The Shape of Space (Pure and Applied Mathematics)

Book Description

Maintaining the standard of excellence set by the previous edition, this textbook covers the basic geometry of two- and three-dimensional spaces Written by a master expositor, leading researcher in the field, and MacArthur Fellow, it includes experiments to determine the true shape of the universe and contains illustrated examples and engaging exercises that teach mind-expanding ideas in an intuitive and informal way. Bridging the gap from geometry to the latest work in observational cosmology, the book illustrates the connection between geometry and the behavior of the physical universe and explains how radiation remaining from the big bang may reveal the actual shape of the universe.

Customer Reviews:

Magic book on Topology for educated commons.......2007-08-05

This is a great book for anyone who is interest in Mathematical Topology and Cosmology Topology. This book does not require a reader to have strong mathematics knowledge. It only requires a reader to have patience to think and solve some problems in the book. The most brilliant point in this book is using diagrams to illustrate the Topology concepts, such as Manifold. This help the reader to get a "feeling" of some really difficult concepts in Topology. This book should be a classic like "Flatland".

chris tam
hong kong

The joy of math.......2007-08-02

I have a bachelors degree in Math.

As Feynman said, what we really mean by math is careful reasoning. This book brings you the joy of careful reasoning, guided by an expert.

Perhaps what turns some people off math in school is that the supreme example of careful reasoning is the mathematical PROOF. (Or perhaps it's just that most math teachers are so poor.) A proof tends to look dull and ponderous on the outside, and a student can easily miss the beauty of the underlying ideas. On the other hand, for your own amusement you can figure something out to your own satisfaction, without necessarily constructing a watertight proof. This book helps you do just that.

Many newspapers contain Sudoku problems, often with the reassuring claim that no math is required! People who hated math in school can be seen working happily on Sudoku puzzles, for the sheer joy of exercising their ability to reason carefully. The same ability would bring them far more joy while reading this book and answering the puzzles/exercises spinkled throughout.

Excellent Introduction, No Assumptions.......2007-07-05

This text is non-intimidating as an introduction to topology. Weeks carefully guides the reader through the building blocks of torii, Moebius strips, projective planes, and other surfaces. After working appropriate exercises, the reader gets a chance to visualize 3-manifolds and connected sums. Some aspects of these two topics can be difficult to explain, but analogies are applied to make understanding attainable. Further, figures and illustrations exist throughout the text, and these are definitely helpful for visualizing connected sums and non-orientable surfaces (both one-sided and two-sided).

(I especially like the approach to the Gauss-Bonet theorem using double lunes. It is a carefully crafted derivation with plenty of illustrations to avoid confusion.)

Some may think this text is too simple, but it is a "must read" for anyone who has not encountered topology and who wants to do individual research on the topic. Many texts claim to be introductory texts, but they are actually designed for those who already have a degree in math and who have seen similar subject matter. However, this one is definitely for "newbies." So don't worry.

Interesting book.......2006-11-26

This is a painless way to learn some advanced topology--or at least to gain insight. It's almost a picture book. Most problems include solutions and require only a few minutes of thought. They are also worth solving.

Now that I understand what is meant be a certain topology of the cosmos, I'm astounded that anybody actually considers it possible. Fascinating.

Easy Reading.......2006-02-20

This is a very good book for people whom have a light background in math. It is a readable book and great introduction into manifolds and torus. As a mathematican I am amazed with the quality of material, examples, and thus provide one with the ability to understand the topics. I plan to use this book and some of its topics in future teachings. Thus I recommend this book for anyone especially for people who struggle with math.

Average customer rating:

A refreshing style of writing
fun and geometric-intuition-minded

Three-Dimensional Geometry and Topology
William P. Thurston
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Shape of Space (Pure and Applied Mathematics)
Topology from the Differentiable Viewpoint
Morse Theory (Annals of Mathematic Studies AM-51)
The Knot Book
Riemannian Geometry

ASIN: 0691083045

Book Description

This book develops some of the extraordinary richness, beauty, and power of geometry in two and three dimensions, and the strong connection of geometry with topology. Hyperbolic geometry is the star. A strong effort has been made to convey not just denatured formal reasoning (definitions, theorems, and proofs), but a living feeling for the subject. There are many figures, examples, and exercises of varying difficulty.

This book was the origin of a grand scheme developed by Thurston that is now coming to fruition. In the 1920s and 1930s the mathematics of two-dimensional spaces was formalized. It was Thurston's goal to do the same for three-dimensional spaces. To do this, he had to establish the strong connection of geometry to topology--the study of qualitative questions about geometrical structures. The author created a new set of concepts, and the expression "Thurston-type geometry" has become a commonplace.

