The aim of this monograph is to present a self-contained introduction to some geometric and analytic aspects of the Yamabe problem. The book also describes a wide range of methods and techniques that
A clear exposition, with exercises, of the basic ideas of algebraic topology. Suitable for a two-semester course at the beginning graduate level, it assumes a knowledge of point set topology and basic
Focusing on how fractal geometry can be used to model real objects in the physical world, this up-to-date edition features two 16-page full-color inserts, problems and tools emphasizing fractal applic
At the present time, the average undergraduate mathematics major finds mathematics heavily compartmentalized. After the calculus, he takes a course in analysis and a course in algebra. Depending upon
With hundreds of worked examples, exercises and illustrations, this detailed exposition of the theory of Vassiliev knot invariants opens the field to students with little or no knowledge in this area. It also serves as a guide to more advanced material. The book begins with a basic and informal introduction to knot theory, giving many examples of knot invariants before the class of Vassiliev invariants is introduced. This is followed by a detailed study of the algebras of Jacobi diagrams and 3-graphs, and the construction of functions on these algebras via Lie algebras. The authors then describe two constructions of a universal invariant with values in the algebra of Jacobi diagrams: via iterated integrals and via the Drinfeld associator, and extend the theory to framed knots. Various other topics are then discussed, such as Gauss diagram formulae, before the book ends with Vassiliev's original construction.
In general the starting point of the definition and existence theorem of an invariant is a presentation of the objects in the class under consideration, and a calculus for this presentation. More prec
This book provides a detailed exposition of William Thurston's work on surface homeomorphisms, available here for the first time in English. Based on material of Thurston presented at a seminar in Ors
This book was first published in 1999 and investigates the high degree of symmetry that lies hidden in integrable systems. To that end, differential equations arising from classical mechanics, such as the KdV equation and the KP equations, are used here by the authors to introduce the notion of an infinite dimensional transformation group acting on spaces of integrable systems. The work of M. Sato on the algebraic structure of completely integrable systems is discussed, together with developments of these ideas in the work of M. Kashiwara. This book should be accessible to anyone with a knowledge of differential and integral calculus and elementary complex analysis, and it will be a valuable resource to the novice and expert alike.
Originally published in 1897, this book was based on the dissertation Russell presented for the Fellowship Examination of Trinity College, Cambridge, together with a series of lectures given in the USA around the same time. It provides an account of geometrical concepts in relation to logic, psychology and mathematics, shedding light on the development of Russell's philosophical perspective. This is a highly readable text that will be of value to anyone with an interest in geometry, philosophy and Russell's early thought.
This book grew out of the work developed at the University of Warwick, under the supervision of Ian Stewart, which formed the core of my Ph.D. Thesis. Most of the results described were obtained in jo
The 1992/3 academic year at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute was devoted to complex algebraic geometry. This 1996 volume collects survey articles that arose from this event, which took place at a time when algebraic geometry was undergoing a major change. To put it succinctly, algebraic geometry has opened up to ideas and connections from other fields that have traditionally been far away. The editors of the volume, Herbert Clemens and Janos Kollar, chaired the organizing committee. Activities were centered around themes, one per month, under the guidance of experts in each area. There were also four short workshops, which attracted many participants and helped considerably in communicating the new directions in algebraic geometry to a large audience. This book gives a good idea of the intellectual content of the special year and of the workshops.
Leonhard Euler's polyhedron formula describes the structure of many objects--from soccer balls and gemstones to Buckminster Fuller's buildings and giant all-carbon molecules. Yet Euler's formula is so
The lectures comprising this volume were delivered by P. E. Conner, Nicholson Professor of Mathematics at Louisiana State University, at the University of Texas at Austin in 1978. The lectures are int
Few books on the subject of Riemann surfaces cover the relatively modern theory of dessins d'enfants (children's drawings), which was launched by Grothendieck in the 1980s and is now an active field of research. In this 2011 book, the authors begin with an elementary account of the theory of compact Riemann surfaces viewed as algebraic curves and as quotients of the hyperbolic plane by the action of Fuchsian groups of finite type. They then use this knowledge to introduce the reader to the theory of dessins d'enfants and its connection with algebraic curves defined over number fields. A large number of worked examples are provided to aid understanding, so no experience beyond the undergraduate level is required. Readers without any previous knowledge of the field of dessins d'enfants are taken rapidly to the forefront of current research.
Few books on the subject of Riemann surfaces cover the relatively modern theory of dessins d'enfants (children's drawings), which was launched by Grothendieck in the 1980s and is now an active field of research. In this 2011 book, the authors begin with an elementary account of the theory of compact Riemann surfaces viewed as algebraic curves and as quotients of the hyperbolic plane by the action of Fuchsian groups of finite type. They then use this knowledge to introduce the reader to the theory of dessins d'enfants and its connection with algebraic curves defined over number fields. A large number of worked examples are provided to aid understanding, so no experience beyond the undergraduate level is required. Readers without any previous knowledge of the field of dessins d'enfants are taken rapidly to the forefront of current research.
Hyperbolic geometry is a classical subject in pure mathematics which has exciting applications in theoretical physics. In this book leading experts introduce hyperbolic geometry and Maass waveforms and discuss applications in quantum chaos and cosmology. The book begins with an introductory chapter detailing the geometry of hyperbolic surfaces and includes numerous worked examples and exercises to give the reader a solid foundation for the rest of the book. In later chapters the classical version of Selberg's trace formula is derived in detail and transfer operators are developed as tools in the spectral theory of Laplace–Beltrami operators on modular surfaces. The computation of Maass waveforms and associated eigenvalues of the hyperbolic Laplacian on hyperbolic manifolds are also presented in a comprehensive way. This book will be valuable to graduate students and young researchers, as well as for those experienced scientists who want a detailed exposition of the subject.
With firm foundations dating only from the 1950s, algebraic topology is a relatively young area of mathematics. There are very few textbooks that treat fundamental topics beyond a first course, and many topics now essential to the field are not treated in any textbook. J. Peter May’s A Concise Course in Algebraic Topology addresses the standard first course material, such as fundamental groups, covering spaces, the basics of homotopy theory, and homology and cohomology. In this sequel, May and his coauthor, Kathleen Ponto, cover topics that are essential for algebraic topologists and others interested in algebraic topology, but that are not treated in standard texts. They focus on the localization and completion of topological spaces, model categories, and Hopf algebras.The first half of the book sets out the basic theory of localization and completion of nilpotent spaces, using the most elementary treatment the authors know of. It makes no use of simplicial techniques or model categor
Topology of Metric Spaces gives a very streamlined development of a course in metric space topology emphasizing only the most useful concepts, concrete spaces and geometric ideas to encourage geometri
Assuming only the mathematical level typical to the first year of graduate school, Hindman (Howard U.) and Strauss (Leeds U.) develop the basic background information about compact right topological s
