Notices Of The American Mathematical Society

The MAA was founded in 1915 to serve as a home for The American Mathematical Monthly. The mission of the Association-to advance mathematics, especially at the collegiate level-has, however, always been larger than merely publishing world-class mathematical exposition. MAA members have explored more than just mathematics; we have, as this volume tries to make evident, investigated mathematical connections to pedagogy, history, the arts, technology, literature, every field of intellectual endeavor. Essays, all commissioned for this volume, include exposition by Bob Devaney, Robin Wilson, and Frank Morgan; history from Karen Parshall, Della Dumbaugh, and Bill Dunham; pedagogical discussion from Paul Zorn, Joe Gallian, and Michael Starbird, and cultural commentary from Bonnie Gold, Jon Borwein, and Steve Abbott. This volume contains 35 essays by all-star writers and expositors writing to celebrate an extraordinary century for mathematics-more mathematics has been created and published since 1915 than in all of previous recorded history. We've solved age-old mysteries, created entire new fields of study, and changed our conception of what mathematics is. Many of those stories are told in this volume as the contributors paint a portrait of the broad cultural sweep of mathematics during the MAA's first century. Mathematics is the most thrilling, the most human, area of intellectual inquiry; you will find in this volume compelling proof of that claim.

The name Bourbaki is known to every mathematician. This book presents accounts of the origins of Bourbaki, their meetings, their seminars, and the members themselves. It also discusses the lasting influence that Bourbaki has had on mathematics, through both the Elements and the Seminaires.

This book is an outgrowth of a collection of 100 problems chosen to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the undergraduate math honor society Pi Mu Epsilon. Each chapter describes a problem or event, the progress made, and connections to entries from other years or other parts of mathematics. In places, some knowledge of analysis or algebra, number theory or probability will be helpful. Put together, these problems will be appealing and accessible to energetic and enthusiastic math majors and aficionados of all stripes. Stephan Ramon Garcia is WM Keck Distinguished Service Professor and professor of mathematics at Pomona College. He is the author of four books and over eighty research articles in operator theory, complex analysis, matrix analysis, number theory, discrete geometry, and other fields. He has coauthored dozens of articles with students, including one that appeared in The Best Writing on Mathematics: 2015. He is on the editorial boards of Notices of the AMS, Proceedings of the AMS, American Mathematical Monthly, Involve, and Annals of Functional Analysis. He received four NSF research grants as principal investigator and five teaching awards from three different institutions. He is a fellow of the American Mathematical Society and was the inaugural recipient of the Society's Dolciani Prize for Excellence in Research. Steven J. Miller is professor of mathematics at Williams College and a visiting assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University. He has published five books and over one hundred research papers, most with students, in accounting, computer science, economics, geophysics, marketing, mathematics, operations research, physics, sabermetrics, and statistics. He has served on numerous editorial boards, including the Journal of Number Theory, Notices of the AMS, and the Pi Mu Epsilon Journal. He is active in enrichment and supplemental curricular initiatives for elementary and secondary mathematics, from the Teachers as Scholars Program and VCTAL (Value of Computational Thinking Across Grade Levels), to numerous math camps (the Eureka Program, HCSSiM, the Mathematics League International Summer Program, PROMYS, and the Ross Program). He is a fellow of the American Mathematical Society, an at-large senator for Phi Beta Kappa, and a member of the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee, where he sees firsthand the challenges of applying mathematics.

The life of Vito Volterra, one of the finest scientists and mathematicians Italy ever produced, spans the period from the unification of the Italian peninsula in 1860 to the onset of the Second World War--an era of unparalleled progress and unprecedented turmoil in the history of Europe. Born into an Italian Jewish family in the year of the liberation of Italy's Jewish ghettos, Volterra was barely in his twenties when he made his name as a mathematician and took his place as aleading light in Italy's modern scientific renaissance. By his early forties, he was a world-renowned mathematician, a sought-after figure in European intellectual and social circles, the undisputed head of Italy's mathematics and physics school--and still living with his mother, who decided the time wasripe to arrange his marriage. When Italy entered World War I in 1915, the fifty-five-year-old Volterra served with distinction and verve as a lieutenant and did not put on civilian clothes again until the Armistice of 1918. By This book, based in part on unpublished personal letters and interviews, traces the extraordinary life and times of one of Europe's foremost scientists and mathematicians, from his teenage struggles to avoid the stifling life of a ``respectable'' bank clerk in Florence,to his seminal mathematical work--which today influences fields as diverse as economics, physics, and ecology--and from his spirited support of Italy's scientific and democratic institutions during his years as an Italian Senator, to his steadfast defiance of the Fascists and Mussolini. In recountingthe life of this outstanding scientist, European Jewish intellectual, committed Italian patriot, and devoted if frequently distracted family man, The Volterra Chronicles depicts a remarkable individual in a prodigious age and takes the reader on a vivid and splendidly detailed historical journey. Information for our distributors: Copublished with the London Mathematical Society beginning with Volume 4. Members of the LMS may order directly from the AMS at the AMS member price. The LMS isregistered with the Charity Commissioners.