Three-Dimensional Geometry and Topology had its origins in the form of notes for a graduate course the author taught at Princeton University between 1978 and 1980. Thurston shared his notes, duplicating and sending them to whoever requested them. Eventually, the mailing list grew to more than one thousand names. The book is the culmination of two decades of research and has become the most important and influential text in the field. Its content also provided the methods needed to solve one of mathematics' oldest unsolved problems--the Poincaré Conjecture.

Thurston received the Fields Medal, the mathematical equivalent of the Nobel Prize, in 1982 for the depth and originality of his contributions to mathematics. In 1979 he was awarded the Alan T. Waterman Award, which recognizes an outstanding young researcher in any field of science or engineering supported by the National Science Foundation.

Customer Reviews:

A refreshing style of writing.......2001-06-21

Stanislaw Ulam once compared learning mathematics to learning a language, in that some people learn mathematics by "grammar" while other learn it by ear. Thurston's book is a bit like learning by ear.

fun and geometric-intuition-minded.......1998-12-23

A must for anyone entering the field of three-dimensional topology and geometry. Most of it is about hyperbolic geometry, which is the biggest area of research in 3-d geometry and topology nowdays.

Most of it is readable to undergraduates. Its target audience, though, is beginning graduate students in mathematics. If not already familiar with hyperbolic geometry, you might want to get an introduction to the subject first. Once with this background, though, you will discover there is another level of understanding of hyperbolic space you never realized was possible. One imagines Thurston able to skateboard around hyperbolic space with the kind of geometric understanding he conveys here.

Book Description

This thorough and detailed exposition is the result of an intensive month-long course sponsored by the Clay Mathematics Institute. It develops mirror symmetry from both mathematical and physical perspectives. The material will be particularly useful for those wishing to advance their understanding by exploring mirror symmetry at the interface of mathematics and physics.

This one-of-a-kind volume offers the first comprehensive exposition on this increasingly active area of study. It is carefully written by leading experts who explain the main concepts without assuming too much prerequisite knowledge. The book is an excellent resource for graduate students and research mathematicians interested in mathematical and theoretical physics.

Customer Reviews:

Detailed overview of the subject.......2005-05-16

Mirror symmetry has become an established branch of mathematics and mathematical physics, and research in the subject has resulted in brilliant developments. This sizable book contains essentially some (polished) lecture notes of a seminar series in mirror symmetry that was given in the spring of 2000. This reviewer only studied Part 5 of the book, entitled "Advanced Topics" and so only that part will be reviewed here. In addition, space constraints then dictate only a small portion of this part can be reviewed. Needless to say, any reader who intends to tackle this book will need a substantial background in modern mathematics and advanced physics, and a sizable commitment in time. The time spent is well worth it though, as both the mathematics and physics behind mirror symmetry has to rank as one of the most fascinating research topics in the last two decades.

In the chapter entitled "Topological Strings" the authors consider the functional integration of worldsheet geometries. This project involves essentially the integration over the complex structures of Riemann surfaces. Referring to this procedure as "quantum gravity", they do not address it in-depth, but instead focus on the coupling of topological sigma models to worldsheet gravity, which is called `topological string theory' in the literature. The authors first consider the case where the target is a Kahler manifold whose first Chern class is zero, since for this case the quantum cohomology ring is less easy to obtain, i.e. it can obtain contributions from holomorphic maps of any degree. Even for the case where there is no coupling to gravity, the degree 0 contribution is related to the classical intersection number. The contributions from higher degree result in the deformation of the classical cohomology ring into the quantum cohomology ring. The authors then ask whether there are any other correlators that will give nontrivial (non-zero) invariants in genus 0. Posing this question leads to the WDVV equation and the genus 0 topological string partition function. The n-point correlation functions of topological strings can then be defined as the nth partial derivatives of this function. For higher genus cases, the correlators are all zero, but the authors show the connection between the higher genus partition function and holomorphic anomalies. The case of three-dimensional Calabi-Yau manifolds is special, if one concentrates on the integration over the complex structures of the worldsheet. When the complex dimension of this moduli space is 3(g-1) then there are isolated points where holomorphic maps exist. Defining a topological string theory for Calabi-Yau threefolds is straightforward, as the author shows, and proceeds analogously to the case of topological field theory. A measure is defined on the moduli space of Riemann surfaces of genus g that cancels the axial charge anomaly. A genus g (>1) topological string amplitude, which is a section of a bundle over the moduli space of Calabi-Yau manifolds, is then obtained from this procedure. Modulo the presence of holomorphic anomalies, the authors show that the definition of topological string amplitudes is consistent with the topological symmetry. The origin of these holomorphic anomalies is discussed in fair detail by the authors, having their origin in the boundaries of the moduli space.

