Mathematical World - Böcker

This book is an introduction to elementary topology presented in an intuitive way, emphasizing the visual aspect. Examples of nontrivial and often unexpected topological phenomena acquaint the reader with the picturesque world of knots, links, vector fields, and two-dimensional surfaces. The book begins with definitions presented in a tangible and perceptible way, on an everyday level, and progressively makes them more precise and rigorous, eventually reaching the level of fairly sophisticated proofs. This allows meaningful problems to be tackled from the outset. Another unusual trait of this book is that it deals mainly with constructions and maps, rather than with proofs that certain maps and constructions do or do not exist. The numerous illustrations are an essential feature. The book is accessible not only to undergraduates but also to high school students and will interest any reader who has some feeling for the visual elegance of geometry and topology.

This is the translation of the Japanese textbook for the grade 11 course, 'Basic Analysis', which is one of three elective courses offered at this level in Japanese high schools. The book includes a thorough treatment of exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions, progressions, and induction method, as well as an extensive introduction to differential and integral calculus.

This is the translation from the Japanese textbook for the grade 11 course, 'General Mathematics'. It is part of the easier of the three elective courses in mathematics offered at this level and is taken by about 40 per cent of students. The book covers basic notions of probability and statistics, vectors, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions, and an introduction to differentiation and integration.

The achievement of Japanese high school students gained world prominence largely as a result of their performance in the International Mathematics Studies conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement in the 1960s and 1980s. These textbooks (Mathematical World volumes 8 to 11) are intended to give U. S. educators and researchers a first-hand look at the content of mathematics instruction in Japan. The textbook, Japanese Grade 10 covers material that is compulsory. This course, which is completed by over 97 per cent of all Japanese students, is taught four hours per week and comprises algebra (including quadratic functions, equations, and inequalities), trigonometric functions, and coordinate geometry. Japanese Grade 11 is intended for the easier of the electives offered in that grade and is taken by about 40 per cent of the students. It covers probability and statistics, vectors, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions, and an introduction to differentiation and integration. The other 60 per cent of students in grade 11 concurrently take two more extensive courses using the texts Japanese Grade 11 Algebra and Geometry and Japanese Grade 11 Basic Analysis. The first consists of fuller treatments of plane and solid coordinate geometry, vectors, and matrices. The second includes a more thorough treatment of trigonometry and a more extensive introduction to differential and integral calculus.

'Every map is a tool, a product of human effort and creativity, that represents some aspects of our world or universe...[This] course was powered by the belief that by exploring the mathematical ideas involved in creating and analyzing maps, students would see how mathematics could help them to understand and explain their world' - from the Preface. ""Portraits of the Earth"" exemplifies the AMS' mission to bring the power and vitality of mathematical thought to the nonexpert. It is designed to teach students to think logically and to analyze the technical information that they so readily encounter every day. Maps are exciting, visual tools that we encounter on a daily basis: from street maps to maps of the world accompanying news stories to geologic maps depicting the underground structure of the earth.This book explores the mathematical ideas involved in creating and analyzing maps, a topic that is rarely discussed in undergraduate courses. It is the first modern book to present the famous problem of mapping the earth in a style that is highly readable and mathematically accessible to most students. Feeman's writing is inviting to the novice, yet also interesting to readers with more mathematical experience. Through the visual context of maps and mapmaking, students will see how contemporary mathematics can help them to understand and explain the world. Topics explored are the shape and size of the earth, basic spherical geometry, and why one can't make a perfect flat map of the planet.The author discusses different attributes that maps can have and determines mathematically how to design maps that have the desired features. The distortions that arise in making world maps are quantitatively analyzed. There is an in-depth discussion on the design of numerous map projections - both historical and contemporary - as well as conformal and equal-area maps. Feeman looks at how basic map designs can be modified to produce maps with any center, and he indicates how to generalize methods to produce maps of arbitrary surfaces of revolution. Also included are end-of-chapter exercises and laboratory projects.Particularly interesting is a chapter that explains how to use MapleR add-on software to make maps from geographic data points. This book would make an excellent text for a basic undergraduate mathematics or geography course and would be especially appealing to the teacher who is interested in exciting visual applications in the classroom. It would also serve nicely as supplementary reading for a course in calculus, linear algebra, or differential geometry. Prerequisites include a solid grasp of trigonometry and basic calculus.

