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This series is devoted to significant topics or themes that have wide application in mathematics or mathematical science and for which a detailed development of the abstract theory is less important than a thorough and concrete exploration of the implications and applications. Books in The Encyclopedia of Mathematics and Its Applications cover their subject comprehensively. Less important results may be summarized as exercises at the ends of chapters. For technicalities, readers can be referred to the bibliography, which is expected to be comprehensive. As a result, volumes are encyclopedic references or manageable guides to major subjects.

  • Editorial Boards: R. Doran, M. Ismail, T.-Y. Lam, E. Lutwak

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176 results in Encyclopedia of Mathematics and its Applications

Page 4 of 9

Minkowski Geometry
  • A. C. Thompson
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    28 June 1996
  • Minkowski geometry is a type of non-Euclidean geometry in a finite number of dimensions in which distance is not 'uniform' in all directions. This book presents the first comprehensive treatment of Minkowski geometry since the 1940s. The author begins by describing the fundamental metric properties and the topological properties of existence of Minkowski space. This is followed by a treatment of two-dimensional spaces and characterisations of Euclidean space among normed spaces. The central three chapters present the theory of area and volume in normed spaces, a fascinating geometrical interplay among the various roles of the ball in Euclidean space. Later chapters deal with trigonometry and differential geometry in Minkowski spaces. The book ends with a brief look at J. J. Schaffer's ideas on the intrinsic geometry of the unit sphere. Minkowski Geometry will appeal to students and researchers interested in geometry, convexity theory and functional analysis.

Symmetry and Separation of Variables
  • Willard Miller
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    28 December 1984
  • Originally published in 1977, this volume is concerned with the relationship between symmetries of a linear second-order partial differential equation of mathematical physics, the coordinate systems in which the equation admits solutions via separation of variables, and the properties of the special functions that arise in this manner. Some group-theoretic twists in the ancient method of separation of variables that can be used to provide a foundation for much of special function theory are shown. In particular, it is shown explicitly that all special functions that arise via separation of variables in the equations of mathematical physics can be studied using group theory.

Nonuniform Hyperbolicity
  • Dynamics of Systems with Nonzero Lyapunov Exponents
  • Luis Barreira, Yakov Pesin
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    03 September 2007
  • Designed to work as a reference and as a supplement to an advanced course on dynamical systems, this book presents a self-contained and comprehensive account of modern smooth ergodic theory. Among other things, this provides a rigorous mathematical foundation for the phenomenon known as deterministic chaos - the appearance of 'chaotic' motions in pure deterministic dynamical systems. A sufficiently complete description of topological and ergodic properties of systems exhibiting deterministic chaos can be deduced from relatively weak requirements on their local behavior known as nonuniform hyperbolicity conditions. Nonuniform hyperbolicity theory is an important part of the general theory of dynamical systems. Its core is the study of dynamical systems with nonzero Lyapunov exponents both conservative and dissipative, in addition to cocycles and group actions. The results of this theory are widely used in geometry (e.g., geodesic flows and Teichmüller flows), in rigidity theory, in the study of some partial differential equations (e.g., the Schrödinger equation), in the theory of billiards, as well as in applications to physics, biology, engineering, and other fields.

An Algebraic Introduction to K-Theory
  • Bruce A. Magurn
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    20 May 2002
  • This is an introduction to algebraic K-theory with no prerequisite beyond a first semester of algebra (including Galois theory and modules over a principal ideal domain). The presentation is almost entirely self-contained, and is divided into short sections with exercises to reinforce the ideas and suggest further lines of inquiry. No experience with analysis, geometry, number theory or topology is assumed. Within the context of linear algebra, K-theory organises and clarifies the relations among ideal class groups, group representations, quadratic forms, dimensions of a ring, determinants, quadratic reciprocity and Brauer groups of fields. By including introductions to standard algebra topics (tensor products, localisation, Jacobson radical, chain conditions, Dedekind domains, semi-simple rings, exterior algebras), the author makes algebraic K-theory accessible to first-year graduate students and other mathematically sophisticated readers. Even if your algebra is rusty, you can read this book; the necessary background is here, with proofs.

