical theory of knots quickly leads to deep results in topology and geometry. ""The Knot Book"" is an introduction to this rich theory, starting with our familiar understanding of knots and a bit of college algebra and finishing with exciting topics of current research. ""The Knot Book"" is also about the excitement of doing mathematics. Colin Adams engages the reader with fascinating examples, superb figures, and thought-provoking ideas. He also presents the remarkable applications of knot theory to modern chemistry, biology, and physics. This is a compelling book that will comfortably escort you into the marvelous world of knot theory. Whether you are a mathematics student, someone working in a related field, or an amateur mathematician, you will find much of interest in ""The Knot Book"".Colin Adams received the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) Award for Distinguished Teaching and has been an MAA Polya Lecturer and a Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer. Other key books of interest available from the ""AMS"" are ""Knots and Links"" and ""The Shoelace Book: A Mathematical Guide to the Best (and Worst) Ways to Lace your Shoes"".

What's so funny about math? Lots! Especially if you're mathematically bent. In the world of Colin Adams, differential equations bring on tears of laughter. Hollywood producers hire algebraic geometers to punch up a script. In this world, math and humor are synonymous. ""Riot at the Calc Exam"" is a proof of this fact. A collection of humorous math stories, this book gives a window into mathematics and the culture of mathematicians. This title is appropriate for mathematicians, math students, math teachers, lay people with an interest in mathematics, and indeed everyone else. This book is a romp through the wild world of mathematics.

"Knot theory is a fascinating mathematical subject, with multiple links to theoretical physics. This enyclopedia is filled with valuable information on a rich and fascinating subject."– Ed Witten, Recipient of the Fields Medal"I spent a pleasant afternoon perusing the Encyclopedia of Knot Theory. It’s a comprehensive compilation of clear introductions to both classical and very modern developments in the field. It will be a terrific resource for the accomplished researcher, and will also be an excellent way to lure students, both graduate and undergraduate, into the field."– Abigail Thompson, Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at University of California, Davis Knot theory has proven to be a fascinating area of mathematical research, dating back about 150 years. Encyclopedia of Knot Theory provides short, interconnected articles on a variety of active areas in knot theory, and includes beautiful pictures, deep mathematical connections, and critical applications. Many of the articles in this book are accessible to undergraduates who are working on research or taking an advanced undergraduate course in knot theory. More advanced articles will be useful to graduate students working on a related thesis topic, to researchers in another area of topology who are interested in current results in knot theory, and to scientists who study the topology and geometry of biopolymers.FeaturesProvides material that is useful and accessible to undergraduates, postgraduates, and full-time researchersTopics discussed provide an excellent catalyst for students to explore meaningful research and gain confidence and commitment to pursuing advanced degreesEdited and contributed by top researchers in the field of knot theory

But when I turned the handle on the door, suddenly the buzzing went crazy. I slapped my hands over my ears, when I should have jerked the door shut. It flew open, and I was face-to-face with the Weierstrass function. It was the ugliest function I could imagine, with kinks, and kinks on kinks and kinks on those. And it was shrieking in its buzz-like way, vibrating all over like a plucked string. I stood there, frozen for just a second, and then I was sprinting after the others, with the wild frantic buzzing right behind me.''From the twisted imagination of best-selling author Colin Adams (Zombies & Calculus, The Knot Book) comes this tale of sixteen-year-old Kallie trying to escape death at the hands of the exhibits in a mathematics museum. Kallie crosses paths with Carl Gauss, Bertrand Russell, Sophie Germain, G. H. Hardy, and John von Neumann, as she tries to save herself, her dad, and his colleague Maria from the deadly Hairy Ball theorem, the harrowing Hilbert Hotel, the bisecting Ham Sandwich machine, and a variety of other mathematical menaces. It's a wild romp through a mathematical bestiary featuring the bizarre, the exotic, and the counterintuitive. You'll never think of math the same way again.

Tiling theory provides a wonderful opportunity to illustrate both the beauty and utility of mathematics. It has all the relevant ingredients: there are stunning pictures; open problems can be stated without having to spend months providing the necessary background; and there are both deep mathematics and applications.Furthermore, tiling theory happens to be an area where many of the sub-fields of mathematics overlap. Tools can be applied from linear algebra, algebra, analysis, geometry, topology, and combinatorics. As such, it makes for an ideal capstone course for undergraduates or an introductory course for graduate students. This material can also be used for a lower-level course by skipping the more technical sections. In addition, readers from a variety of disciplines can read the book on their own to find out more about this intriguing subject.This book covers the necessary background on tilings and then delves into a variety of fascinating topics in the field, including symmetry groups, random tilings, aperiodic tilings, and quasicrystals. Although primarily focused on tilings of the Euclidean plane, the book also covers tilings of the sphere, hyperbolic plane, and Euclidean 3-space, including knotted tilings. Throughout, the book includes open problems and possible projects for students. Readers will come away with the background necessary to pursue further work in the subject.

Why is the Devil thrilled when Hell gets its first mathematician? Originally appearing in The Mathematical Intelligencer, an expository mathematics magazine, these tales give a decidedly unconventional look at the world of mathematics and mathematicians.