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About the Book

Early in Joe Harris's railroad career, one of his supervisors told him, "You have to blow your own horn; nobody's going to blow it for you." Harris tried to live by these words. And in this memoir, he also describes blowing a horn of another sort--that of a railroad engineer. Hell of a Way to Run a Railroad recaps Harris's thirty-six-year stint working on the railroad--from his debut as an electrician's helper in 1969 with the Burlington Northern Railroad to becoming an engineer in 1974. In his thirty years working as a locomotive engineer, Harris hit twenty vehicles and killed three people with the train. With a focus toward safety, Harris discusses becoming a volunteer presenter with Operation Lifesaver, a program designed to help save people's lives around railroad tracks. Including a comprehensive glossary of railroad terminology, Hell of a Way to Run a Railroad presents a fascinating look into the many and varied facets of working on the railroad with both passenger trains and freight trains--from the interesting locals to the quirky co-workers.

The theory of schemes is the foundation for algebraic geometry proposed and elaborated by Alexander Grothendieck and his coworkers. It has allowed major progress in classical areas of algebraic geometry such as invariant theory and the moduli of curves. It integrates algebraic number theory with algebraic geometry, fulfilling the dreams of earlier generations of number theorists. This integration has led to proofs of some of the major conjectures in number theory (Deligne's proof of the Weil Conjectures, Faltings proof of the Mordell Conjecture).This book is intended to bridge the chasm between a first course in classical algebraic geometry and a technical treatise on schemes. It focuses on examples, and strives to show "what is going on" behind the definitions. There are many exercises to test and extend the reader's understanding. The prerequisites are modest: a little commutative algebra and an acquaintance with algebraic varieties, roughly at the level of a one-semester course. The book aims to show schemes in relation to other geometric ideas, such as the theory of manifolds. Some familiarity with these ideas is helpful, though not required.

This book is intended to introduce students to algebraic geometry; to give them a sense of the basic objects considered, the questions asked about them, and the sort of answers one can expect to obtain. It thus emplasizes the classical roots of the subject. For readers interested in simply seeing what the subject is about, this avoids the more technical details better treated with the most recent methods. For readers interested in pursuing the subject further, this book will provide a basis for understanding the developments of the last half century, which have put the subject on a radically new footing. Based on lectures given at Brown and Harvard Universities, this book retains the informal style of the lectures and stresses examples throughout; the theory is developed as needed. The first part is concerned with introducing basic varieties and constructions; it describes, for example, affine and projective varieties, regular and rational maps, and particular classes of varieties such as determinantal varieties and algebraic groups. The second part discusses attributes of varieties, including dimension, smoothness, tangent spaces and cones, degree, and parameter and moduli spaces.

In a world where we are constantly being asked to make decisions based on incomplete information, facility with basic probability is an essential skill. This book provides a solid foundation in basic probability theory designed for intellectually curious readers and those new to the subject. Through its conversational tone and careful pacing of mathematical development, the book balances a charming style with informative discussion. This text will immerse the reader in a mathematical view of the world, giving them a glimpse into what attracts mathematicians to the subject in the first place. Rather than simply writing out and memorizing formulas, the reader will come out with an understanding of what those formulas mean, and how and when to use them. Readers will also encounter settings where probabilistic reasoning does not apply or where intuition can be misleading. This book establishes simple principles of counting collections and sequences of alternatives, and elaborates on these techniques to solve real world problems both inside and outside the casino. Pair this book with the HarvardX online course for great videos and interactive learning: https://harvardx.link/fat-chance.

The primary goal of these lectures is to introduce a beginner to the finite dimensional representations of Lie groups and Lie algebras. Since this goal is shared by quite a few other books, we should explain in this Preface how our approach differs, although the potential reader can probably see this better by a quick browse through the book. Representation theory is simple to define: it is the study of the ways in which a given group may act on vector spaces. It is almost certainly unique, however, among such clearly delineated subjects, in the breadth of its interest to mathematicians. This is not surprising: group actions are ubiquitous in 20th century mathematics, and where the object on which a group acts is not a vector space, we have learned to replace it by one that is {e. g. , a cohomology group, tangent space, etc. }. As a consequence, many mathematicians other than specialists in the field {or even those who think they might want to be} come in contact with the subject in various ways. It is for such people that this text is designed. To put it another way, we intend this as a book for beginners to learn from and not as a reference. This idea essentially determines the choice of material covered here. As simple as is the definition of representation theory given above, it fragments considerably when we try to get more specific.

