Cut the Knot

Cut the Knot
Author: Alexander Bogomolny
Publisher: Wolfram Media
Total Pages: 310
Release: 2020-11-17
Genre:
ISBN: 9781579550417

He who untied the Gordian knot would rule all of Asia So goes the legend of the tricky knot of Gordius, king of Phrygia.Many had tried; many had failed, but Alexander the Great simplycut the knot with his sword. He went on to conquer most of Asia, eventually reaching as far east as Northern India. Cut the Knot is a book of probability riddles curated to challenge the mind andexpand mathematical and logical thinking skills. First housed on cut-the-knot.org, these puzzles and their solutions represent the efforts of great minds around theworld. Follow along as Alexander Bogomolny presents these selected riddles bytopical progression. Try them for yourself before reading their solutions. Just like itwas for Alexander the Great, the non-trivial, unexpected solution might be exactlythe one you need.

The Knot Book

The Knot Book
Author: Colin Conrad Adams
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
Total Pages: 330
Release: 2004
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0821836781

Knots are familiar objects. Yet the mathematical theory of knots quickly leads to deep results in topology and geometry. This work offers an introduction to this theory, starting with our understanding of knots. It presents the applications of knot theory to modern chemistry, biology and physics.

A Certain Ambiguity

A Certain Ambiguity
Author: Gaurav Suri
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2010-07-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1400834775

While taking a class on infinity at Stanford in the late 1980s, Ravi Kapoor discovers that he is confronting the same mathematical and philosophical dilemmas that his mathematician grandfather had faced many decades earlier--and that had landed him in jail. Charged under an obscure blasphemy law in a small New Jersey town in 1919, Vijay Sahni is challenged by a skeptical judge to defend his belief that the certainty of mathematics can be extended to all human knowledge--including religion. Together, the two men discover the power--and the fallibility--of what has long been considered the pinnacle of human certainty, Euclidean geometry. As grandfather and grandson struggle with the question of whether there can ever be absolute certainty in mathematics or life, they are forced to reconsider their fundamental beliefs and choices. Their stories hinge on their explorations of parallel developments in the study of geometry and infinity--and the mathematics throughout is as rigorous and fascinating as the narrative and characters are compelling and complex. Moving and enlightening, A Certain Ambiguity is a story about what it means to face the extent--and the limits--of human knowledge.

Knot Theory and Its Applications

Knot Theory and Its Applications
Author: Kunio Murasugi
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2009-12-29
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0817647198

This book introduces the study of knots, providing insights into recent applications in DNA research and graph theory. It sets forth fundamental facts such as knot diagrams, braid representations, Seifert surfaces, tangles, and Alexander polynomials. It also covers more recent developments and special topics, such as chord diagrams and covering spaces. The author avoids advanced mathematical terminology and intricate techniques in algebraic topology and group theory. Numerous diagrams and exercises help readers understand and apply the theory. Each chapter includes a supplement with interesting historical and mathematical comments.

Mathematical Puzzles

Mathematical Puzzles
Author: Peter Winkler
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 392
Release: 2021-01-21
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0429557973

Research in mathematics is much more than solving puzzles, but most people will agree that solving puzzles is not just fun: it helps focus the mind and increases one's armory of techniques for doing mathematics. Mathematical Puzzles makes this connection explicit by isolating important mathematical methods, then using them to solve puzzles and prove a theorem. Features A collection of the world’s best mathematical puzzles Each chapter features a technique for solving mathematical puzzles, examples, and finally a genuine theorem of mathematics that features that technique in its proof Puzzles that are entertaining, mystifying, paradoxical, and satisfying; they are not just exercises or contest problems.

Kiselev's Geometry

Kiselev's Geometry
Author: Andreĭ Petrovich Kiselev
Publisher:
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2008
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN:

This volume completes the English adaptation of a classical Russian textbook in elementary Euclidean geometry. The 1st volume subtitled "Book I. Planimetry" was published in 2006 (ISBN 0977985202). This 2nd volume (Book II. Stereometry) covers solid geometry, and contains a chapter on vectors, foundations, and introduction in non-Euclidean geometry added by the translator. The book intended for high-school and college students, and their teachers. Includes 317 exercises, index, and bibliography.

Reforming Federal Land Management

Reforming Federal Land Management
Author: Allan K. Fitzsimmons
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 189
Release: 2012
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1442215968

For over a century, American have created laws, processes, objectives, priorities, and rules for federal land management that often conflict with each other. We now have inconsistent laws, unclear priorities, procedural mazes, and an antiquated bureaucratic structure. The result is a loss of public benefits and undesirable impact on natural resources. The author argues for major changes and offers new ideas for how those changes can be accomplished.

Winning Ways for Your Mathematical Plays

Winning Ways for Your Mathematical Plays
Author: Elwyn R. Berlekamp
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 343
Release: 2018-05-08
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0429945590

This classic on games and how to play them intelligently is being re-issued in a new, four volume edition. This book has laid the foundation to a mathematical approach to playing games. The wise authors wield witty words, which wangle wonderfully winning ways. In Volume 1, the authors do the Spade Work, presenting theories and techniques to "dissect" games of varied structures and formats in order to develop winning strategies.

Cutting the Gordian Knot of Economic Reform

Cutting the Gordian Knot of Economic Reform
Author: Leonardo Baccini
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2015
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0199388997

During the past two decades, governments across the developing world have implemented many liberal economic reforms. Cutting the Gordian Knot of Economic Reform shows that international institutions -- formal agreements that govern policy formation in member states -- made possible some of the most important reforms in developing countries. It takes a comparative look at developing countries that have engaged in preferential trading agreements with the United States and European Union to develop a theory of when and how leaders enter into international institutions to effect economic reform.

Knots and Links

Knots and Links
Author: Dale Rolfsen
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
Total Pages: 458
Release: 2003
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0821834363

Rolfsen's beautiful book on knots and links can be read by anyone, from beginner to expert, who wants to learn about knot theory. Beginners find an inviting introduction to the elements of topology, emphasizing the tools needed for understanding knots, the fundamental group and van Kampen's theorem, for example, which are then applied to concrete problems, such as computing knot groups. For experts, Rolfsen explains advanced topics, such as the connections between knot theory and surgery and how they are useful to understanding three-manifolds. Besides providing a guide to understanding knot theory, the book offers 'practical' training. After reading it, you will be able to do many things: compute presentations of knot groups, Alexander polynomials, and other invariants; perform surgery on three-manifolds; and visualize knots and their complements.It is characterized by its hands-on approach and emphasis on a visual, geometric understanding. Rolfsen offers invaluable insight and strikes a perfect balance between giving technical details and offering informal explanations. The illustrations are superb, and a wealth of examples are included. Now back in print by the AMS, the book is still a standard reference in knot theory. It is written in a remarkable style that makes it useful for both beginners and researchers. Particularly noteworthy is the table of knots and links at the end. This volume is an excellent introduction to the topic and is suitable as a textbook for a course in knot theory or 3-manifolds. Other key books of interest on this topic available from the AMS are ""The Shoelace Book: A Mathematical Guide to the Best (and Worst) Ways to Lace your Shoes"" and ""The Knot Book.""