Proving It Her Way

Proving It Her Way
Author: David E. Rowe
Publisher:
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2020
Genre: Algebra
ISBN: 3030628116

The name Emmy Noether is one of the most celebrated in the history of mathematics. A brilliant algebraist and iconic figure for women in modern science, Noether exerted a strong influence on the younger mathematicians of her time and long thereafter; today, she is known worldwide as the "mother of modern algebra." Drawing on original archival material and recent research, this book follows Emmy Noethers career from her early years in Erlangen up until her tragic death in the United States. After solving a major outstanding problem in Einsteins theory of relativity, she was finally able to join the Göttingen faculty in 1919. Proving It Her Way offers a new perspective on an extraordinary career, first, by focusing on important figures in Noethers life and, second, by showing how she selflessly promoted the careers of several other talented individuals. By exploring her mathematical world, it aims to convey the personality and impact of a remarkable mathematician who literally changed the face of modern mathematics, despite the fact that, as a woman, she never held a regular professorship. Written for a general audience, this study uncovers the human dimensions of Noethers key relationships with a younger generation of mathematicians. Thematically, the authors took inspiration from their cooperation with the ensemble portraittheater Vienna in producing the play "Diving into Math with Emmy Noether." Four of the young mathematicians portrayed in Proving It Her Way - B.L. van der Waerden, Pavel Alexandrov, Helmut Hasse, and Olga Taussky - also appear in "Diving into Math.".

Emmy Noether's Wonderful Theorem

Emmy Noether's Wonderful Theorem
Author: Dwight E. Neuenschwander
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2017-04-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1421422689

One of the most important—and beautiful—mathematical solutions ever devised, Noether’s theorem touches on every aspect of physics. "In the judgment of the most competent living mathematicians, Fräulein Noether was the most significant creative mathematical genius thus far produced since the higher education of women began."—Albert Einstein The year was 1915, and the young mathematician Emmy Noether had just settled into Göttingen University when Albert Einstein visited to lecture on his nearly finished general theory of relativity. Two leading mathematicians of the day, David Hilbert and Felix Klein, dug into the new theory with gusto, but had difficulty reconciling it with what was known about the conservation of energy. Knowing of her expertise in invariance theory, they requested Noether’s help. To solve the problem, she developed a novel theorem, applicable across all of physics, which relates conservation laws to continuous symmetries—one of the most important pieces of mathematical reasoning ever developed. Noether’s “first” and “second” theorem was published in 1918. The first theorem relates symmetries under global spacetime transformations to the conservation of energy and momentum, and symmetry under global gauge transformations to charge conservation. In continuum mechanics and field theories, these conservation laws are expressed as equations of continuity. The second theorem, an extension of the first, allows transformations with local gauge invariance, and the equations of continuity acquire the covariant derivative characteristic of coupled matter-field systems. General relativity, it turns out, exhibits local gauge invariance. Noether’s theorem also laid the foundation for later generations to apply local gauge invariance to theories of elementary particle interactions. In Dwight E. Neuenschwander’s new edition of Emmy Noether’s Wonderful Theorem, readers will encounter an updated explanation of Noether’s “first” theorem. The discussion of local gauge invariance has been expanded into a detailed presentation of the motivation, proof, and applications of the “second” theorem, including Noether’s resolution of concerns about general relativity. Other refinements in the new edition include an enlarged biography of Emmy Noether’s life and work, parallels drawn between the present approach and Noether’s original 1918 paper, and a summary of the logic behind Noether’s theorem.

Book of Proof

Book of Proof
Author: Richard H. Hammack
Publisher:
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2016-01-01
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 9780989472111

This book is an introduction to the language and standard proof methods of mathematics. It is a bridge from the computational courses (such as calculus or differential equations) that students typically encounter in their first year of college to a more abstract outlook. It lays a foundation for more theoretical courses such as topology, analysis and abstract algebra. Although it may be more meaningful to the student who has had some calculus, there is really no prerequisite other than a measure of mathematical maturity.