"This book succeeds brilliantly by concentrating on a number of core topics...and by treating them in a hugely rich and varied way. The author ensures that the reader will learn a large amount of classical material and perhaps more importantly, will also learn that there is no one approach to the subject. The essence lies in the range and interplay of possible approaches. The author is to be congratulated on a work of deep and enthusiastic scholarship." --MATHEMATICAL REVIEWS

The theory of schemes is the foundation for algebraic geometry proposed and elaborated by Alexander Grothendieck and his co-workers. It has allowed major progress in classical areas of algebraic geometry such as invariant theory and the moduli of curves. It integrates algebraic number theory with algebraic geometry, fulfilling the dreams of earlier generations of number theorists. This integration has led to proofs of some of the major conjectures in number theory (Deligne's proof of the Weil Conjectures, Faltings' proof of the Mordell Conjecture). This book is intended to bridge the chasm between a first course in classical algebraic geometry and a technical treatise on schemes. It focuses on examples, and strives to show "what is going on" behind the definitions. There are many exercises to test and extend the reader's understanding. The prerequisites are modest: a little commutative algebra and an acquaintance with algebraic varieties, roughly at the level of a one-semester course. The book aims to show schemes in relation to other geometric ideas, such as the theory of manifolds. Some familiarity with these ideas is helpful, though not required.

A guide to a rich and fascinating subject: algebraic curves and how they vary in families. Providing a broad but compact overview of the field, this book is accessible to readers with a modest background in algebraic geometry. It develops many techniques, including Hilbert schemes, deformation theory, stable reduction, intersection theory, and geometric invariant theory, with the focus on examples and applications arising in the study of moduli of curves. From such foundations, the book goes on to show how moduli spaces of curves are constructed, illustrates typical applications with the proofs of the Brill-Noether and Gieseker-Petri theorems via limit linear series, and surveys the most important results about their geometry ranging from irreducibility and complete subvarieties to ample divisors and Kodaira dimension. With over 180 exercises and 70 figures, the book also provides a concise introduction to the main results and open problems about important topics which are not covered in detail.

The primary goal of these lectures is to introduce a beginner to the finite-dimensional representations of Lie groups and Lie algebras. Intended to serve non-specialists, the concentration of the text is on examples. The general theory is developed sparingly, and then mainly as useful and unifying language to describe phenomena already encountered in concrete cases. The book begins with a brief tour through representation theory of finite groups, with emphasis determined by what is useful for Lie groups. The focus then turns to Lie groups and Lie algebras and finally to the heart of the course: working out the finite dimensional representations of the classical groups. The goal of the last portion of the book is to make a bridge between the example-oriented approach of the earlier parts and the general theory.

In a world where we are constantly being asked to make decisions based on incomplete information, facility with basic probability is an essential skill. This book provides a solid foundation in basic probability theory designed for intellectually curious readers and those new to the subject. Through its conversational tone and careful pacing of mathematical development, the book balances a charming style with informative discussion. This text will immerse the reader in a mathematical view of the world, giving them a glimpse into what attracts mathematicians to the subject in the first place. Rather than simply writing out and memorizing formulas, the reader will come out with an understanding of what those formulas mean, and how and when to use them. Readers will also encounter settings where probabilistic reasoning does not apply or where intuition can be misleading. This book establishes simple principles of counting collections and sequences of alternatives, and elaborates on these techniques to solve real world problems both inside and outside the casino. Pair this book with the HarvardX online course for great videos and interactive learning: https://harvardx.link/fat-chance.