The rigorous mathematical formulation of mirror symmetry is of course of great interest to mathematicians. Because of its origin in string theory and quantum field theory, mirror symmetry has not yet received this kind of rigor. Chapters 37 and 38 of this book discuss some of the approaches that attempt to put mirror symmetry on a more rigorous foundation. One of these involves the use of `derived categories,' an approach that was recommended by the mathematician Maxim Kontsevich. The discussion in these chapters takes place in the context of D-branes, and Kontsevich conjectures that mirror symmetry is the equivalence of two categories: the derived category of coherent sheaves, and the category of Lagrangian submanifolds with flat U(1) connections. Specifically the equivalence entails the equivalence between the bounded derived category of coherent sheaves or `B-cycles' and the category of A-cycles with compositions defined in terms of holomorphic maps from disks. This latter category is derived from the Fukaya A-infinity category, as is shown by the authors. They discuss in detail this category, being essentially a generalization of a differential, graded algebra, especially how to obtain the compositions. In chapter 37, the authors give an explicit example of the equivalence of these categories for the case of the elliptic curve. The elliptic curve is interesting in this regard in that it is its own mirror, i.e. the complex parameter is mapped to the complexified Kahler parameter by the mirror map.

The derived category has sometimes been a stumbling block to those who want to understand the Kontsevich conjecture. The authors do not attempt to give the reader the needed insight into this kind of category, but merely take it to be a collection of all holomorphic bundles and coherent sheaves. Sheaves in this category can be subtracted from each other using a map between them. Physically, this subtraction corresponds to the annihilation of branes and anti-branes via a tachyon. Derived categories though are straightforward to think about if one views them from the standpoint of algebraic topology. Derived categories are rich enough to include notions of localization and triangulated objects (i.e. "complexes") and maps (i.e. morphisms) between these objects. This is a kind of "homology" but what is of main interest are homotopies between the morphisms. The class of homotopic morphisms between two complexes forms an abelian group and one can then obtain a category consisting of complexes as objects and classes of homotopic morphisms as morphisms. A cohomology functor can then be defined on this category, along with graded objects and differentials between them. The homotopic category can be given a "triangulation" and morphisms in this category that give rise to isomorphisms in cohomology are given special status, called `quasimorphisms.' The localization of this category with respect to quasimorphisms is called a derived category.

Average customer rating:

Great for self-study
If we make the assumption that "good book" means a book
Best Book Evar!!11!!11!
A must-have text for any grad student!
Great book

Introduction to Smooth Manifolds
John M. Lee
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Medicine | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Science | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Medicine | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Introduction to Topological Manifolds (Graduate Texts in Mathematics)
Riemannian Manifolds: An Introduction to Curvature (Graduate Texts in Mathematics)
Topology from the Differentiable Viewpoint
Riemannian Geometry
Lie Groups, Lie Algebras, and Representations: An Elementary Introduction

Accessories:

Riemannian Geometry (Graduate Texts in Mathematics)
Elementary Differential Geometry
Metric Structures for Riemannian and Non-Riemannian Spaces (Modern Birkhäuser Classics)

ASIN: 0387954481

Book Description

This book is an introductory graduate-level textbook on the theory of smooth manifolds. Its goal is to familiarize students with the tools they will need in order to use manifolds in mathematical or scientific research--- smooth structures, tangent vectors and covectors, vector bundles, immersed and embedded submanifolds, tensors, differential forms, de Rham cohomology, vector fields, flows, foliations, Lie derivatives, Lie groups, Lie algebras, and more. The approach is as concrete as possible, with pictures and intuitive discussions of how one should think geometrically about the abstract concepts, while making full use of the powerful tools that modern mathematics has to offer. Along the way, the book introduces students to some of the most important examples of geometric structures that manifolds can carry, such as Riemannian metrics, symplectic structures, and foliations. The book is aimed at students who already have a solid acquaintance with general topology, the fundamental group, and covering spaces, as well as basic undergraduate linear algebra and real analysis. John M. Lee is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he regularly teaches graduate courses on the topology and geometry of manifolds. He was the recipient of the American Mathematical Society's Centennial Research Fellowship and he is the author of two previous Springer books, Introduction to Topological Manifolds (2000) and Riemannian Manifolds: An Introduction to Curvature (1997).

