This book is composed of two texts, by R.L. Dobrushin and S. Kusuoka, each representing the content of a course of lectures given by the authors. They are pitched at graduate student level and are thus very accessible introductions to their respective subjects for students and non specialists. CONTENTS: R.L. Dobrushin: On the Way to the Mathematical Foundations of Statistical Mechanics.- S. Kusuoka: Diffusion Processes on Nested Fractals.

A collection of five surveys on dynamical systems, indispensable for graduate students and researchers in mathematics and theoretical physics. Written in the modern language of differential geometry, the book covers all the new differential geometric and Lie-algebraic methods currently used in the theory of integrable systems.

In recent years topology has firmly established itself as an important part of the physicist's mathematical arsenal. It has many applications, first of all in quantum field theory, but increasingly also in other areas of physics. The main focus of this book is on the results of quantum field theory that are obtained by topological methods. Some aspects of the theory of condensed matter are also discussed. Part I is an introduction to quantum field theory: it discusses the basic Lagrangians used in the theory of elementary particles. Part II is devoted to the applications of topology to quantum field theory. Part III covers the necessary mathematical background in summary form. The book is aimed at physicists interested in applications of topology to physics and at mathematicians wishing to familiarize themselves with quantum field theory and the mathematical methods used in this field. It is accessible to graduate students in physics and mathematics.

This volume consists of the proceedings of a conference held at the University College of North Wales (Bangor) in July of 1979. It assembles research papers which reflect diverse currents in low-dimensional topology. The topology of 3-manifolds, hyperbolic geometry and knot theory emerge as major themes. The inclusion of surveys of work in these areas should make the book very useful to students as well as researchers.

Topics in Knot Theory is a state of the art volume which presents surveys of the field by the most famous knot theorists in the world. It also includes the most recent research work by graduate and postgraduate students. The new ideas presented cover racks, imitations, welded braids, wild braids, surgery, computer calculations and plottings, presentations of knot groups and representations of knot and link groups in permutation groups, the complex plane and/or groups of motions. For mathematicians, graduate students and scientists interested in knot theory.

From the reviews: "This book offers a coherent treatment, at the graduate textbook level, of the field that has come to be known in the last decade or so as computational geometry. ... ... The book is well organized and lucidly written; a timely contribution by two founders of the field. It clearly demonstrates that computational geometry in the plane is now a fairly well-understood branch of computer science and mathematics. It also points the way to the solution of the more challenging problems in dimensions higher than two." #Mathematical Reviews#1 "... This remarkable book is a comprehensive and systematic study on research results obtained especially in the last ten years. The very clear presentation concentrates on basic ideas, fundamental combinatorial structures, and crucial algorithmic techniques. The plenty of results is clever organized following these guidelines and within the framework of some detailed case studies. A large number of figures and examples also aid the understanding of the material. Therefore, it can be highly recommended as an early graduate text but it should prove also to be essential to researchers and professionals in applied fields of computer-aided design, computer graphics, and robotics." #Biometrical Journal#2

Fundamentals of Convex Analysis offers an in-depth look at some of the fundamental themes covered within an area of mathematical analysis called convex analysis. In particular, it explores the topics of duality, separation, representation, and resolution. The work is intended for students of economics, management science, engineering, and mathematics who need exposure to the mathematical foundations of matrix games, optimization, and general equilibrium analysis. It is written at the advanced undergraduate to beginning graduate level and the only formal preparation required is some familiarity with set operations and with linear algebra and matrix theory. Fundamentals of Convex Analysis is self-contained in that a brief review of the essentials of these tool areas is provided in Chapter 1. Chapter exercises are also provided. Topics covered include: convex sets and their properties; separation and support theorems; theorems of the alternative; convex cones; dual homogeneous systems; basic solutions and complementary slackness; extreme points and directions; resolution and representation of polyhedra; simplicial topology; and fixed point theorems, among others. A strength of this work is how these topics are developed in a fully integrated fashion.