How to Prove It

How to Prove It
Author: Daniel J. Velleman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2006-01-16
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0521861241

Many students have trouble the first time they take a mathematics course in which proofs play a significant role. This new edition of Velleman's successful text will prepare students to make the transition from solving problems to proving theorems by teaching them the techniques needed to read and write proofs. The book begins with the basic concepts of logic and set theory, to familiarize students with the language of mathematics and how it is interpreted. These concepts are used as the basis for a step-by-step breakdown of the most important techniques used in constructing proofs. The author shows how complex proofs are built up from these smaller steps, using detailed 'scratch work' sections to expose the machinery of proofs about the natural numbers, relations, functions, and infinite sets. To give students the opportunity to construct their own proofs, this new edition contains over 200 new exercises, selected solutions, and an introduction to Proof Designer software. No background beyond standard high school mathematics is assumed. This book will be useful to anyone interested in logic and proofs: computer scientists, philosophers, linguists, and of course mathematicians.

Mathematics for Human Flourishing

Mathematics for Human Flourishing
Author: Francis Su
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 287
Release: 2020-01-07
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0300237138

"The ancient Greeks argued that the best life was filled with beauty, truth, justice, play and love. The mathematician Francis Su knows just where to find them."--Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine" This is perhaps the most important mathematics book of our time. Francis Su shows mathematics is an experience of the mind and, most important, of the heart."--James Tanton, Global Math Project For mathematician Francis Su, a society without mathematical affection is like a city without concerts, parks, or museums. To miss out on mathematics is to live without experiencing some of humanity's most beautiful ideas. In this profound book, written for a wide audience but especially for those disenchanted by their past experiences, an award-winning mathematician and educator weaves parables, puzzles, and personal reflections to show how mathematics meets basic human desires--such as for play, beauty, freedom, justice, and love--and cultivates virtues essential for human flourishing. These desires and virtues, and the stories told here, reveal how mathematics is intimately tied to being human. Some lessons emerge from those who have struggled, including philosopher Simone Weil, whose own mathematical contributions were overshadowed by her brother's, and Christopher Jackson, who discovered mathematics as an inmate in a federal prison. Christopher's letters to the author appear throughout the book and show how this intellectual pursuit can--and must--be open to all.

Reading, Writing, and Proving

Reading, Writing, and Proving
Author: Ulrich Daepp
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 391
Release: 2006-04-18
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0387215603

This book, based on Pólya's method of problem solving, aids students in their transition to higher-level mathematics. It begins by providing a great deal of guidance on how to approach definitions, examples, and theorems in mathematics and ends by providing projects for independent study. Students will follow Pólya's four step process: learn to understand the problem; devise a plan to solve the problem; carry out that plan; and look back and check what the results told them.

Proofs from THE BOOK

Proofs from THE BOOK
Author: Martin Aigner
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2013-06-29
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 3662223430

According to the great mathematician Paul Erdös, God maintains perfect mathematical proofs in The Book. This book presents the authors candidates for such "perfect proofs," those which contain brilliant ideas, clever connections, and wonderful observations, bringing new insight and surprising perspectives to problems from number theory, geometry, analysis, combinatorics, and graph theory. As a result, this book will be fun reading for anyone with an interest in mathematics.

Incompleteness

Incompleteness
Author: Rebecca Goldstein
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 299
Release: 2006-01-31
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0393327604

"An introduction to the life and thought of Kurt Gödel, who transformed our conception of math forever"--Provided by publisher.

Living Proof

Living Proof
Author: Allison K. Henrich
Publisher:
Total Pages: 136
Release: 2019
Genre: Academic achievement
ISBN: 9781470452810

Wow! This is a powerful book that addresses a long-standing elephant in the mathematics room. Many people learning math ask ``Why is math so hard for me while everyone else understands it?'' and ``Am I good enough to succeed in math?'' In answering these questions the book shares personal stories from many now-accomplished mathematicians affirming that ``You are not alone; math is hard for everyone'' and ``Yes; you are good enough.'' Along the way the book addresses other issues such as biases and prejudices that mathematicians encounter, and it provides inspiration and emotional support for mathematicians ranging from the experienced professor to the struggling mathematics student. --Michael Dorff, MAA President This book is a remarkable collection of personal reflections on what it means to be, and to become, a mathematician. Each story reveals a unique and refreshing understanding of the barriers erected by our cultural focus on ``math is hard.'' Indeed, mathematics is hard, and so are many other things--as Stephen Kennedy points out in his cogent introduction. This collection of essays offers inspiration to students of mathematics and to mathematicians at every career stage. --Jill Pipher, AMS President This book is published in cooperation with the Mathematical Association of America.