Crisscross, zigzag, bowtie, devil, angel, or star: which are the longest, the shortest, the strongest, and the weakest lacings? Pondering the mathematics of shoelaces, the author paints a vivid picture of the simple, beautiful, and surprising characterizations of the most common shoelace patterns. The mathematics involved is an attractive mix of combinatorics and elementary calculus. This book will be enjoyed by mathematically minded people for as long as there are shoes to lace. Burkard Polster is a well-known mathematical juggler, magician, origami expert, bubble-master, shoelace charmer, and 'Count von Count' impersonator. His previous books include ""A Geometrical Picture Book"", ""The Mathematics of Juggling"", and ""QED: Beauty in Mathematical Proof"". Want to learn more about knot theory? See ""The Knot Book"" by Colin Adams and ""Knots and Links"" by Dale Rolfsen. To read a review published in the ""Gazette of the Australian Mathematical Society"", click here.

The book is devoted to the properties of conics (plane curves of second degree) that can be formulated and proved using only elementary geometry. Starting with the well-known optical properties of conics, the authors move to less trivial results, both classical and contemporary. In particular, the chapter on projective properties of conics contains a detailed analysis of the polar correspondence, pencils of conics, and the Poncelet theorem. In the chapter on metric properties of conics the authors discuss, in particular, inscribed conics, normals to conics, and the Poncelet theorem for confocal ellipses.

Many people intuitively sense that there is a connection between mathematics and music. If nothing else, both involve counting. There is, of course, much more to the association. David Wright's book is an investigation of the interrelationships between mathematics and music, reviewing the needed background concepts in each subject as they are encountered. Along the way, readers will augment their understanding of both mathematics and music. The text explores the common foundations of the two subjects, which are developed side by side. Musical and mathematical notions are brought together, such as scales and modular arithmetic, intervals and logarithms, tone and trigonometry, and timbre and harmonic analysis. When possible, discussions of musical and mathematical notions are directly interwoven. Occasionally the discourse dwells for a while on one subject and not the other, but eventually the connection is established, making this an integrative treatment of the two subjects. The book is a text for a freshman level college course suitable for musically inclined or mathematically inclined students, with the intent of breaking down any apprehension that either group might have for the other subject. Exercises are given at the end of each chapter. The mathematical prerequisites are a high-school level familiarity with algebra, trigonometry, functions, and graphs. Musically, the student should have had some exposure to musical staffs, standard clefs, and key signatures, though all of these are explained in the text.

The theory of fixed points finds its roots in the work of Poincare, Brouwer, and Sperner and makes extensive use of such topological notions as continuity, compactness, homotopy, and the degree of a mapping. Fixed point theorems have numerous applications in mathematics; most of the theorems ensuring the existence of solutions for differential, integral, operator, or other equations can be reduced to fixed point theorems. In addition, these theorems are used in such areas as mathematical economics and game theory. This book presents a readable exposition of fixed point theory. The author focuses on the problem of whether a closed interval, square, disk, or sphere has the fixed point property.Another aim of the book is to show how fixed point theory uses combinatorial ideas related to decomposition (triangulation) of figures into distinct parts called faces (simplexes), which adjoin each other in a regular fashion. All necessary background concepts - such as continuity, compactness, degree of a map, and so on - are explained, making the book accessible even to students at the high school level. In addition, the book contains exercises and descriptions of applications. Readers will appreciate this book for its lucid presentation of this fundamental mathematical topic.

The Mathematics of Voting and Elections: A Hands-On Approach, Second Edition, is an inquiry-based approach to the mathematics of politics and social choice. The aim of the book is to give readers who might not normally choose to engage with mathematics recreationally the chance to discover some interesting mathematical ideas from within a familiar context, and to see the applicability of mathematics to real-world situations. Through this process, readers should improve their critical thinking and problem solving skills, as well as broaden their views of what mathematics really is and how it can be used in unexpected ways. The book was written specifically for non-mathematical audiences and requires virtually no mathematical prerequisites beyond basic arithmetic. At the same time, the questions included are designed to challenge both mathematical and non-mathematical audiences alike. More than giving the right answers, this book asks the right questions.The book is fun to read, with examples that are not just thought-provoking, but also entertaining. It is written in a style that is casual without being condescending. But the discovery-based approach of the book also forces readers to play an active role in their learning, which should lead to a sense of ownership of the main ideas in the book. And while the book provides answers to some of the important questions in the field of mathematical voting theory, it also leads readers to discover new questions and ways to approach them.In addition to make small improvements in all the chapters, this second edition contains several new chapters. Of particular interest might be Chapter 12 which covers a host of topics related to gerrymandering.