Spaces of constant curvature, i.e. Euclidean space, the sphere, and Loba chevskij space, occupy a special place in geometry. They are most accessible to our geometric intuition, making it possible to develop elementary geometry in a way very similar to that used to create the geometry we learned at school. However, since its basic notions can be interpreted in different ways, this geometry can be applied to objects other than the conventional physical space, the original source of our geometric intuition. Euclidean geometry has for a long time been deeply rooted in the human mind. The same is true of spherical geometry, since a sphere can naturally be embedded into a Euclidean space. Lobachevskij geometry, which in the first fifty years after its discovery had been regarded only as a logically feasible by-product appearing in the investigation of the foundations of geometry, has even now, despite the fact that it has found its use in numerous applications, preserved a kind of exotic and even romantic element. This may probably be explained by the permanent cultural and historical impact which the proof of the independence of the Fifth Postulate had on human thought."

Geometry: A Metric Approach with Models, imparts a real feeling for Euclidean and non-Euclidean (in particular, hyperbolic) geometry. Intended as a rigorous first course, the book introduces and develops the various axioms slowly, and then, in a departure from other texts, continually illustrates the major definitions and axioms with two or three models, enabling the reader to picture the idea more clearly. The second edition has been expanded to include a selection of expository exercises. Additionally, the authors have designed software with computational problems to accompany the text. This software may be obtained from George Parker.

Gromov's theory of hyperbolic groups have had a big impact in combinatorial group theory and has deep connections with many branches of mathematics suchdifferential geometry, representation theory, ergodic theory and dynamical systems. This book is an elaboration on some ideas of Gromov on hyperbolic spaces and hyperbolic groups in relation with symbolic dynamics. Particular attention is paid to the dynamical system defined by the action of a hyperbolic group on its boundary. The boundary is most oftenchaotic both as a topological space and as a dynamical system, and a description of this boundary and the action is given in terms of subshifts of finite type. The book is self-contained and includes two introductory chapters, one on Gromov's hyperbolic geometry and the other one on symbolic dynamics. It is intended for students and researchers in geometry and in dynamical systems, and can be used asthe basis for a graduate course on these subjects.

The volume contains the texts of four courses, given by the authors at a summer school that sought to present the state of the art in the growing field of topological methods in the theory of o.d.e. (in finite and infinitedimension), and to provide a forum for discussion of the wide variety of mathematical tools which are involved. The topics covered range from the extensions of the Lefschetz fixed point and the fixed point index on ANR's, to the theory of parity of one-parameter families of Fredholm operators, and from the theory of coincidence degree for mappings on Banach spaces to homotopy methods for continuation principles. CONTENTS: P. Fitzpatrick: The parity as an invariant for detecting bifurcation of the zeroes of one parameter families of nonlinear Fredholm maps.- M. Martelli: Continuation principles and boundary value problems.- J. Mawhin: Topological degree and boundary value problems for nonlinear differential equations.- R.D. Nussbaum: The fixed point index and fixed point theorems.

When we studied complex variables in the late 1960s, modem geometry on the complex fie1d and complex function theory were identified in teaching and research as several complex variables. A beginner in the field at that time would have the experience of jumping from the sheaf-theoretical methods employed in the theory of analytic spaces to the P.D.E. methods of the a problem, with the c1ear understanding that the phenomena lying behind such different methods and problems were the same. A few years later, new important discoveries made c1ear that complex differential geometry was also in the same company. Looking at the historical development of the subject in the first half of the twentieth century shows this was not astonishing. The origin of the theory of functions of several complex variables was tardier than the familiar of analytic functions of one complex variable. The first comprehensive theory textbook by Behnke and Thullen, in the 1930s, expounded the foundations ofthe general theory as set up by Weierstrass, Cousin, Hartogs, and Poincare and c1early put in evidence that the difficulties were all but solved. In aseries of papers from 1936 to 1953, Oka introduced a brilliant collection of new ideas and systematically eliminated aU difficulties. Oka's work had in itse1f a fruitful seed and contained the premises for the opening of wider horizons."

In this volume experts from university and industry are presenting new technologies for solving industrial problems as well as important and practicable impulses for new research. The following topics are treated: - solid modelling - geometry processing - feature modelling - product modelling - surfaces over arbitrary topologies - blending methods - scattered data algorithms - smooting and fairing algorithms - NURBS 21 articles are giving a state-of-the-art survey of the relevant problems and issues in the rapidly growing area of geometric modelling.