Customer Reviews:

Great for self-study.......2007-09-28

I should say first that I was already familiar with manifold theory before picking up this book. I had already wrestled with some of the definitions, theorems, and whatnot, so I can't necesarily say I was a complete beginner before reading this book. Also, I'm not sure if I can say how great this book would be if you have no idea what a manifold (or tangent space, etc.) is. However, that stuff aside, this is an amazing text. I'm studying this book on my own, and it's great. The concepts are woven throughout the text instead of being lumped into chapters devoted to them (though some people might prefer the latter). Also, they're used to reinforce and build on each other.

As an example, Spivak doesn't treat Lie groups until the second to last chapter. Lee introduces them in the second chapter, uses them as examples throughout the text, builds up the theory of Lie groups as the book goes on, uses Lie groups (and their actions on other manifolds) in developing certain other areas (it really streamlines the development) and ends with a nice big chapter on them. Of course, this is just one example.

Lee developes manifold theory so that it would appeal to a physicist, geometer, algebraist, topologist, etc. Everything gets talked about! This means, however, that he can't treat any one subject in too much detail. For instance, he leaves curvature and other parts of Riemannian geometry to his other Riemannian Geometry text, but it's definitely worth the trade off. This book trashes Spivak. Buy it today!

If we make the assumption that "good book" means a book.......2007-07-24

that lends itself to self-studying then this is not a good book, but excellent. All complaints reported in other reviews are actually answered in the preface: the book is about the mathematical machinery ordinated under the title smooth manifold theory. It is not a book on riemannian geometry that's why there is no extensive treatment of metrics or any treatment of connections. Each topic comes up whenever the prerequisite tools are built and enough motivation can be given, that's why it is a pleasure to read this book. If you like encyclopedic expositions there are plenty of them out there. It is obvious that the author belongs to that group of people who like to excel in whatever they do. All books written by J.M. Lee not only teach you the subject of their titles but also how to write a book if it happens to reach that point in your mathematical career. They are in some sense both books and meta-books on mathematics :)
This review is not intended to comment on other reviews, but let us be honest and agree on the fact that an author never faces the danger of being too clear: as to the length and the pace of the book, I wish this book were only one volume of a series from the same author starting with topology and culminating with the interplay of differential geometry and pdes. There is a drawback however, reasonably not anticipated. Most math books are not written to be actually read (aphoristic but true). This book makes an exception and thus the usual binding proves insufficient quickly. A hardcover version would be convenient. Suggestion for "clever" math students: learn the stuff from Lee and then pretend you are reading Lang's "introduction"...

Best Book Evar!!11!!11!.......2007-03-30

I really like this book. Physically, it looks much like Lang's algebra book, but I assure you that it contains none of the snide remarks. Though, it does have a picture of the author in a berra which is odd. I'm sure I mis-spelled that, but it's the french hat that people like to use to make fun of artist types.

In any case, this book is long and contains a lot of problems for you to do. Unfortunately I do not do them, but that is a different story. I'm nowhere near finishing all the stuff this book has to tell me, but whenever I need to find something I don't know this book tends to have it. The index is great. It might be the best of any book I've used. The greatness of this book is a little surprising juxtaposed with Lee's book on Riemannian geometry which is not exceptional.

Since this book is so large, and it says it's a graduate math book right on the cover, I like to take it out with me when I go out on the town. I find it's a great ice breaker with the ladies. I only wish it was the nice burnt orange of the newer springer books.

All in all, this is a great book, and really puts Spivak to shame.

A must-have text for any grad student!.......2007-02-11

We're using Gullemin and Pollack's text for our differential topology course. I found it rather difficult to learn from it. A friend of mine strongly recommended this book by Lee (actually, he recommended the whole series.) The definitions are concrete, and the proofs are rigorous. Lee provides some great motivations for the ideas presented in this text. Ultimately, I find that it's a well written topology book and should be on any mathematicians bookshelf.

Great book.......2005-10-27

It's very readable. He has a good descriptive, conversational style. It's also very thorough. For example after he gives his definitions of the tangent space he copmares and it to the competitors and shows equivalence. There is plenty of work in coordinates but things are defined in the proper coordinate invariant ways. Nice coverage of vector bundles and a whole chaptor on the cotangent bundle which is nice.

Lots of Lie groups... he introduces symplectic manifolds and talks about Hamiltonian mechanics on the cotangent bundle. What I'm saying is all and all he talks about a lot of wicked good stuff.

