Description
Book SynopsisThis book presents beautiful photos of mathematical models of geometric surfaces made from a variety of materials including plaster, metal, paper, wood, and string. The construction of these models at the time (of Felix Klein and others) was not an end in itself, but was accompanied by mathematical research especially in the field of algebraic geometry. The models were used to illustrate the mathematical objects defined by abstract formulas, either as equations or parameterizations. In the second part of the book, the models are explained by experts in the field of geometry.
This book is a reprint thirty years after the original publication in 1986 with a new preface by Gert-Martin Greuel. The models have a timeless appeal and a historical value.
Trade Review“It features 120 photographs of mathematical models from the second half of the 19th and early 20th century. … this book has a lot to teach about aesthetics and didactics of mathematical visualization – two aspects that will retain their importance in our times and in future.” (Hans-Peter Schröcker, zbMATH 1386.00007, 2018)
Table of ContentsElementary Analytic Geometry.- Algebraic Surfaces.- Differential Geometry.- Convex Bodies of Constant Width.- Regular Star-Polyhedra.- Models of the Real Projective Plane.- Functions.