This book is an introduction to the ideas from general topology that are used in elementary analysis. It is written at a level that is intended to make the bulk of the material accessible to students in the latter part of their first year of study at a university or college although students will normally meet most of the work in their second or later years. The aim has been to bridge the gap between introductory books like the author"s Mathematical Analysis: A Straightforward Approach, in which carefully selected theorems are discussed at length with numerous examples, and the more advanced book on analysis, in which the author is more concerned with providing a comprehensive and elegant theory than in smoothing the ways for beginners. An attempt has been made throughout not only to prepare the ground for more advanced work, but also to revise and to illuminate the material which students will have met previously but may have not fully understood.

Mathematicians have developed the language of topology; but the conventional development leaves until last the discussion and ideas about shapes, so those who have not mastered the initial ideas of analysis and general topology are barred from participation by a rigid formalism. This book, first published in 1976, adopts a different approach, developing a language close to that of ordinary discourse. It is intended to encourage readers of varying backgrounds, but especially students, to think spatially. The text is well illustrated, with toned drawings creating three-dimensional effects where appropriate, and there are abundant exercises. Useful appendices accompany the text, providing hints and solutions to these exercises and also a sketch of how the treatment can be modelled within a conventional topology course for more advanced students. The book can be regarded as an example of the emerging discipline of mathematics education, as well as being about surfaces.

Along with many small improvements, this revised edition contains van Yzeren's new proof of Pascal's theorem (1.7) and, in Chapter 2, an improved treatment of order and sense. The Sylvester-Gallai theorem, instead of being introduced as a curiosity, is now used as an essential step in the theory of harmonic separation (3.34). This makes the logi cal development self-contained: the footnotes involving the References (pp. 214-216) are for comparison with earlier treatments, and to give credit where it is due, not to fill gaps in the argument. H.S.M.C. November 1992 v Preface to the Second Edition Why should one study the real plane? To this question, put by those who advocate the complex plane, or geometry over a general field, I would reply that the real plane is an easy first step. Most of the prop erties are closely analogous, and the real field has the advantage of intuitive accessibility. Moreover, real geometry is exactly what is needed for the projective approach to non* Euclidean geometry. Instead of introducing the affine and Euclidean metrics as in Chapters 8 and 9, we could just as well take the locus of 'points at infinity' to be a conic, or replace the absolute involution by an absolute polarity.

The earlier chapter of this self-contained text provide a route from first principles through standard linear and quadratic algebra to geometric algebra, with Clifford's geometric algebras taking pride of place. In parallel with this is an account, also from first principles, of the elementary theory of topological spaces and of continuous and differentiable maps that leads up to the definitions of smooth manifolds and their tangent spaces and of Lie groups and Lie algebras. The calculus is presented as far as possible in basis free form to emphasize its geometrical flavour and its linear algebra content. In this second edition Dr Porteous has taken the opportunity to add a chapter on triality which extends earlier work on the Spin groups in the chapter on Clifford algebras. The details include a number of important transitive group actions and a description of one of the exceptional Lie groups, the group G2. A number of corrections and improvements have also been made. There are many exercises throughout the book and senior undergraduates in mathematics as well as first-year graduate students will continue to find it stimulating and rewarding.

This account is a study of twofold symmetry in algebraic topology. The author discusses specifically the antipodal involution of a real vector bundle - multiplication by - I in each fibre; doubling and squaring operations; the symmetry of bilinear forms and Hermitian K-theory. In spite of its title, this is not a treatise on equivariant topology; rather it is the language in which to describe the symmetry. Familiarity with the basic concepts of algebraic topology (homotopy, stable homotopy, homology, K-theory, the Pontrjagin Thom transfer construction) is assumed. Detailed proofs are not given (the expert reader will be able to supply them when necessary) yet nowhere is credibility lost. Thus the approach is elementary enough to provide an introduction to the subject suitable for graduate students although research workers will find here much of interest.