One warning: The word transversality appears I believe once in the whole book and that's in an exercise. Intersection theory does not seem to be covered at all. That's not a complaint. That stuff is in lots of good books that don't go anywhere near a lot of the things that are in Lee's book. I'm just saying if you are thinking of using this as a reference for a course that has transversality on the syllabus you will need a second book. Let's say Hirsch's differential topology for the classic, or Guillemin and Pollack's book by the same name for something that doesn't have function spaces as it's second chapter.

So yeah. Good book. Thanks Dr. Lee.

Riemannian Manifolds: An Introduction to Curvature (Graduate Texts in Mathematics)

Average customer rating:

As always
Nice graduate text.
A nice modern treatment.
Excellent reading, even for a layman!

Riemannian Manifolds: An Introduction to Curvature (Graduate Texts in Mathematics)
John M. Lee
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Deals | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Science | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Science | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Introduction to Smooth Manifolds
Introduction to Topological Manifolds (Graduate Texts in Mathematics)
Riemannian Geometry
Foundations of Differentiable Manifolds and Lie Groups (Graduate Texts in Mathematics)
Morse Theory (Annals of Mathematic Studies AM-51)

ASIN: 0387983228

Book Description

This text is designed for a one-quarter or one-semester graduate couse in Riemannian geometry. It focuses on developing an intimate acquaintance with the geometric meaning of curvature and thereby introduces and demonstrates all the main technical tools needed for a more advanced course on Riemannian manifolds. The book begins with a careful treatment of the machinery of metrics, connections, and geodesics, and then introduces the Riemann curvature tensor, before moving on the submanifold theory, in order to give the curvature tensor a concrete quantitative interpretation. The remainder of the text is devoted to proving the four most fundamental theorems relating curvature and topology: the Gauss-Bonnet Theorem, the Cartan-Hadamard Theorem, Bonnet's Theorem, and a special case of the Cartan-Ambrose- Hicks Theorem. This unique volume will especially appeal to students by presenting a selective introduction to the main ides of the subject in an easily accessible way. The material is ideal for a single course, but broad enough to provide students with a firm foundation from which to pursue research or develop applications in Riemannian geometry and other fields that use its tools. Of special interest are the "exercises" and "problems" dispersed throughout the text. The exercises are carefully chosen and timed so as to give the reader opportunities to review material that hasjust been introduced, to practice working with the definitions, and to develop skills that are used later in the book. The problems that conclude the chapters are generally more difficult. They not only introduce new mateiral not covered in the body of the text, but they also provide the students with indispensable practice in using the

Customer Reviews:

As always.......2007-09-03

prof. Lee sets the norm of mathematical exposition. I would give it 5 stars if it were several hundred pages thicker. There is so much to say about riemannian manifolds and it would be a pleasure to see them under the light prf. Lee sheds on such difficult concepts.

Nice graduate text........2007-03-30

I used this book to teach about half a year of a graduate Riemannian manifolds course. It is a very good introductory text. I wish it has a bit more background on curves and surfaces, but otherwise it was excellent. It doesn't get into a lot of more advanced topics, but the treatment of Jacobi fields and so forth is really good.

A nice modern treatment........2005-10-27

I just got this fella, and I'm really just through the first four chaptors but so far I'm very pleased. He really tries to tie the definitions and theorems to something you can think about. He gives three "model spaces", the n-sphere, R^n, and hyperbolic space and keeps coming beck to them as he does new things. I like that after he defines connections he shows some in R^n. You know, things like that. Anyway, I'm not a specialist but this seems to me as good an introduction to Reimannian curvature as you could ask for. At least as good in my opinion as Del Carmo's book.

So thanks again Dr. Lee. You keep writing them and we'll keep reading them.

Excellent reading, even for a layman!.......2005-10-20

I never had much use for formal education and quit school back in the 10th grade. I work on the line at a fish cannery and do an honest day's work for an honest day's wage. I don't understand people who make a living sitting around all day just thinking or writing things. What's getting made? How do you just think about things and expect people to pay you for it?

Normally I kick back with a cold brew and whatever sports is playing on the tube. Last book I read was in school. I was too busy with football, basketball and girls to waste time with studying. So you might think, what in the world would make me pick up "Riemannian Manifolds" and start reading a graduate text in mathematics? I don't know, something about the title just grabbed me.

