This volume consists of seven papers related in various matters to the research work of Kostia Beidar, a distinguished ring theorist and professor of National Ching Kung University (NCKU). Written by leading experts in these areas, the papers also emphasize important applications to other fields of mathematics. Most papers are based on talks that were presented at the memorial conference which was held in March 2005 at NCKU.

This comprehensive volume provides teachers, researchers and education professionals with cutting edge knowledge developed in the last decades by the educational, behavioural and neurosciences, integrating cognitive, developmental and socioeconomic approaches to deal with the problems children face in learning mathematics. The neurocognitive mechanisms and the cognitive processes underlying acquisition of arithmetic abilities and their significance for education have been the subject of intense research in the last few decades, but the most part of this research has been conducted in non-applied settings and there's still a deep discrepancy between the level of scientific knowledge and its implementation into actual educational settings. Now it's time to bring the results from the laboratory to the classroom. Apart from bringing the theoretical discussions to educational settings, the volume presents a wide range of methods for early detection of children with risks in mathematics learning and strategies to develop effective interventions based on innovative cognitive test instruments. It also provides insights to translate research knowledge into public policies in order to address socioeconomic issues. And it does so from an international perspective, dedicating a whole section to the cultural diversity of mathematics learning difficulties in different parts of the world. All of this makes the International Handbook of Mathematical Learning Difficulties an essential tool for those involved in the daily struggle to prepare the future generations to succeed in the global knowledge society.

As dissatisfaction with the current status of school mathematics grows worldwide, educators and professionals alike are calling for reforms and instructional changes. Yet, significant changes can only be achieved if each educator of school mathematics personally rethinks various aspects of mathematics instruction, and identifies concrete ways in which their current practice could be modified. Before such visions can be meaningfully implemented in classrooms, it is important that mathematics teachers and educators examine critically both the assumptions and implications of the vision for school mathematics that the reports propose. This book is intended to support educators in such a challenging enterprise by focusing attention on errors and their use in mathematics instruction. Throughout the book, an approach to errors as opportunities for learning and inquiry will be developed and employed both as a means to create the kinds of instructional experiences advocated for school mathematics reform, and as a heuristic to invite reflections about school mathematics as well as mathematics as a discipline. REVIEWS: ...Raffaella Borasi's newest book offers important contributions to the current debate on school mathematics reform. - Journal for Research in Mathematics Education There are some great bits of philosophy in this book... - Mathematics Teaching

This title includes a superbly written introduction to the fascinating world of mathematical symbols, their meanings, and their uses. Mention the word mathematics and most people's reaction will be one of general bewilderment. There's something about its language of symbols and equations that many find intimidating. The result is that maths and science books for the general public usually avoid the use of symbols, meaning readers never get to fully appreciate the true power and elegance of mathematics. "Math for the Frightened" takes the opposite approach, gently introducing readers to the main concepts of mathematics and painlessly demonstrating how they are expressed as symbols, why symbols are used, and what can be achieved by doing so. If you've ever been curious about mathematics but afraid of its complexity, this book will help you overcome your fears and begin to appreciate math in all its glory.

Do your students suppose that 1/3 is greater than 1/2, since 3 is greater than 2? Do they believe that having "halves" means having two, and only two, congruent "pieces" of a whole? What tasks can you offer-what questions can you ask-to determine what your students know or don't know-and move them forward in their thinking? This book focuses on the specialised pedagogical content knowledge that you need to teach fractions effectively in grades 3-5. The authors demonstrate how to use this multifaceted knowledge to address the big ideas and essential understandings that students must develop for success with fractions-not only in their current work, but also in higher-level mathematics and a myriad of real-world contexts. Explore rich, research-based strategies and tasks that show how students are reasoning about and making sense of fractions. Use the opportunities that these and similar tasks provide to build on their understanding while identifying and correcting misunderstandings that may be keeping them from taking the next steps in learning.

The first book of its kind, "New Foundations in Mathematics: The Geometric Concept of Number" uses geometric algebra to present an innovative approach to elementary and advanced mathematics. Geometric algebra offers a simple and robust means of expressing a wide range of ideas in mathematics, physics, and engineering. In particular, geometric algebra extends the real number system to include the concept of direction, which underpins much of modern mathematics and physics. Much of the material presented has been developed from undergraduate courses taught by the author over the years in linear algebra, theory of numbers, advanced calculus and vector calculus, numerical analysis, modern abstract algebra, and differential geometry. The principal aim of this book is to present these ideas in a freshly coherent and accessible manner.

"New Foundations in Mathematics" will be of interest to undergraduate and graduate students of mathematics and physics who are looking for a unified treatment of many important geometric ideas arising in these subjects at all levels. The material can also serve as a supplemental textbook in some or all of the areas mentioned above and as a reference book for professionals who apply mathematics to engineering and computational areas of mathematics and physics.

