Pamela Gorkin – författare

You are probably about to teach or take a “?rst course in proof techniques,” or maybe you just want to learn more about mathem- ics. No matter what the reason, a student who wishes to learn the material in this book likes mathematics, and we hope to keep it that way. At this point, students have an intuitive sense of why things are true, but not the exposure to the detailed and critical thinking necessary to survive in the mathematical world. We have written this book to bridge this gap. In our experience, students beginning this course have little training in rigorous mathematical reasoning; they need guidance. At the end, they are where they should be; on their own. Our aim is to teach the students to read, write, and do mathematics in- pendently, and to do it with clarity, precision, and care. If we can maintain the enthusiasm they have for the subject, or even create some along the way, our book has done what it was intended to do. Reading. This book was written for a course we teach to ?rst and second year college students. The style is informal. A few problems require calculus, but these are identi?ed as such. Students will also needtoparticipatewhilereadingproofs,proddedbyquestions(such as, “Why?”). Many detailed examples are provided in each chapter.

This book, which assumes only a precalculus background, aids students in their transition to higher-level mathematics. The authors begin by providing a great deal of guidance on how to approach definitions, examples, and theorems in mathematics and end with suggested projects for independent study. The reader will follow Pólya's four step approach to problem solving: analyzing the problem, devising a plan to solve the problem, carrying out that plan, and then determining the implication of the result. Special emphasis is placed on reading proofs carefully and writing them well. The authors have included a wide variety of exercises with solutions, examples, illustrations, and problems, making the book ideal for independent study.The third edition provides the reader with significant changes, all of which have been artfully designed to enhance the learning and teaching experience. The topic of mathematical induction has been modified and moved to an earlier part of the text. Two technical chapters and many proofs have been revised, and a chapter on visualizing complex functions has been added. There are many new problems, an additional spotlight on professional ethics, new projects and some revisions of others. Short videos about each chapter and some solutions are freely available as electronic supplementary material. An instructor solutions manual for all odd-numbered problems is available on Springer Nature’s extra materials archive. While standard texts in this area prepare students for future courses in algebra, this book also includes chapters on sequences, convergence, and metric spaces for those wanting to bridge the gap between courses in calculus and those in analysis.From a review of the Second Edition:“It is the impression of the author of this review that the book can be particularly strongly recommended for teacher students to enable them to catch and transfer the "essence" of mathematical thinking to their pupils. But also everybody else interested in mathematics will enjoy this very well written book.” —Burkhard Alpers ZentralblattFrom a review of the First Edition:“The book…emphasizes Pólya’s four-part framework for problem solving…[it] contains more than enough material for a one-semester course, and is designed to give the instructor wide leeway in choosing topics to emphasize…This book has a rich selection of problems for the student to ponder…I was charmed by this book and found it quite enticing.” —Marcia G. Fung MAA Reviews

This book, which assumes only a precalculus background, aids students in their transition to higher-level mathematics. The authors begin by providing a great deal of guidance on how to approach definitions, examples, and theorems in mathematics and end with suggested projects for independent study. The reader will follow Pólya's four step approach to problem solving: analyzing the problem, devising a plan to solve the problem, carrying out that plan, and then determining the implication of the result. Special emphasis is placed on reading proofs carefully and writing them well. The authors have included a wide variety of exercises with solutions, examples, illustrations, and problems, making the book ideal for independent study.The third edition provides the reader with significant changes, all of which have been artfully designed to enhance the learning and teaching experience. The topic of mathematical induction has been modified and moved to an earlier part of the text. Two technical chapters and many proofs have been revised, and a chapter on visualizing complex functions has been added. There are many new problems, an additional spotlight on professional ethics, new projects and some revisions of others. Short videos about each chapter and some solutions are freely available as electronic supplementary material. An instructor solutions manual for all odd-numbered problems is available on Springer Nature’s extra materials archive. While standard texts in this area prepare students for future courses in algebra, this book also includes chapters on sequences, convergence, and metric spaces for those wanting to bridge the gap between courses in calculus and those in analysis.From a review of the Second Edition:“It is the impression of the author of this review that the book can be particularly strongly recommended for teacher students to enable them to catch and transfer the "e;essence"e; of mathematical thinking to their pupils. But also everybody else interested in mathematics will enjoy this very well written book.” —Burkhard Alpers ZentralblattFrom a review of the First Edition:“The book…emphasizes Pólya’s four-part framework for problem solving…[it] contains more than enough material for a one-semester course, and is designed to give the instructor wide leeway in choosing topics to emphasize…This book has a rich selection of problems for the student to ponder…I was charmed by this book and found it quite enticing.” —Marcia G. Fung MAA Reviews

This book, which is based on Pólya's method of problem solving, aids students in their transition from calculus (or precalculus) to higher-level mathematics. The book begins by providing a great deal of guidance on how to approach definitions, examples, and theorems in mathematics and ends with suggested projects for independent study. Students will follow Pólya's four step approach: analyzing the problem, devising a plan to solve the problem, carrying out that plan, and then determining the implication of the result. In addition to the Pólya approach to proofs, this book places special emphasis on reading proofs carefully and writing them well. The authors have included a wide variety of problems, examples, illustrations and exercises, some with hints and solutions, designed specifically to improve the student's ability to read and write proofs.  Historical connections are made throughout the text, and students are encouraged to use the rather extensivebibliography to begin making connections of their own. While standard texts in this area prepare students for future courses in algebra, this book also includes chapters on sequences, convergence, and metric spaces for those wanting to bridge the gap between the standard course in calculus and one in analysis.