Search results for ""author robert messer""

Linear Algebra: Gateway to Mathematics uses linear algebra as a vehicle to introduce students to the inner workings of mathematics. The structures and techniques of mathematics in turn provide an accessible framework to illustrate the powerful and beautiful results about vector spaces and linear transformations.The unifying concepts of linear algebra reveal the analogies among three primary examples: Euclidean spaces, function spaces, and collections of matrices. Students are gently introduced to abstractions of higher mathematics through discussions of the logical structure of proofs, the need to translate terminology into notation, and efficient ways to discover and present proofs. Application of linear algebra and concrete examples tie the abstract concepts to familiar objects from algebra, geometry, calculus, and everyday life.Students will finish a course using this text with an understanding of the basic results of linear algebra and an appreciation of the beauty and utility of mathematics. They will also be fortified with a degree of mathematical maturity required for subsequent courses in abstract algebra, real analysis, and elementary topology. Students who have prior background in dealing with the mechanical operations of vectors and matrices will benefit from seeing this material placed in a more general context.

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Topology is a branch of mathematics packed with intriguing concepts, fascinating geometrical objects, and ingenious methods for studying them. The authors have written this textbook to make the material accessible to undergraduate students without requiring extensive prerequisites in upper-level mathematics. The approach is to cultivate the intuitive ideas of continuity, convergence, and connectedness so students can quickly delve into knot theory, the topology of surfaces and three-dimensional manifolds, fixed points and elementary homotopy theory. The fundamental concepts of point-set topology appear at the end of the book when students can see how this level of abstraction provides a sound logical basis for the geometrical ideas that have come before. This organization exposes students to the exciting world of topology now(!) rather than later. Students using this textbook should have some exposure to the geometry of objects in higher-dimensional Euclidean spaces together with an appreciation of precise mathematical definitions and proofs.

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