This is a one-of-a-kind reference for anyone with a serious
interest in mathematics. Edited by Timothy Gowers, a recipient of
the Fields Medal, it presents nearly two hundred entries, written
especially for this book by some of the world's leading
mathematicians, that introduce basic mathematical tools and
vocabulary; trace the development of modern mathematics; explain
essential terms and concepts; examine core ideas in major areas of
mathematics; describe the achievements of scores of famous
mathematicians; explore the impact of mathematics on other
disciplines such as biology, finance, and music--and much, much
more.
Unparalleled in its depth of coverage, "The Princeton Companion
to Mathematics" surveys the most active and exciting branches of
pure mathematics, providing the context and broad perspective that
are vital at a time of increasing specialization in the field.
Packed with information and presented in an accessible style, this
is an indispensable resource for undergraduate and graduate
students in mathematics as well as for researchers and scholars
seeking to understand areas outside their specialties.Features
nearly 200 entries, organized thematically and written by an
international team of distinguished contributorsPresents major
ideas and branches of pure mathematics in a clear, accessible
styleDefines and explains important mathematical concepts, methods,
theorems, and open problemsIntroduces the language of mathematics
and the goals of mathematical researchCovers number theory,
algebra, analysis, geometry, logic, probability, and moreTraces the
history and development of modern mathematicsProfiles more than
ninety-five mathematicians who influenced those working
todayExplores the influence of mathematics on other
disciplinesIncludes bibliographies, cross-references, and a
comprehensive index
Contributors incude:
Graham Allan, Noga Alon, George Andrews, Tom Archibald, Sir
Michael Atiyah, David Aubin, Joan Bagaria, Keith Ball, June
Barrow-Green, Alan Beardon, David D. Ben-Zvi, Vitaly Bergelson,
Nicholas Bingham, Bela Bollobas, Henk Bos, Bodil Branner, Martin R.
Bridson, John P. Burgess, Kevin Buzzard, Peter J. Cameron, Jean-Luc
Chabert, Eugenia Cheng, Clifford C. Cocks, Alain Connes, Leo Corry,
Wolfgang Coy, Tony Crilly, Serafina Cuomo, Mihalis Dafermos, Partha
Dasgupta, Ingrid Daubechies, Joseph W. Dauben, John W. Dawson Jr.,
Francois de Gandt, Persi Diaconis, Jordan S. Ellenberg, Lawrence C.
Evans, Florence Fasanelli, Anita Burdman Feferman, Solomon
Feferman, Charles Fefferman, Della Fenster, Jose Ferreiros, David
Fisher, Terry Gannon, A. Gardiner, Charles C. Gillispie, Oded
Goldreich, Catherine Goldstein, Fernando Q. Gouvea, Timothy Gowers,
Andrew Granville, Ivor Grattan-Guinness, Jeremy Gray, Ben Green,
Ian Grojnowski, Niccolo Guicciardini, Michael Harris, Ulf Hashagen,
Nigel Higson, Andrew Hodges, F. E. A. Johnson, Mark Joshi, Kiran S.
Kedlaya, Frank Kelly, Sergiu Klainerman, Jon Kleinberg, Israel
Kleiner, Jacek Klinowski, Eberhard Knobloch, Janos Kollar, T. W.
Korner, Michael Krivelevich, Peter D. Lax, Imre Leader,
Jean-Francois Le Gall, W. B. R. Lickorish, Martin W. Liebeck,
Jesper Lutzen, Des MacHale, Alan L. Mackay, Shahn Majid, Lech
Maligranda, David Marker, Jean Mawhin, Barry Mazur, Dusa McDuff,
Colin McLarty, Bojan Mohar, Peter M. Neumann, Catherine Nolan,
James Norris, Brian Osserman, Richard S. Palais, Marco Panza, Karen
Hunger Parshall, Gabriel P. Paternain, Jeanne Peiffer, Carl
Pomerance, Helmut Pulte, Bruce Reed, Michael C. Reed, Adrian Rice,
Eleanor Robson, Igor Rodnianski, John Roe, Mark Ronan, Edward
Sandifer, Tilman Sauer, Norbert Schappacher, Andrzej Schinzel,
Erhard Scholz, Reinhard Siegmund-Schultze, Gordon Slade, David J.
Spiegelhalter, Jacqueline Stedall, Arild Stubhaug, Madhu Sudan,
Terence Tao, Jamie Tappenden, C. H. Taubes, Rudiger Thiele, Burt
Totaro, Lloyd N. Trefethen, Dirk van Dalen, Richard Weber, Dominic
Welsh, Avi Wigderson, Herbert Wilf, David Wilkins, B. Yandell, Eric
Zaslow, Doron Zeilberger"