Following closely behind is y, or gamma, a constant that arises in many mathematical areas yet maintains a profound sense of mystery. In a tantalizing blend of history and mathematics, Julian Havil takes the reader on a journey through logarithms and the harmonic series, the two defining elements of gamma, toward the first account of gamma's place in mathematics. Introduced by the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), who figures prominently in this book, gamma is defined as the limit of the sum of 1 + 1/2 + 1/3 + . . . Up to 1/n, minus the natural logarithm of n--the numerical value being 0.5772156. . . . But unlike its more celebrated colleagues π and e, the exact nature of gamma remains a mystery--we don't even know if gamma can be expressed as a fraction. Among the numerous topics that arise during this historical odyssey into fundamental mathematical ideas are the Prime Number Theorem and the most important open problem in mathematics today--the Riemann Hypothesis (though no proof of either is offered!). Sure to be popular with not only students and instructors but all math aficionados, Gamma takes us through countries, centuries, lives, and works, unfolding along the way the stories of some remarkable mathematics from some remarkable mathematicians.-- "Notices of the American Mathematical Society"

    Learn the Alphabet and pronunciation as well as useful phrases in 8 categories, such as greetings, travel and directions, making friends to business and emergencies. Download, read and enjoy your vacation like never before.

    Using playing cards, a newspaper, the back of an envelope, a Sudoku, some pennies and of course a pair of socks, Rob Eastaway shows how maths can demonstrate its secret beauties in even the most mundane of everyday objects. Among the many fascinating curiosities in these pages, you will discover the strange link between limericks and rabbits, an apparently 'fair' coin game where the odds are massively in your favour, why tourist boards can't agree on where the centre of Britain is, and how simple paper folding can lead to a Jurassic Park monster. With plenty of ideas you'll want to test out for yourself, this engaging and refreshing look at mathematics is for everyone.

    All chapters are supplemented by thought-provoking problems. A useful work for graduate-level students with backgrounds in computer science, operations research, and electrical engineering. "Mathematicians wishing a self-contained introduction need look no further." — American Mathematical Monthly.

    Worked examples and exercises support the text. An ELBS/LPBB edition is available.

    Fully revised to meet the needs of the wide range of students beginning engineering courses, this edition has an extended Foundation section including new chapters on graphs, trigonometry, binomial series and functions and a CD-ROM

    In the four main sections of the book, Stein tells the stories of the mathematical thinkers who discerned some of the most fundamental aspects of our universe. From their successes and failures, delusions, and even duels, the trajectories of their innovations—and their impact on society—are traced in this fascinating narrative. Quantum mechanics, space-time, chaos theory and the workings of complex systems, and the impossibility of a "perfect" democracy are all here. Stein's book is both mind-bending and practical, as he explains the best way for a salesman to plan a trip, examines why any thought you could have is imbedded in the number π , and—perhaps most importantly—answers one of the modern world's toughest questions: why the garage can never get your car repaired on time.Friendly, entertaining, and fun, How Math Explains the World is the first book by one of California's most popular math teachers, a veteran of both "math for poets" and Princeton's Institute for Advanced Studies. And it's perfect for any reader wanting to know how math makes both science and the world tick.

    Subsequent sections deal with integrating factors; dilution and accretion problems; linearization of first order systems; Laplace Transforms; Newton's Interpolation Formulas, more.

    This gorgeous book features clear, entertaining, and enlightening commentary alongside stunning full-color illustrations by Venezuelan artist and architect Rafael Araujo. From the pyramids of Giza, to quasicrystals, to the proportions of the human face, the golden ratio has an infinite capacity to generate shapes with exquisite properties.  With its lush format and layflat dimensions that closely approximate the golden ratio, this is the ultimate coffee table book for math enthusiasts, architects, designers, and fans of sacred geometry.

    Indeed, such equations are crucial to mathematical physics. Although simplifications can be made that reduce these equations to ordinary differential equations, nevertheless the complete description of physical systems resides in the general area of partial differential equations.This highly useful text shows the reader how to formulate a partial differential equation from the physical problem (constructing the mathematical model) and how to solve the equation (along with initial and boundary conditions). Written for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, as well as professionals working in the applied sciences, this clearly written book offers realistic, practical coverage of diffusion-type problems, hyperbolic-type problems, elliptic-type problems, and numerical and approximate methods. Each chapter contains a selection of relevant problems (answers are provided) and suggestions for further reading.