You know what? It's a pretty good book. I'm not saying I understood everything Mr. Lee was talking about. I mean, I sorta remember stuff like algebra and geometry and triangles and proofs and things like that, and all that math stuff helped me get through the first four chapters. But when I got to chapter 5, talking about Riemannian geodesics, I got kinda lost. I took a piece of string, used it to connect two cities on a globe, and then I understood. After that, the book picked up pace and finished really strong with comparisons of manifolds on both positive and negative curvatures. I'm thinking I'll read "The Laplacian on a Riemannian Manifold" next. Who ever thought all this math stuff could be so interesting?

Manifolds, Tensor Analysis, and Applications (Applied Mathematical Sciences)

Average customer rating:

A complete book by very erudite authors
A Unique Reference
mixed bag: many virtues but many weaknesses
Poorly writen, filled with errors, very long, poorly indexed

Manifolds, Tensor Analysis, and Applications (Applied Mathematical Sciences)
Ralph Abraham , Jerrold E. Marsden , and Tudor Ratiu
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Mathematical Analysis | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Science | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Fundamentals of Differential Geometry (Graduate Texts in Mathematics)
Calculus of Variations
Calculus on Manifolds: A Modern Approach to Classical Theorems of Advanced Calculus
An Introduction to Differentiable Manifolds and Riemannian Geometry, Revised (Pure and Applied Mathematics)
Differential Geometry, Lie Groups, and Symmetric Spaces (Graduate Studies in Mathematics)

ASIN: 0387967907

Book Description

The purpose of this book is to provide core material in nonlinear analysis for mathematicians, physicists, engineers, and mathematical biologists. The main goal is to provide a working knowledge of manifolds, dynamical systems, tensors, and differential forms. Some applications to Hamiltonian mechanics, fluid mechanics, electromagnetism, plasma dynamics and control theory are given using both invariant and index notation. The prerequisites required are solid undergraduate courses in linear algebra and advanced calculus.

Customer Reviews:

A complete book by very erudite authors.......2002-04-07

I actually read this entire book--it is quite long and dense. Actually I took the course from the author Jerry Marsden at Caltech and Tutor (Jerry's friend and co-author) gave a guest lecture while visiting. We flew through the entire thing and ch 9 on lie groups of his mechanics and symmetry text in a short 10 weeks! My background in math was relatively weak when taking the course so it was a little hard to keep up; i.e. I came from an engineering background. Anyway, it is probably the most complete/diverse text I've come across on the subject. Of course, it's actually more of a monograph than a text. Since I've read the whole thing, I have to admit there are "several" typos. But as it is that most people can't even write a damn email without a typo or two, the book really does a good job considering it is 800 pages of mostly dense mathematical rigor. I imagine that if I wrote 800 pages of mathematical symbols in latex, that I might forget a tilde or put something as subscript that should have been superscript here or there! None of these errors really matter too much-they should not hinder one's understanding. All and all I think that this book is a great ref, although I've never seen the index, if one exists. For the beginner, also check out Boothby's book, which covers a lot of the same material but tones it down a bit.

A Unique Reference.......2000-10-10

Students of mathematical physics in general, and general relativity in particular, face a formidable challenge in attempting to find coherent, readable references on manifold theory and tensor analysis. I think it fair to say that for every well-written work on the subject, there are ten that do more damage than good. Very few texts can claim to (1) be clear enough to assist the person who is studying alone, (2) offer valuable PHYSICAL insight into the subject, and (3) pass the standards of rigor that mathematicians would impose. Abraham, Marsden, and Ratiu manage to accomplish all three of these goals in this profoundly useful text. I studied from the first edition and I have taught from the second. The two chapters on differential forms, Hodge star duality, integration on manifolds, and the generalized Stokes' Theorem alone are worth the price of the entire book. I am unaware of any other reference which which treats differential forms with the same combination of clarity, physical motivation, and mathematical rigor. The concluding chapter on applications offers one of the clearest introductions to the relativistic form of Maxwell's equations to be found in any text. For students of physics who want to see the mathematics "done right," one would be hard pressed to do better than Abraham, Marsden, and Ratiu.

mixed bag: many virtues but many weaknesses.......2000-02-18

I took a course taught by the 3rd author (Tudor Ratiu) at UCSC using this book; I found both good and bad in it. Much of the bad for me was overcome by the inspiring and energetic presentation by one of the authors. One may view this book as basically a detailed elaboration of the "preliminary" chapters of the book "Foundations of Mechanics" by the 1st 2 authors. The strengths of this book are (a) the treatment which is general enough to include infinite-dimensional manifolds and not just the finite-dimensional case (most books just talk about the finite-dim'l case) and (b) the attempt to cover all theorems "full strength" (in the greatest generality obtaining the strongest conclusions from the weakest hypotheses). Neither of these (not counting the many typos) recommends this as a first or even second text for students, but it's hard to find any other books that treat the material at the same level of generality and precision, which is a must if attempting "hard" global analysis in areas such as fluid mechanics (from a geometric point of view). Correction of the many typos could make this an indispensable reference book for those requiring the techniques discussed. More discussion of finite-dimensional examples before jumping to infinite-dimensional ones (e.g. discussing finite-dimensional Grassmannians before jumping to the infinite-dimensional Banach manifold version) could make this into a tolerable text.

