Stories about Maxima and Minima

Stories about Maxima and Minima PDF Author: Vladimir Mikhaĭlovich Tikhomirov
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
ISBN: 0821801651
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 201

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Book Description
Throughout the history of mathematics, maximum and minimum problems have played an important role in the evolution of the field. Many beautiful and important problems have appeared in a variety of branches of mathematics and physics, as well as in other fields of sciences. The greatest scientists of the past - Euclid, Archimedes, Heron, the Bernoullis, Newton and many others - took part in seeking solutions to these concrete problems. The solutions stimulated the development of the theory, and, as a result, techniques were elaborated that made possible the solution of a tremendous variety of problems by a single method. This book, copublished with the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), presents fifteen "stories" designed to acquaint readers with the central concepts of the theory of maxima and minima, as well as with its illustrious history. Unlike most AMS publications, the book is accessible to high school students and would likely be of interest to a wide variety of readers. In Part One, the author familiarizes readers with many concrete problems that lead to discussion of the work of some of the greatest mathematicians of all time. Part Two introduces a method for solving maximum and minimum problems that originated with Lagrange. While the content of this method has varied constantly, its basic conception has endured for over two centuries. The final story is addressed primarily to those who teach mathematics, for it impinges on the question of how and why to teach. Throughout the book, the author strives to show how the analysis of diverse facts gives rise to a general idea, how this idea is transformed, how it is enriched by new content, and how to remains the same in spite of these changes.

Stories about Maxima and Minima

Stories about Maxima and Minima PDF Author: Vladimir Mikhaĭlovich Tikhomirov
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
ISBN: 0821801651
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 201

Get Book Here

Book Description
Throughout the history of mathematics, maximum and minimum problems have played an important role in the evolution of the field. Many beautiful and important problems have appeared in a variety of branches of mathematics and physics, as well as in other fields of sciences. The greatest scientists of the past - Euclid, Archimedes, Heron, the Bernoullis, Newton and many others - took part in seeking solutions to these concrete problems. The solutions stimulated the development of the theory, and, as a result, techniques were elaborated that made possible the solution of a tremendous variety of problems by a single method. This book, copublished with the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), presents fifteen "stories" designed to acquaint readers with the central concepts of the theory of maxima and minima, as well as with its illustrious history. Unlike most AMS publications, the book is accessible to high school students and would likely be of interest to a wide variety of readers. In Part One, the author familiarizes readers with many concrete problems that lead to discussion of the work of some of the greatest mathematicians of all time. Part Two introduces a method for solving maximum and minimum problems that originated with Lagrange. While the content of this method has varied constantly, its basic conception has endured for over two centuries. The final story is addressed primarily to those who teach mathematics, for it impinges on the question of how and why to teach. Throughout the book, the author strives to show how the analysis of diverse facts gives rise to a general idea, how this idea is transformed, how it is enriched by new content, and how to remains the same in spite of these changes.

Handbook of Means and Their Inequalities

Handbook of Means and Their Inequalities PDF Author: P.S. Bullen
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 940170399X
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 563

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Book Description
There seems to be two types of books on inequalities. On the one hand there are treatises that attempt to cover all or most aspects of the subject, and where an attempt is made to give all results in their best possible form, together with either a full proof or a sketch of the proof together with references to where a full proof can be found. Such books, aimed at the professional pure and applied mathematician, are rare. The first such, that brought some order to this untidy field, is the classical "Inequalities" of Hardy, Littlewood & P6lya, published in 1934. Important as this outstanding work was and still is, it made no attempt at completeness; rather it consisted of the total knowledge of three front rank mathematicians in a field in which each had made fundamental contributions. Extensive as this combined knowledge was there were inevitably certain lacunre; some important results, such as Steffensen's inequality, were not mentioned at all; the works of certain schools of mathematicians were omitted, and many important ideas were not developed, appearing as exercises at the ends of chapters. The later book "Inequalities" by Beckenbach & Bellman, published in 1961, repairs many of these omissions. However this last book is far from a complete coverage of the field, either in depth or scope.

Calculus: Early Transcendentals (Paper)

Calculus: Early Transcendentals (Paper) PDF Author: Jon Rogawski
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 142923184X
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 1207

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Book Description
What’s the ideal balance? How can you make sure students get both the computational skills they need and a deep understanding of the significance of what they are learning? With your teaching—supported by Rogawski’s Calculus Second Edition—the most successful new calculus text in 25 years! Widely adopted in its first edition, Rogawski’s Calculus worked for instructors and students by balancing formal precision with a guiding conceptual focus. Rogawski engages students while reinforcing the relevance of calculus to their lives and future studies. Precise mathematics, vivid examples, colorful graphics, intuitive explanations, and extraordinary problem sets all work together to help students grasp a deeper understanding of calculus. Now Rogawski’s Calculus success continues in a meticulously updated new edition. Revised in response to user feedback and classroom experiences, the new edition provides an even smoother teaching and learning experience.

Excursions in the History of Mathematics

Excursions in the History of Mathematics PDF Author: Israel Kleiner
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 0817682686
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
This book comprises five parts. The first three contain ten historical essays on important topics: number theory, calculus/analysis, and proof, respectively. Part four deals with several historically oriented courses, and Part five provides biographies of five mathematicians who played major roles in the historical events described in the first four parts of the work. Excursions in the History of Mathematics was written with several goals in mind: to arouse mathematics teachers’ interest in the history of their subject; to encourage mathematics teachers with at least some knowledge of the history of mathematics to offer courses with a strong historical component; and to provide an historical perspective on a number of basic topics taught in mathematics courses.