Classical and Quantum Orthogonal Polynomials in One Variable
  • Mourad E. H. Ismail
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    21 November 2005
  • The first modern treatment of orthogonal polynomials from the viewpoint of special functions is now available in paperback. Its encyclopedic coverage includes classical topics such as Jacobi, Hermite, Laguerre, Hahn, Charlier and Meixner polynomials as well as those discovered over the last 50 years, e.g. Askey–Wilson and Al-Salam–Chihara polynomial systems. Multiple orthogonal polynomials are discussed here for the first time in book form. Many modern applications of the subject are dealt with, including birth and death processes, integrable systems, combinatorics, and physical models. A chapter on open research problems and conjectures is designed to stimulate further research on the subject. Thoroughly updated and corrected since its original printing, this book continues to be valued as an authoritative reference not only by mathematicians, but also a wide range of scientists and engineers. Exercises ranging in difficulty are included to help both the graduate student and the newcomer.

Sub-Riemannian Geometry
  • General Theory and Examples
  • Ovidiu Calin, Der-Chen Chang
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    20 April 2009
  • Sub-Riemannian manifolds are manifolds with the Heisenberg principle built in. This comprehensive text and reference begins by introducing the theory of sub-Riemannian manifolds using a variational approach in which all properties are obtained from minimum principles, a robust method that is novel in this context. The authors then present examples and applications, showing how Heisenberg manifolds (step 2 sub-Riemannian manifolds) might in the future play a role in quantum mechanics similar to the role played by the Riemannian manifolds in classical mechanics. Sub-Riemannian Geometry: General Theory and Examples is the perfect resource for graduate students and researchers in pure and applied mathematics, theoretical physics, control theory, and thermodynamics interested in the most recent developments in sub-Riemannian geometry.

Combinatorial Species and Tree-like Structures
  • François Bergeron, Gilbert Labelle, Pierre Leroux
  • Translated by Margaret Readdy
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    13 November 1997
  • The combinatorial theory of species, introduced by Joyal in 1980, provides a unified understanding of the use of generating functions for both labelled and unlabelled structures and as a tool for the specification and analysis of these structures. Of particular importance is their capacity to transform recursive definitions of tree-like structures into functional or differential equations, and vice versa. The goal of this book is to present the basic elements of the theory and to give a unified account of its developments and applications. It offers a modern introduction to the use of various generating functions, with applications to graphical enumeration, Polya theory and analysis of data structures in computer science, and to other areas such as special functions, functional equations, asymptotic analysis and differential equations. This book will be a valuable reference to graduate students and researchers in combinatorics, analysis, and theoretical computer science.

Relational Mathematics
  • Gunther Schmidt
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    04 November 2010
  • Relational mathematics is to operations research and informatics what numerical mathematics is to engineering: it is intended to help modelling, reasoning, and computing. Its applications are therefore diverse, ranging from psychology, linguistics, decision aid, and ranking to machine learning and spatial reasoning. Although many developments have been made in recent years, they have rarely been shared amongst this broad community of researchers. This comprehensive 2010 overview begins with an easy introduction to the topic, assuming a minimum of prerequisites; but it is nevertheless theoretically sound and up to date. It is suitable for applied scientists, explaining all the necessary mathematics from scratch using a multitude of visualised examples, via matrices and graphs. It ends with tangible results on the research level. The author illustrates the theory and demonstrates practical tasks in operations research, social sciences and the humanities.

Combinatorial Geometries
  • Edited by Neil White
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    24 September 1987
  • This book is a continuation of Theory of Matroids (also edited by Neil White), and again consists of a series of related surveys that have been contributed by authorities in the area. The volume begins with three chapters on coordinatisations, followed by one on matching theory. The next two deal with transversal and simplicial matroids. These are followed by studies of the important matroid invariants. The final chapter deals with matroids in combinatorial optimisation, a topic of much current interest. The whole volume has been carefully edited to ensure a uniform style and notation throughout, and to make a work that can be used as a reference or as an introductory textbook for graduate students or non-specialists.

Comparison of Statistical Experiments
  • Erik Torgersen
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    14 March 1991
  • There are a number of important questions associated with statistical experiments: when does one given experiment yield more information than another; how can we measure the difference in information; how fast does information accumulate by repeating the experiment? The means of answering such questions has emerged from the work of Wald, Blackwell, LeCam and others and is based on the ideas of risk and deficiency. The present work which is devoted to the various methods of comparing statistical experiments, is essentially self-contained, requiring only some background in measure theory and functional analysis. Chapters introducing statistical experiments and the necessary convex analysis begin the book and are followed by others on game theory, decision theory and vector lattices. The notion of deficiency, which measures the difference in information between two experiments, is then introduced. The relation between it and other concepts, such as sufficiency, randomisation, distance, ordering, equivalence, completeness and convergence are explored. This is a comprehensive treatment of the subject and will be an essential reference for mathematical statisticians.