As it is, it's problematic, aggravating, and not for the faint of heart, but not without its virtues.

Possible alternatives for the infinite-dimensional point of view are Lang's manifolds book or some volume of the expensive multi-volume treatise on analysis by Dieudonne.

Poorly writen, filled with errors, very long, poorly indexed.......1999-09-21

We used this book in a graduate course at UCLA. The professor had to hand out a list of all the errors we encountered, and it was about ten pages typewritten. The professor, Geoff Mess, wrote at the top of this list that many of the students had complained about this book, and that it was a disappointment to him as well. I often found myself scanning hundreds of pages in search of what should have been contained in their sparse index. The book is unnecessarily long and wordy for the matter covered. In the introduction, the authors mention that they invite comments from the readers. It seems that they depend on their readers to correct their copious errors and their poor writing.

Geometry of Differential Forms (Translations of Mathematical Monographs, Vol. 201) (Translations of Mathematical Monographs)

Average customer rating:

Self contained introduction to techniques of classifying manifolds.
A very good book.

Geometry of Differential Forms (Translations of Mathematical Monographs, Vol. 201) (Translations of Mathematical Monographs)
Shigeyuki Morita
Manufacturer: American Mathematical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Mathematical Analysis | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Geometry of Physics: An Introduction, Second Edition
A Geometric Approach to Differential Forms
Geometry, Topology and Physics, Second Edition (Graduate Student Series in Physics)
Riemannian Manifolds: An Introduction to Curvature (Graduate Texts in Mathematics)
Differential Forms in Algebraic Topology (Graduate Texts in Mathematics)

ASIN: 0821810456

Book Description

Since the times of Gauss, Riemann, and Poincaré, one of the principal goals of the study of manifolds has been to relate local analytic properties of a manifold with its global topological properties. Among the high points on this route are the Gauss-Bonnet formula, the de Rham complex, and the Hodge theorem; these results show, in particular, that the central tool in reaching the main goal of global analysis is the theory of differential forms.

The book by Morita is a comprehensive introduction to differential forms. It begins with a quick introduction to the notion of differentiable manifolds and then develops basic properties of differential forms as well as fundamental results concerning them, such as the de Rham and Frobenius theorems. The second half of the book is devoted to more advanced material, including Laplacians and harmonic forms on manifolds, the concepts of vector bundles and fiber bundles, and the theory of characteristic classes. Among the less traditional topics treated is a detailed description of the Chern-Weil theory.

The book can serve as a textbook for undergraduate students and for graduate students in geometry.

Customer Reviews:

Self contained introduction to techniques of classifying manifolds........2007-01-10

This text is phenomenally easy to read and well organized. The author starts you on a journey by first explaining the importance and power of classifying manifolds namely by certain invariants preserved by certain mappings ( diffeomorphisms ).

For example, like Euler, we could count the number of holes in the surface and using this combinatorial method we are led to homology theory.

Or like Gauss, we could use a differentiation and integration to come up with the idea of curvature as an intrinsic feature of the surface.

Modern approaches use differential forms to represent homology and cohomoly groups.

The author also deals with fibre bundles demonstrating their importance in analyzing manifolds specifically how the number of fibre bundles possible with given Lie groups as structure groups over the manifold can be answered by characteristic classes such as the Chern and Pontrjagin classes. The use of differential forms is indispensible.

Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of this book is that it clarifies the notions of connection, connection form, curvature, curvature form for manifolds and fibre bundles.

There are plenty of exercises to boot.

A very good book........2005-03-28

This is probably the most clearly written self-contained book on the basics of differential geometry. The author does a great job explaining the ideas behind purely mathematical 'dry' constructions. On the other hand, everything is defined correctly and precisely. A very readable and useful book with the perfect combination of formal math. and intuition. I would recommend it to students in theoretical physics area, together with the Nakahara's fantastic book.