The third edition of this popular and effective textbook provides in one volume a unified treatment of topics essential for first year university students studying for degrees in mathematics. Students of computer science, physics and statistics will also find this book a helpful guide to all the basic mathematics they require. It clearly and comprehensively covers much of the material that other textbooks tend to assume, assisting students in the transition to university-level mathematics.
Expertly revised and updated, the chapters cover topics such as number systems, set and functions, differential calculus, matrices and integral calculus. Worked examples are provided and chapters conclude with exercises to which answers are given. For students seeking further challenges, problems intersperse the text, for which complete solutions are provided. Modifications in this third edition include a more informal approach to sequence limits and an increase in the number of worked examples, exercises and problems.
The third edition of Fundamentals of university mathematics is an essential reference for first year university students in mathematics and related disciplines. It will also be of interest to professionals seeking a useful guide to mathematics at this level and capable pre-university students.
One volume, unified treatment of essential topicsClearly and comprehensively covers material beyond standard textbooksWorked examples, challenges and exercises throughout

Vietnam has actively organized the National Competition in Mathematics and since 1962, the Vietnamese Mathematical Olympiad (VMO). On the global stage, Vietnam has also competed in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) since 1974 and constantly emerged as one of the top ten.

To inspire and further challenge readers, we have gathered in this book selected problems of the VMO from 1962 to 2008. A number of Selection Test problems are also included to aid in the formation and training of a national team for IMO.

The book is highly useful for high school students and teachers, coaches and instructors preparing for mathematical olympiads, as well as non-experts simply interested in having the edge over their opponents in mathematical competitions.

The Pythagorean theorem may be the best-known equation in mathematics. Its origins reach back to the beginnings of civilization, and today every student continues to study it. What most nonmathematicians don't understand or appreciate is why this simply stated theorem has fascinated countless generations. In this entertaining and informative book, a veteran math educator makes the importance of the Pythagorean theorem delightfully clear.
He begins with a brief history of Pythagoras and the early use of his theorem by the ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, Indians, and Chinese, who used it intuitively long before Pythagoras's name was attached to it. He then shows the many ingenious ways in which the theorem has been proved visually using highly imaginative diagrams. Some of these go back to ancient mathematicians; others are comparatively recent proofs, including one by the twentieth president of the United States, James A. Garfield.
After demonstrating some curious applications of the theorem, the author then explores the Pythagorean triples, pointing out the many hidden surprises of the three numbers that can represent the sides of the right triangle (e.g, 3, 4, 5 and 5, 12, 13). And many will truly amaze the reader. He then turns to the "Pythagorean means" (the arithmetic, geometric, and harmonic means). By comparing their magnitudes in a variety of ways, he gives the reader a true appreciation for these mathematical concepts.
The final two chapters view the Pythagorean theorem from an artistic point of view - namely, how Pythagoras's work manifests itself in music and how the Pythagorean theorem can influence fractals.
The author's lucid presentation and gift for conveying the significance of this key equation to those with little math background will inform, entertain, and inspire the reader, once again demonstrating the power and beauty of mathematics

This book considers the views of participants in the process of becoming a mathematician, that is, the students and the graduates. This book investigates the people who carry out mathematics rather than the topics of mathematics. Learning is about change in a person, the development of an identity and ways of interacting with the world. It investigates more generally the development of mathematical scientists for a variety of workplaces, and includes the experiences of those who were not successful in the transition to the workplace as mathematicians. The research presented is based on interviews, observations and surveys of students and graduates as they are finding their identity as a mathematician. The book contains material from the research carried out in South Africa, Northern Ireland, Canada and Brunei as well as Australia.

The book gives a systematical presentation of stochastic approximation methods for discrete time Markov price processes. Advanced methods combining backward recurrence algorithms for computing of option rewards and general results on convergence of stochastic space skeleton and tree approximations for option rewards are applied to a variety of models of multivariate modulated Markov price processes. The principal novelty of presented results is based on consideration of multivariate modulated Markov price processes and general pay-off functions, which can depend not only on price but also an additional stochastic modulating index component, and use of minimal conditions of smoothness for transition probabilities and pay-off functions, compactness conditions for log-price processes and rate of growth conditions for pay-off functions. The volume presents results on structural studies of optimal stopping domains, Monte Carlo based approximation reward algorithms, and convergence of American-type options for autoregressive and continuous time models, as well as results of the corresponding experimental studies.

This book is the first of two volumes on random motions in Markov and semi-Markov random environments. This first volume focuses on homogenous random motions. This volume consists of two parts, the first describing the basic concepts and methods that have been developed for random evolutions. These methods are the foundational tools used in both volumes, and this description includes many results in potential operators. Some techniques to find closed-form expressions in relevant applications are also presented. The second part deals with asymptotic results and presents a variety of applications, including random motion with different types of boundaries, the reliability of storage systems and solutions of partial differential equations with constant coefficients, using commutative algebra techniques. It also presents an alternative formulation to the Black-Scholes formula in finance, fading evolutions and telegraph processes, including jump telegraph processes and the estimation of the number of level crossings for telegraph processes.

This tenth volume in the Poincare Seminar Series describes recent developments at one of the most challenging frontiers in statistical physics - the deeply related fields of glassy dynamics, especially near the glass transition, and of the statics and dynamics of granular systems. These fields are marked by a vigorous interchange between experiment, theory, and numerical studies, all of which are well represented by the leading experts who have contributed articles to this volume. These articles are also highly pedagogical, as befits their origin in lectures to a broad scientific audience. Highlights include a Galilean dialogue on the mean field and competing theories of the glass transition, a wide-ranging survey of colloidal glasses, and experimental as well as theoretical treatments of the relatively new field of dense granular flows. This book should be of broad general interest to both physicists and mathematicians.