    Hungarian-born Erdős believed that the meaning of life was to prove and conjecture. His work in the United States and all over the world has earned him the titles of the century's leading number theorist and the most prolific mathematician who ever lived. Erdős's important work has proved pivotal to the development of computer science, and his unique personality makes him an unforgettable character in the world of mathematics. Incapable of the smallest of household tasks and having no permanent home or job, he was sustained by the generosity of colleagues and by his own belief in the beauty of numbers. Witty and filled with the sort of mathematical puzzles that intrigued Erdős and continue to fascinate mathematicians today, My Brain Is Open is the story of this strange genius and a journey in his footsteps through the world of mathematics, where universal truths await discovery like hidden treasures and where brilliant proofs are poetry.

    This book covers relevant geometric principles and how to represent objects algebraically so they can be computed and applied. Recent major developments in the theory and practice of scene reconstruction are described in detail in a unified framework. Richard Hartley and Andrew Zisserman provide comprehensive background material and explain how to apply the methods and implement the algorithms. First Edition HB (2000): 0-521-62304-9

    In this simple pattern beginning with two ones, each succeeding number is the sum of the two numbers immediately preceding it (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, ad infinitum). Far from being just a curiosity, this sequence recurs in structures found throughout nature - from the arrangement of whorls on a pinecone to the branches of certain plant stems. All of which is astounding evidence for the deep mathematical basis of the natural world. With admirable clarity, two veteran math educators take us on a fascinating tour of the many ramifications of the Fibonacci numbers. They begin with a brief history of a distinguished Italian discoverer, who, among other accomplishments, was responsible for popularizing the use of Arabic numerals in the West. Turning to botany, the authors demonstrate, through illustrative diagrams, the unbelievable connections between Fibonacci numbers and natural forms (pineapples, sunflowers, and daisies are just a few examples). In art, architecture, the stock market, and other areas of society and culture, they point out numerous examples of the Fibonacci sequence as well as its derivative, the "golden ratio." And of course in mathematics, as the authors amply demonstrate, there are almost boundless applications in probability, number theory, geometry, algebra, and Pascal's triangle, to name a few.Accessible and appealing to even the most math-phobic individual, this fun and enlightening book allows the reader to appreciate the elegance of mathematics and its amazing applications in both natural and cultural settings.

    An extremely clever account.--The New Yorker.

    Just read this till the end You don’t have to buy this book. Just read this till end & you will learn something that will change the way you do math forever. Warning: I am revealing this secret only to the first set of readers who will buy this book & plan to put this secret back inside the book once I have enough sales. So read this until the very end while you still can.School taught you the wrong way to do mathThe way you were taught to do math, uses a lot of working memory. Working memory is the short term memory used to complete a mental task. You struggle because trying to do mental math the way you were taught in school, overloads your working memory. Let me show you what I mean with an example:Try to multiply the 73201 x 3. To do this you multiply the following:1 x 3 =0 x 3 =2 x 3 =3 x 3 =7 x 3 =This wasn’t hard, & it might have taken you just seconds to multiply the individual numbers. However, to get the final answer, you need to remember every single digit you calculated to put them back together. It takes effort to get the answer because you spend time trying to recall the numbers you already calculated. Math would be easier to do in your head if you didn’t have to remember so many numbers. Imagine when you tried to multiply 73201 x 3, if you could have come up with the answer, in the time it took you to multiply the individual numbers. Wouldn’t you have solved the problem faster than the time it would have taken you to punch in the numbers inside a calculator? Do the opposite of what you were taught in schoolThe secret of doing mental math is to calculate from left to right instead of from right to left. This is the opposite of what you were taught in school. This works so well because it frees your working memory almost completely. It is called the LR Method where LR stands for Left to Right.Lets try to do the earlier example where we multiplied 73201 x 3. This time multiply from left to right, so we get:7 x 3 = 213 x 3 = 93 x 2 = 60 x 3 = 03 x 1 = 3Notice that you started to call out the answer before you even finished the whole multiplication problem. You don’t have to remember a thing to recall & use later. So you end up doing math a lot faster. The Smart ChoiceYou could use what you learnt & apply it to solve math in the future. This might not be easy, because we just scratched the surface. I've already done the work for you. Why try to reinvent the wheel, when there is already a proven & tested system you can immediately apply. This book was first available in video format & has helped 10,000+ students from 132 countries. It is available at ofpad.com/mathcourse to enroll. This book was written to reach students who consume the information in text format. You can use the simple techniques in this book to do math faster than a calculator effortlessly in your head, even if you have no aptitude for math to begin with.Imagine waking up tomorrow being able to do lightning fast math in your head. Your family & friends will look at you like you are some kind of a genius. Since calculations are done in your head, you will acquire better mental habits in the process. So you will not just look like a genius. You will actually be one. Limited Time BonusWeekly training delivered through email for $97 is available for free as a bonus at the end of this book for the first set of readers. Once we have enough readers, this bonus will be charged $97. Why Price Is So LowThis book is priced at a ridiculous discount only to get our first set of readers. When we have enough readers the price will go up.