An original motivation for algebraic geometry was to understand curves and surfaces in three dimensions. Recent theoretical and technological advances in areas such as robotics, computer vision, computer-aided geometric design and molecular biology, together with the increased availability of computational resources, have brought these original questions once more into the forefront of research. One particular challenge is to combine applicable methods from algebraic geometry with proven techniques from piecewise-linear computational geometry (such as Voronoi diagrams and hyperplane arrangements) to develop tools for treating curved objects. These research efforts may be summarized under the term nonlinear computational geometry. This volume grew out of an IMA workshop on Nonlinear Computational Geometry in May/June 2007 (organized by I.Z. Emiris, R. Goldman, F. Sottile, T. Theobald) which gathered leading experts in this emerging field. The research and expository articles in the volume are intended to provide an overview of nonlinear computational geometry. Since the topic involves computational geometry, algebraic geometry, and geometric modeling, the volume has contributions from all of these areas. By addressing a broad range of issues from purely theoretical and algorithmic problems, to implementation and practical applications this volume conveys the spirit of the IMA workshop.

The subject of this book is the solution of polynomial equations, that is, s- tems of (generally) non-linear algebraic equations. This study is at the heart of several areas of mathematics and its applications. It has provided the - tivation for advances in di?erent branches of mathematics such as algebra, geometry, topology, and numerical analysis. In recent years, an explosive - velopment of algorithms and software has made it possible to solve many problems which had been intractable up to then and greatly expanded the areas of applications to include robotics, machine vision, signal processing, structural molecular biology, computer-aided design and geometric modelling, as well as certain areas of statistics, optimization and game theory, and b- logical networks. At the same time, symbolic computation has proved to be an invaluable tool for experimentation and conjecture in pure mathematics. As a consequence, the interest in e?ective algebraic geometry and computer algebrahasextendedwellbeyonditsoriginalconstituencyofpureandapplied mathematicians and computer scientists, to encompass many other scientists and engineers. While the core of the subject remains algebraic geometry, it also calls upon many other aspects of mathematics and theoretical computer science, ranging from numerical methods, di?erential equations and number theory to discrete geometry, combinatorics and complexity theory. Thegoalofthisbookistoprovideageneralintroduction tomodernma- ematical aspects in computing with multivariate polynomials and in solving algebraic systems.

An original motivation for algebraic geometry was to understand curves and surfaces in three dimensions. Recent theoretical and technological advances in areas such as robotics, computer vision, computer-aided geometric design and molecular biology, together with the increased availability of computational resources, have brought these original questions once more into the forefront of research. One particular challenge is to combine applicable methods from algebraic geometry with proven techniques from piecewise-linear computational geometry (such as Voronoi diagrams and hyperplane arrangements) to develop tools for treating curved objects. These research efforts may be summarized under the term nonlinear computational geometry. This volume grew out of an IMA workshop on Nonlinear Computational Geometry in May/June 2007 (organized by I.Z. Emiris, R. Goldman, F. Sottile, T. Theobald) which gathered leading experts in this emerging field. The research and expository articles in the volume are intended to provide an overview of nonlinear computational geometry. Since the topic involves computational geometry, algebraic geometry, and geometric modeling, the volume has contributions from all of these areas. By addressing a broad range of issues from purely theoretical and algorithmic problems, to implementation and practical applications this volume conveys the spirit of the IMA workshop.

The subject of this book is the solution of polynomial equations, that is, s- tems of (generally) non-linear algebraic equations. This study is at the heart of several areas of mathematics and its applications. It has provided the - tivation for advances in di?erent branches of mathematics such as algebra, geometry, topology, and numerical analysis. In recent years, an explosive - velopment of algorithms and software has made it possible to solve many problems which had been intractable up to then and greatly expanded the areas of applications to include robotics, machine vision, signal processing, structural molecular biology, computer-aided design and geometric modelling, as well as certain areas of statistics, optimization and game theory, and b- logical networks. At the same time, symbolic computation has proved to be an invaluable tool for experimentation and conjecture in pure mathematics. As a consequence, the interest in e?ective algebraic geometry and computer algebrahasextendedwellbeyonditsoriginalconstituencyofpureandapplied mathematicians and computer scientists, to encompass many other scientists and engineers. While the core of the subject remains algebraic geometry, it also calls upon many other aspects of mathematics and theoretical computer science, ranging from numerical methods, di?erential equations and number theory to discrete geometry, combinatorics and complexity theory. Thegoalofthisbookistoprovideageneralintroduction tomodernma- ematical aspects in computing with multivariate polynomials and in solving algebraic systems.