“One of the best critiques of current mathematics education I have ever seen.”—Keith Devlin, math columnist on NPR’s Morning Edition A brilliant research mathematician who has devoted his career to teaching kids reveals math to be creative and beautiful and rejects standard anxiety-producing teaching methods. Witty and accessible, Paul Lockhart’s controversial approach will provoke spirited debate among educators and parents alike and it will alter the way we think about math forever. Paul Lockhart, has taught mathematics at Brown University and UC Santa Cruz. Since 2000, he has dedicated himself to K-12 level students at St. Ann’s School in Brooklyn, New York.

An Invitation to Real Analysis is written both as a stepping stone to higher calculus and analysis courses, and as foundation for deeper reasoning in applied mathematics. This book also provides a broader foundation in real analysis than is typical for future teachers of secondary mathematics. In connection with this, within the chapters, students are pointed to numerous articles from The College Mathematics Journal and The American Mathematical Monthly. These articles are inviting in their level of exposition and their wide-ranging content. Axioms are presented with an emphasis on the distinguishing characteristics that new ones bring, culminating with the axioms that define the reals. Set theory is another theme found in this book, beginning with what students are familiar with from basic calculus. This theme runs underneath the rigorous development of functions, sequences, and series, and then ends with a chapter on transfinite cardinal numbers and with chapters on basic point-set topology. Differentiation and integration are developed with the standard level of rigor, but always with the goal of forming a firm foundation for the student who desires to pursue deeper study. A historical theme interweaves throughout the book, with many quotes and accounts of interest to all readers. Over 600 exercises and dozens of figures help the learning process. Several topics (continued fractions, for example), are included in the appendices as enrichment material. An annotated bibliography is included.

Deals with the Ricci flow, and the convergence theory for the Ricci flow. This title focuses on preserved curvature conditions, such as positive isotropic curvature. It is suitable for graduate students and researchers.

John von Neuman was perhaps the most influential mathematician of the twentieth century, especially if his broad influence outside mathematics is included. Not only did he contribute to almost all branches of mathematics and created new fields, but he also changed post-World War II history with his work on the design of computers and with being a sought-after technical advisor to many figures in the U.S. military-political establishment in the 1940s and 1950s. The present volume is the first substantial collection of (previously mainly unpublished) letters written by von Neumann to colleagues, friends, government officials, and others. The letters give us a glimpse of the thinking of John von Neumann about mathematics, physics, computer science, science management, education, consulting, politics, and war. Readers of quite diverse backgrounds will find much of interest in this fascinating first-hand look at one of the towering figures of twentieth century science.

Twenty-three mathematical masterpieces for exploration and enlightenment How can a shape have more than one dimension but fewer than two? What is the best way to elect public officials when more than two candidates are vying for the office? Is it possible for a highly accurate medical test to give mostly incorrect results? Can you tile your floor with regular pentagons? How can you use only the first digit of sales numbers to determine if your accountant is lying? Can mathematics give insights into free will? Edward Scheinerman, an accomplished mathematician and enthusiastic educator, answers all these questions and more in this book, a collection of mathematical masterworks. In bite-sized chapters that require only high school algebra, he invites readers to try their hands at solving mathematical puzzles and provides an engaging and friendly tour of numbers, shapes, and uncertainty. The result is an unforgettable introduction to the fundamentals and pleasures of thinking mathematically.

Historical introduction -- The Riemann integral -- The Darboux integral -- A functional zoo -- Another approach : measure theory -- The Lebesgue integral -- The Gauge integral -- Stieltjes-type integrals and extensions -- A look back -- Afterword : L2 spaces and Fourier series