The Geometry of Four-Manifolds (Oxford Mathematical Monographs)

Average customer rating:

An excellent summary of Donaldson theory

The Geometry of Four-Manifolds (Oxford Mathematical Monographs)
S. K. Donaldson , and P. B. Kronheimer
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Topological Quantum Field Theory and Four Manifolds (Mathematical Physics Studies)
Spin Geometry. (PMS-38)
Principles of Algebraic Geometry
Complex Geometry: An Introduction (Universitext)
K-Theory (On Demand Printing of 09394) (Advanced Book Classics)

ASIN: 0198502699

Book Description

This book provides the first lucid and accessible account to the modern study of the geometry of four-manifolds. It has become required reading for postgraduates and research workers whose research touches on this topic. Pre-requisites are a firm grounding in differential topology, and geometry as may be gained from the first year of a graduate course. The subject matter of this book is the most significant breakthrough in mathematics of the last fifty years, and Professor Donaldson won a Fields medal for his work in the area. The authors start from the standpoint that the fundamental group and intersection form of a four-manifold provides information about its homology and characteristic classes, but little of its differential topology. It turns out that the classification up to diffeomorphism of four-manifolds is very different from the classification of unimodular forms and that the study of this question leads naturally to the new Donaldson invariants of four-manifolds. A central theme of this book is that the appropriate geometrical tools for investigating these questions come from mathematical physics: the Yang-Mills theory and anti-self dual connections over four-manifolds. One of the many consquences of this theory is that 'exotic' smooth manifolds exist which are homeomorphic but not diffeomorphic to (4, and that large classes of forms cannot be realized as intersection forms whereas distinct manifolds may share the same form. These result have had far-reaching consequences in algebraic geometry, topology, and mathematical physics, and will continue to be a mainspring of mathematical research for years to come.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent summary of Donaldson theory.......2000-06-16

This book brings together the brilliant work Donaldson did at Oxford during the early 1980s. The unique properties of 4-manifolds are clearly and concisely written out with concentration on explaining field theories like Yang-Mills and gauge theory with a truly firm mathematical foundation, presented in a book for the first time. A great companion for any researcher in the field of geometry and topology, or even loop quantum gravity!

The Hauptvermutung Book: A Collection of Papers on the Topology of Manifolds (K-Monographs in Mathematics)

Average customer rating:

The Hauptvermutung Book: A Collection of Papers on the Topology of Manifolds (K-Monographs in Mathematics)
A.J. Casson , D.P. Sullivan , M.A. Armstrong , C.P. Rourke , and G.E. Cooke
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Mathematical Analysis | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0792341740

Book Description

The Hauptvermutung is the conjecture that any two triangulations of a polyhedron are combinatorially equivalent. This conjecture was formulated at the turn of the century, and until its resolution was a central problem of topology. Initially, it was verified for low-dimensional polyhedra, and it might have been expected that further development of high-dimensional topology would lead to a verification in all dimensions. However, in 1961 Milnor constructed high-dimensional polyhedra with combinatorially inequivalent triangulations, disproving the Hauptvermutung in general. Then, the development of surgery theory led to the disproof of the high-dimensional manifold Hauptvermutung in the late 1960s.
Up to now, the published record of the Hauptvermutung has been incomplete. This volume brings together the original papers of Casson and Sullivan (1967), and the `Princeton Notes on the Hauptvermutung' of Armstrong, Rourke and Cooke (1968/1972). They include several results which have become part of mathematical folklore, but of which proofs had never been published. The material is complemented by an introduction on the Hauptvermutung and an account of recent developments in the area. Also, references have been updated wherever possible.
Audience: This book will be valuable to all mathematicians interested in the topology of manifolds, geometry, and differential geometry.

Some Nonlinear Problems in Riemannian Geometry (Springer Monographs in Mathematics)

Average customer rating:

Some Nonlinear Problems in Riemannian Geometry (Springer Monographs in Mathematics)
Thierry Aubin
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Mathematical Analysis | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Science | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

A Course in Differential Geometry (Graduate Studies in Mathematics)

ASIN: 3540607528

Book Description

During the last few years, the field of nonlinear problems has undergone great development. This book consisting of the updated Grundlehren volume 252 by the author and of a newly written part, deals with some important geometric problems that are of interest to many mathematicians and scientists but have only recently been partially solved. Each problem is explained, up-to-date results are given and proofs are presented. Thus, the reader is given access, for each specific problem, to its present status of solution as well as to the most up-to-date methods for approaching it. The main objective of the book is to explain some methods and new techniques, and to apply them. It deals with such important subjects as variational methods, the continuity method, parabolic equations on fiber.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books