Kaluza, Roman

Through a Reporter's Eyes
The Life of Stefan Banach

2005, X, 138 p., Softcover
ISBN: 0-8176-4371-0

About this biography

1995 marked the 50th anniversary of Stefan Banach's death. Until now, the general English speaking public has had no access to an in-depth life story of a mathematician whose name is one of those most often encountered in modern mathematical research. This small volume, originally written in Polish by a well-known reporter, is an effort to fill that gap in the biographical literature. It is based on original archival sources, dozens of interviews with people who knew and remember Banach, and conversations with mathematicians who are familiar with Banach's work and its impact on modern mathematics. The author presents engaging descriptions of Banach's personality and the unusual milieu in which he worked. Further, Chapter V focuses on the famous Scottish cafe, which like Banach himself, has achieved a mythical dimension in mathematical lore. The English edition has been revised to include new materials and many photographs, and to reflect the interests of a broader international audience.

Table of contents

Translator and editors' preface.- Foreword.- Beginnings and premonitions.- The "greatest discovery" of Hugo Steinhaus.- Lvov and mathematics.- Studia Mathematica and Operations Lineaires.- The Scottish Cafe.- Banach privately and in daily life.- The last years.- In the eyes of friends and followers.- Appendix 1: Mathematics in Stefan Banach's times / W.A. Woyczynski.- Appendix 2: Selected publications of Stefan Banach.- Appendix 3: Bibliography.- Index of Names.

Kulish, Petr P.; Manojlovic, Nenad; Samtleben, Henning (Eds.)

Infinite Dimensional Algebras and Quantum Integrable Systems

Series: Progress in Mathematics, Vol. 237
2005, VIII, 264 p., Hardcover
ISBN: 3-7643-7215-X

About this book

This volume presents the invited lectures of the workshop "Infinite Dimensional Algebras and Quantum Integrable Systems'' held in July 2003 at the University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal, as a satellite workshop of the XIV International Congress on Mathematical Physics. Recent developments in the theory of infinite dimensional algebras and their applications to quantum integrable systems are reviewed by some of the leading experts in the field. The volume will be of interest to a broad audience, from graduate students to researchers in mathematical physics and related fields.

Table of contents

Preface.- Gaudin Model and Opers.- Integrable Models with Unstable Particles.- Quantum Reduction in the Twisted Case.- Representation Theory and Quantum Integrability.- Connecting Lattice and Relativistic Models via Conformal Field Theory.- Elliptic Spectral Parameter and Infinite Dimensional Grassmann Variety.- Trigonometric Degeneration and Orbifold Wess-Zumino-Witten Model.- Well-Petersson Geometry of the Universal Teichmuller Space.- Duality for Knizhinik-Zamolodchikov and Dynamical Equations, and Hypergeometric Integrals.

Edwards, Harold M.

Linear Algebra

2005, XIV, 184 p., Softcover
ISBN: 0-8176-4370-2

About this textbook

In his new undergraduate textbook, Harold M. Edwards proposes a radically new and thoroughly algorithmic approach to linear algebra. Originally inspired by the constructive philosophy of mathematics championed in the 19th century by Leopold Kronecker, the approach is well suited to students in the computer-dominated late 20th century.

Each proof is an algorithm described in English that can be translated into the computer language the class is using and put to work solving problems and generating new examples, making the study of linear algebra a truly interactive experience.

Designed for a one-semester course, this text adopts an algorithmic approach to linear algebra giving the student many examples to work through and copious exercises to test their skills and extend their knowledge of the subject. Students at all levels will find much interactive instruction in this text while teachers will find stimulating examples and methods of approach to the subject.

Table of contents

Preface.- Matrix Multiplication.- Equivalence of Matrices. Reduction to Diagonal Form.- Matrix Division.- Determinants.- Testing for Equivalence.- Matrices With Rational Number Entries.- The Method of Least Squares.- Matrices with Polynomial Entries.- Similarity of Matrices.- The Spectral Theorem.- Appendix: Linear Programming.

Rohwer, Carl

Nonlinear Smoothing and Multiresolution Analysis

Series: International Series of Numerical Mathematics, Vol. 150
2005, Approx. 160 p., Hardcover
ISBN: 3-7643-7229-X

About this book

This monograph presents a new theory for analysis, comparison and design of nonlinear smoothers, linking to established practices. Although a part of mathematical morphology, the special properties yield many simple, powerful and illuminating results leading to a novel nonlinear multiresolution analysis with pulses that may be as natural to vision as wavelet analysis is to acoustics. Similar to median transforms, they have the advantages of a supporting theory, computational simplicity, remarkable consistency, full trend preservation, and a Parceval-type identity.

Table of contents

Foreword.- Introduction.- Operators on Sequences.- Basic Rank Selectors, Pulses and Impulses.- LULU-Smoothers, Signals and Ambiguity.- LULU-Intervals and Similar Smoothers.- Smoothing and Approximation with Signals.- Variation Reduction and Shape Preservation.- Multiresolution Analysis of Sequences.- The Discrete Pulse Transform.- Fair Comparison with Linear Smoothers.- Interpretation and Future.- Bibliography.

Mache, Detlef H.; Szabados, Jozsef; Bruin, Marcel G. de (Eds.)

Trends and Applications in Constructive Approximation

Series: International Series of Numerical Mathematics, Vol. 151
2005, XVIII, 286 p., Hardcover
ISBN: 3-7643-7124-2

About this book

This volume contains contributions from international experts in the fields of constructive approximation. This area has reached out to encompass the computational and approximation-theoretical aspects of various interesting fields in applied mathematics such as (multivariate) approximation methods, quasi-interpolation,and approximation by (orthogonal) polynomials, as well as the modern mathematical developments in neuro fuzzy approximation, RBF-networks, industrial and engineering applications.

Table of contents

Preface.- Articles by: Adell, Lekuona, Altomare, Rasa, Braess, de Bruin, Mache, Catinas, Davydov, Sestini, Morandi, Igel, Wiegand, Friedrichs, Meyer, Mazure, Mhaskar, Michels, Obermaier, Szwarc, Platte, Kuzmin, Fredebeul, Turek, Rasa, Sablonniere, Szabados, Toussaint, Weishui, Della Vecchia, Mastroianni and Vertesi