Book Description

The History of Mathematics is a six-volume set that examines the development of the science through discovery, innovation, collaboration, and experimentation. Designed to complement mathematics curricula, each volume covers a significant development in recent mathematical history as well as the subject's origins. The books represent a fascinating overview of the contributions that mathematical research has made to the physical world. Beyond Geometry examines topology, a major branch of mathematics concerned with the presentation of spatial properties under continuous deformations, such as stretching, from its inception in the early 19th century to today. Throughout history, Euclidean geometry was the accepted language of mathematics, but as mathematicians began to see its limitations, new theorems were tested that evolved into this new branch of mathematics. The book gives a straightforward overview of the rapid advancement of topology and explains such subsets of set-theoretic topology as dimension theory. It also includes an exclusive interview with Dr. Scott Williams, a distinguished professor of mathematics at the University of Buffalo, who discusses the contributions and goals of this innovative field of mathematics. The volume includes information on dimension history of topology the Hausdorff dimension limitations of geometry the Moore method set theory the standard axioms topological spaces The book contains 30 color photographs and four-color line illustrations, sidebars, a chronology, a glossary, a detailed list of print and Internet resources, and an index. The History of Mathematics is essential for high school students, teachers, and general readers who wish to understand the contributions of the major branches of mathematics. Book jacket.