Combinatorial Matrix Theory
  • Richard A. Brualdi, Herbert J. Ryser
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    26 July 1991
  • This book, first published in 1991, is devoted to the exposition of combinatorial matrix theory. This subject concerns itself with the use of matrix theory and linear algebra in proving results in combinatorics (and vice versa), and with the intrinsic properties of matrices viewed as arrays of numbers rather than algebraic objects in themselves. There are chapters dealing with the many connections between matrices, graphs, digraphs and bipartite graphs. The basic theory of network flows is developed in order to obtain existence theorems for matrices with prescribed combinatorial properties and to obtain various matrix decomposition theorems. Other chapters cover the permanent of a matrix, and Latin squares. The final chapter deals with algebraic characterizations of combinatorial properties and the use of combinatorial arguments in proving classical algebraic theorems, including the Cayley-Hamilton Theorem and the Jordan Canonical Form. The book is sufficiently self-contained for use as a graduate course text, but complete enough for a standard reference work on the basic theory. Thus it will be an essential purchase for combinatorialists, matrix theorists, and those numerical analysts working in numerical linear algebra.

Special Functions
  • George E. Andrews, Richard Askey, Ranjan Roy
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    13 January 1999
  • Special functions, natural generalizations of the elementary functions, have been studied for centuries. The greatest mathematicians, among them Euler, Gauss, Legendre, Eisenstein, Riemann, and Ramanujan, have laid the foundations for this beautiful and useful area of mathematics. This treatise presents an overview of special functions, focusing primarily on hypergeometric functions and the associated hypergeometric series, including Bessel functions and classical orthogonal polynomials, using the basic building block of the gamma function. In addition to relatively new work on gamma and beta functions, such as Selberg's multidimensional integrals, many important but relatively unknown nineteenth century results are included. Other topics include q-extensions of beta integrals and of hypergeometric series, Bailey chains, spherical harmonics, and applications to combinatorial problems. The authors provide organizing ideas, motivation, and historical background for the study and application of some important special functions. This clearly expressed and readable work can serve as a learning tool and lasting reference for students and researchers in special functions, mathematical physics, differential equations, mathematical computing, number theory, and combinatorics.

Control Theory for Partial Differential Equations
  • Continuous and Approximation Theories
  • Volume 2, Abstract Hyperbolic-like Systems over a Finite Time Horizon
  • Irena Lasiecka, Roberto Triggiani
  • Published online:
    05 April 2013
    Print publication:
    13 February 2000
  • Originally published in 2000, this is the second volume of a comprehensive two-volume treatment of quadratic optimal control theory for partial differential equations over a finite or infinite time horizon, and related differential (integral) and algebraic Riccati equations. Both continuous theory and numerical approximation theory are included. The authors use an abstract space, operator theoretic approach, which is based on semigroups methods, and which unifies across a few basic classes of evolution. The various abstract frameworks are motivated by, and ultimately directed to, partial differential equations with boundary/point control. Volume 2 is focused on the optimal control problem over a finite time interval for hyperbolic dynamical systems. A few abstract models are considered, each motivated by a particular canonical hyperbolic dynamics. It presents numerous fascinating results. These volumes will appeal to graduate students and researchers in pure and applied mathematics and theoretical engineering with an interest in optimal control problems.

Infinite Dimensional Optimization and Control Theory
  • Hector O. Fattorini
  • Published online:
    05 April 2013
    Print publication:
    28 March 1999
  • This book is on existence and necessary conditions, such as Potryagin's maximum principle, for optimal control problems described by ordinary and partial differential equations. These necessary conditions are obtained from Kuhn–Tucker theorems for nonlinear programming problems in infinite dimensional spaces. The optimal control problems include control constraints, state constraints and target conditions. Evolution partial differential equations are studied using semigroup theory, abstract differential equations in linear spaces, integral equations and interpolation theory. Existence of optimal controls is established for arbitrary control sets by means of a general theory of relaxed controls. Applications include nonlinear systems described by partial differential equations of hyperbolic and parabolic type and results on convergence of suboptimal controls.