This book can form the basis of a second course in algebraic geometry. As motivation, it takes concrete questions from enumerative geometry and intersection theory, and provides intuition and technique, so that the student develops the ability to solve geometric problems. The authors explain key ideas, including rational equivalence, Chow rings, Schubert calculus and Chern classes, and readers will appreciate the abundant examples, many provided as exercises with solutions available online. Intersection is concerned with the enumeration of solutions of systems of polynomial equations in several variables. It has been an active area of mathematics since the work of Leibniz. Chasles' nineteenth-century calculation that there are 3264 smooth conic plane curves tangent to five given general conics was an important landmark, and was the inspiration behind the title of this book. Such computations were motivation for Poincare's development of topology, and for many subsequent theories, so that intersection theory is now a central topic of modern mathematics.

As the Cold War widened in the 1950s, military hero George Kutter and his family trained to be legacy survivors in the event of an atomic exchange with the Soviet Union. Prepared to wait out the aftermath of nuclear war, they were subjected to myriad simulations, scenarios and stresses in hopes of helping salvage something of their family, their country and humanity from the ashes of a conflict with the Russians that never happened. But when a group of hunting buddies stumble upon an old fallout shelter buried in the present-day Pennsylvania wilderness and end up locked inside, they quickly learn that "truth" is just a matter of conditioning, while a crash course in paranoia, propaganda and control awaits. What was the nature of the secret Archonite initiative? What lengths did the United States go to in order to prepare for all-out war and its aftermath? What did the Kutter Family endure in perpetration for their duty? And if World War III never broke out... why are they still down there?

This book can form the basis of a second course in algebraic geometry. As motivation, it takes concrete questions from enumerative geometry and intersection theory, and provides intuition and technique, so that the student develops the ability to solve geometric problems. The authors explain key ideas, including rational equivalence, Chow rings, Schubert calculus and Chern classes, and readers will appreciate the abundant examples, many provided as exercises with solutions available online. Intersection is concerned with the enumeration of solutions of systems of polynomial equations in several variables. It has been an active area of mathematics since the work of Leibniz. Chasles' nineteenth-century calculation that there are 3264 smooth conic plane curves tangent to five given general conics was an important landmark, and was the inspiration behind the title of this book. Such computations were motivation for Poincare's development of topology, and for many subsequent theories, so that intersection theory is now a central topic of modern mathematics.

From John Carpenter, the man who brought you the cult classic horror film Halloween and all of the scares beyond comes 12 more twisted tales of terror, tricks, and treats. In volume 4 of the award-winning graphic novel series, Carpenter brings together another stellar ensemble of storytellers from the worlds of movies, novels and comics for another spine-tingling collection of stories that will haunt your dreams at night. We dare you to read it all the way to the end. If you get too scared, remember, it's only a comic. It's only a comic. It's only a comic... or is it? Happy Halloween!

It is the time of the great British uprising against the Roman army in the first century A.D. Celia, a new bride, is separated from her husband and must endure both the Roman occupation and her own enslavement. When she does escape she will fight back with all her power to make the Roman army pay for its treachery.

Reservations on a Cloud is about love, hurt, and happiness . It's about being utterly lost and finding that blinding light of truth and purpose.

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About the Book

Early in Joe Harris's railroad career, one of his supervisors told him, "You have to blow your own horn; nobody's going to blow it for you." Harris tried to live by these words. And in this memoir, he also describes blowing a horn of another sort--that of a railroad engineer. Hell of a Way to Run a Railroad recaps Harris's thirty-six-year stint working on the railroad--from his debut as an electrician's helper in 1969 with the Burlington Northern Railroad to becoming an engineer in 1974. In his thirty years working as a locomotive engineer, Harris hit twenty vehicles and killed three people with the train. With a focus toward safety, Harris discusses becoming a volunteer presenter with Operation Lifesaver, a program designed to help save people's lives around railroad tracks. Including a comprehensive glossary of railroad terminology, Hell of a Way to Run a Railroad presents a fascinating look into the many and varied facets of working on the railroad with both passenger trains and freight trains--from the interesting locals to the quirky co-workers.