Fractals for the Classroom breaks new ground as it brings an exciting branch of mathematics into the classroom. The book is a collection of independent chapters on the major concepts related to the science and mathematics of fractals. Written at the mathematical level of an advanced secondary student, Fractals for the Classroom includes many fascinating insights for the classroom teacher and integrates illustrations from a wide variety of applications with an enjoyable text to help bring the concepts alive and make them understandable to the average reader. This book will have a tremendous impact upon teachers, students, and the mathematics education of the general public. With the forthcoming companion materials, including four books on strategic classroom activities and lessons with interactive computer software, this package will be unparalleled.

Thisseries is devoted to the publication of monographs, lecture resp. seminar notes, and other materials arising from programs of the OSU Mathemaical Research Institute. This includes proceedings of conferences or workshops held at the Institute, and other mathematical writings.

Fractal geometry has become popular in the last 15 years, its applications can be found in technology, science, or even arts. Fractal methods and formalism are seen today as a general, abstract, but nevertheless practical instrument for the description of nature in a wide sense. But it was Computer Graphics which made possible the increasing popularity of fractals several years ago, and long after their mathematical formulation. The two disciplines are tightly linked. The book contains the scientificcontributions presented in an international workshop in the "Computer Graphics Center" in Darmstadt, Germany. The target of the workshop was to present the wide spectrum of interrelationships and interactions between Fractal Geometry and Computer Graphics. The topics vary from fundamentals and new theoretical results to various applications and systems development. All contributions are original, unpublished papers.The presentations have been discussed in two working groups; the discussion results, together with actual trends and topics of future research, are reported in the last section. The topics of the book are divides into four sections: Fundamentals, Computer Graphics and Optical Simulation, Simulation of Natural Phenomena, Image Processing and Image Analysis.

This volume (a sequel to LNM 1108, 1214, 1334 and 1453) continues the presentation to English speaking readers of the Voronezh University press series on Global Analysis and Its Applications. The papers are selected fromtwo Russian issues entitled "Algebraic questions of Analysis and Topology" and "Nonlinear Operators in Global Analysis." CONTENTS: YuE. Gliklikh: Stochastic analysis, groups of diffeomorphisms and Lagrangian description of viscous incompressible fluid.- A.Ya. Helemskii: From topological homology: algebras with different properties of homological triviality.- V.V. Lychagin, L.V. Zil'bergleit: Duality in stable Spencer cohomologies.- O.R. Musin: On some problems of computational geometry and topology.- V.E. Nazaikinskii, B.Yu. Sternin, V.E.Shatalov: Introduction to Maslov's operational method (non-commutative analysis and differential equations).- Yu.B. Rudyak: The problem of realization of homology classes from Poincare up to the present.- V.G. Zvyagin, N.M. Ratiner: Oriented degree of Fredholm maps of non-negativeindex and its applications to global bifurcation of solutions.- A.A. Bolibruch: Fuchsian systems with reducible monodromy and the Riemann-Hilbert problem.- I.V. Bronstein, A.Ya. Kopanskii: Finitely smooth normal forms of vector fields in the vicinity of a rest point.- B.D. Gel'man: Generalized degree of multi-valued mappings.- G.N. Khimshiashvili: On Fredholmian aspects of linear transmission problems.- A.S. Mishchenko: Stationary solutions of nonlinear stochastic equations.- B.Yu. Sternin, V.E. Shatalov: Continuation of solutions to elliptic equations and localisation of singularities.- V.G. Zvyagin, V.T. Dmitrienko: Properness of nonlinear elliptic differential operators in H-lder spaces.

One way to advance the science of computational geometry is to make a comprehensive study of fundamental operations that are used in many different algorithms. This monograph attempts such an investigation in the case of two basic predicates: the counterclockwise relation pqr, which states that the circle through points (p, q, r) is traversed counterclockwise when we encounter the points in cyclic order p, q, r, p, ...; and the incircle relation pqrs, which states that s lies inside that circle if pqr is true, or outside that circle if pqr is false. The author, Donald Knuth, is one of the greatest computer scientists of our time. A few years ago, he and some of his students were looking at amap that pinpointed the locations of about 100 cities. They asked, "Which ofthese cities are neighbors of each other?" They knew intuitively that some pairs of cities were neighbors and some were not; they wanted to find a formal mathematical characterization that would match their intuition.This monograph is the result.