Lie's Structural Approach to PDE Systems
  • Olle Stormark
  • Published online:
    05 April 2013
    Print publication:
    15 June 2000
  • This book provides a lucid and comprehensive introduction to the differential geometric study of partial differential equations. It was the first book to present substantial results on local solvability of general and, in particular, nonlinear PDE systems without using power series techniques. The book describes a general approach to systems of partial differential equations based on ideas developed by Lie, Cartan and Vessiot. The most basic question is that of local solvability, but the methods used also yield classifications of various families of PDE systems. The central idea is the exploitation of singular vector field systems and their first integrals. These considerations naturally lead to local Lie groups, Lie pseudogroups and the equivalence problem, all of which are covered in detail. This book will be a valuable resource for graduate students and researchers in partial differential equations, Lie groups and related fields.

Exact Constants in Approximation Theory
  • N. Korneichuk
  • Translated by K. Ivanov
  • Published online:
    05 April 2013
    Print publication:
    06 June 1991
  • This book is intended as a self-contained introduction for non-specialists, or as a reference work for experts, to the particular area of approximation theory that is concerned with exact constants. The results apply mainly to extremal problems in approximation theory, which in turn are closely related to numerical analysis and optimization. The book encompasses a wide range of questions and problems: best approximation by polynomials and splines; linear approximation methods, such as spline-approximation; optimal reconstruction of functions and linear functionals. Many of the results are based on deep facts from analysis and function theory, such as duality theory and comparison theorems; these are presented in chapters 1 and 3. In keeping with the author's intention to make the book as self-contained as possible, chapter 2 contains an introduction to polynomial and spline approximation. Chapters 4 to 7 apply the theory to specific classes of functions. The last chapter deals with n-widths and generalises some of the ideas of the earlier chapters. Each chapter concludes with commentary, exercises and extensions of results. A substantial bibliography is included. Many of the results collected here have not been gathered together in book form before, so it will be essential reading for approximation theorists.

Computation and Automata
  • Arto Salomaa
  • Published online:
    05 April 2013
    Print publication:
    23 May 1985
  • In this book, which was originally published in 1985, Arto Salomaa gives an introduction to certain mathematical topics central to theoretical computer science: computability and recursive functions, formal languages and automata, computational complexity and cryptography. Without sacrificing readability, the presentation is essentially self-contained, with detailed proofs of all statements provided. Professor Salomaa is well known for his books in this area. The present work provides an insight into the basics, together with explanations of some of the more important developments in the field.

Birkhoff Interpolation
  • G. G. Lorentz, K. Jetter, S. D. Riemenschneider
  • Published online:
    05 April 2013
    Print publication:
    28 December 1984
  • This reference book provides the main definitions, theorems and techniques in the theory of Birkhoff interpolation by polynomials. The book begins with an article by G. G. Lorentz that discusses some of the important developments in approximation and interpolation in the last twenty years. It presents all the basic material known at the present time in a unified manner. Topics discussed include; applications of Birkhoff interpolation to approximation theory, quadrature formulas and Chebyshev systems; lacunary interpolation at special knots and an introduction to the theory of Birkhoff interpolation by splines.

Algebraic Combinatorics on Words
  • M. Lothaire
  • Published online:
    05 April 2013
    Print publication:
    18 April 2002
  • Combinatorics on words has arisen independently within several branches of mathematics, for instance number theory, group theory and probability, and appears frequently in problems related to theoretical computer science. The first unified treatment of the area was given in Lothaire's book Combinatorics on Words. Originally published in 2002, this book presents several more topics and provides deeper insights into subjects discussed in the previous volume. An introductory chapter provides the reader with all the necessary background material. There are numerous examples, full proofs whenever possible and a notes section discussing further developments in the area. This book is both a comprehensive introduction to the subject and a valuable reference source for researchers.

Aggregation Functions
  • Michel Grabisch, Jean-Luc Marichal, Radko Mesiar, Endre Pap
  • Published online:
    05 March 2013
    Print publication:
    09 July 2009
  • Aggregation is the process of combining several numerical values into a single representative value, and an aggregation function performs this operation. These functions arise wherever aggregating information is important: applied and pure mathematics (probability, statistics, decision theory, functional equations), operations research, computer science, and many applied fields (economics and finance, pattern recognition and image processing, data fusion, etc.). This is a comprehensive, rigorous and self-contained exposition of aggregation functions. Classes of aggregation functions covered include triangular norms and conorms, copulas, means and averages, and those based on nonadditive integrals. The properties of each method, as well as their interpretation and analysis, are studied in depth, together with construction methods and practical identification methods. Special attention is given to the nature of scales on which values to be aggregated are defined (ordinal, interval, ratio, bipolar). It is an ideal introduction for graduate students and a unique resource for researchers.

Page 4 of 9