The Nature of Motive Force

The Nature of Motive Force PDF Author: Achintya Kumar Pramanick
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3642544711
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 171

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Book Description
In this monograph Prof. Pramanick explicates the law of motive force, a fundamental law of nature that can be observed and appreciated as an addition to the existing laws of thermodynamics. This unmistakable and remarkable tendency of nature is equally applicable to all other branches of studies. He first conceptualized the law of motive force in 1989, when he was an undergraduate student. Here he reports various applications of the law in the area of thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics and solid mechanics, and shows how it is possible to solve analytically century-old unsolved problems through its application. This book offers a comprehensive account of the law and its relation to other laws and principles, such as the generalized conservation principle, variational formulation, Fermat’s principle, Bejan’s constructal law, entropy generation minimization, Bejan’s method of intersecting asymptotes and equipartition principle. Furthermore, the author addresses some interrelated fundamental problems of contemporary interest, especially to thermodynamicists, by combining analytical methods, physical reasoning and the proposed law of motive force. This foundational work is a valuable reading for both students and researchers in exact as well as non-exact sciences and, at the same time, a pleasant learning experience for the novice.

A Mathematical Gift, I

A Mathematical Gift, I PDF Author: Kenji Ueno
Publisher: American Mathematical Society
ISBN: 1470475545
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 149

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Book Description
This is the first of three volumes originated from a series of lectures in mathematics given by professors of Kyoto University in Japan for high school students. The main purpose of the lectures was to show the listeners the beauty and liveliness of mathematics using the material that is accessible to people with little preliminary knowledge. The first chapter of the book talks about the geometry and topology of surfaces. Among other topics the authors discuss the Poincar‚?Hopf theorem about critical points of vector fields on surfaces and the Gauss?Bonnet theorem about the relation between the curvature and topology (Euler characteristics). The second chapter addresses various aspects of the concept of dimension, including the Peano curve and the Poincar‚ approach to dimension. It also discusses the structure of three-dimensional manifolds, proving, in particular, that the three-dimensional sphere is the union of two doughnuts.

Creation Stories

Creation Stories PDF Author: Anthony Aveni
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300251246
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 235

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Book Description
An accessible exploration of how diverse cultures have explained humanity's origins through narratives about the natural environment Drawing from a vast array of creation myths--Babylonian, Greek, Aztec, Maya, Inca, Chinese, Hindu, Navajo, Polynesian, African, Norse, Inuit, and more--this short, illustrated book uncovers both the similarities and differences in our attempts to explain the universe. Anthony Aveni, an award-winning author and professor of astronomy and anthropology, examines the ways various cultures around the world have attempted to explain our origins, and what roles the natural environment plays in shaping these narratives. The book also celebrates the audacity of the human imagination. Whether the first humans emerged from a cave, as in the Inca myths, or from bamboo stems, as the Bantu people of Africa believed, or whether the universe is simply the result of Vishnu's cyclical inhales and exhales, each of these fascinating stories reflects a deeper understanding of the culture it arose from as well as its place in the larger human narrative.

Geometric Problems on Maxima and Minima

Geometric Problems on Maxima and Minima PDF Author: Titu Andreescu
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 0817644733
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
Presents hundreds of extreme value problems, examples, and solutions primarily through Euclidean geometry Unified approach to the subject, with emphasis on geometric, algebraic, analytic, and combinatorial reasoning Applications to physics, engineering, and economics Ideal for use at the junior and senior undergraduate level, with wide appeal to students, teachers, professional mathematicians, and puzzle enthusiasts

Calculus

Calculus PDF Author: Jon Rogawski
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1429231912
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 1215

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Book Description
What’s the ideal balance? How can you make sure students get both the computational skills they need and a deep understanding of the significance of what they are learning? With your teaching—supported by Rogawski’s Calculus Second Edition—the most successful new calculus text in 25 years! Widely adopted in its first edition, Rogawski’s Calculus worked for instructors and students by balancing formal precision with a guiding conceptual focus. Rogawski engages students while reinforcing the relevance of calculus to their lives and future studies. Precise mathematics, vivid examples, colorful graphics, intuitive explanations, and extraordinary problem sets all work together to help students grasp a deeper understanding of calculus. Now Rogawski’s Calculus success continues in a meticulously updated new edition. Revised in response to user feedback and classroom experiences, the new edition provides an even smoother teaching and learning experience.

Learn from the Masters!

Learn from the Masters! PDF Author: Frank Swetz
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780883857038
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
This book is for high school and college teachers who want to know how they can use the history of mathematics as a pedagogical tool to help their students construct their own knowledge of mathematics. Often, a historical development of a particular topic is the best way to present a mathematical topic, but teachers may not have the time to do the research needed to present the material. This book provides its readers with historical ideas and insights which can be immediately applied in the classroom. The book is divided into two sections: the first on the use of history in high school mathematics, and the second on its use in university mathematics. The articles are diverse, covering fields such as trigonometry, mathematical modeling, calculus, linear algebra, vector analysis, and celestial mechanics. Also included are articles of a somewhat philosophical nature, which give general ideas on why history should be used in teaching and how it can be used in various special kinds of courses. Each article contains a bibliography to guide the reader to further reading on the subject.