This volume arises from the contributions presented at the MEGA 94 Con­ ference (Metodos Efectivos en Geomctria Algebraica = Effective Methods in Algebraic Geometry), held at the University of Cantabria (Santander, Spain) April 59, 1994. Previous sessions of this biannual conference had taken place in Castiglioncello (Livorno, Italy, 1990) and in Nice (France, 1992) and the cor­ responding proceedings have been published in the Birkhauser series Progress in Mathematics. volumes no. 94 and 109, respectively. The present collection consists of twenty articles involvillg miscellaneous topics concerning algorithms in algebra, algebraic geometry and related appli­ cations. Fourteen of these papers correspond to the contents of the Conference's regular scientific program and have been selected, by the MEGA Committee, from the submitted contributions after a very rigorous refereeing procedure entailing an average of three independent reports per paper and two Program Committee panel discussions before and after the Conference. The remaining six papers (by S. Beck & M. Kreuzer, M. Bronstein, E. V. Flvnn. 1. Itenberg, J.-P. Merlet and 1\1. Seppala) correspond to invited talks and have also been subject to a post-conference refereeing procedure.

In this first-ever graduate textbook on the algorithmic aspects of real algebraic geometry, the main ideas and techniques presented form a coherent and rich body of knowledge, linked to many areas of mathematics and computing. Mathematicians already aware of real algebraic geometry will find relevant information about the algorithmic aspects. Researchers in computer science and engineering will find the required mathematical background. This self-contained book is accessible to graduate and undergraduate students.

Written at a level appropriate to undergraduates, this book covers such topics as the Hilbert Basis Theorem, the Nullstellensatz, invariant theory, projective geometry, and dimension theory. Contains a new section on Axiom and an update about MAPLE, Mathematica and REDUCE.

An illustration of the many uses of algebraic geometry, highlighting the more recent applications of Groebner bases and resultants. Along the way, the authors provide an introduction to some algebraic objects and techniques more advanced than typically encountered in a first course. The book is accessible to non-specialists and to readers with a diverse range of backgrounds, assuming readers know the material covered in standard undergraduate courses, including abstract algebra. But because the text is intended for beginning graduate students, it does not require graduate algebra, and in particular, does not assume that the reader is familiar with modules.

In the last decade, there has been a burgeoning of activity in the design and implementation of algorithms for algebraic geometric computation. The workshop on Algorithms in Algebraic Geometry that was held in the framework of the IMA Annual Program Year in Applications of Algebraic Geometry by the Institute for Mathematics and Its Applications on September 2006 is one tangible indication of the interest. This volume of articles captures some of the spirit of the IMA workshop.

The present volume contains a selection of refereed papers from the MEGA-94 symposium held in Santander, Spain, in April 1994. They cover recent developments in the theory and practice of computation in algebraic geometry and present new applications in science and engineering, particularly computer vision and theory of robotics. The volume will be of interest to researchers working in the areas of computer algebra and symbolic computation as well as to mathematicians and computer scientists interested in gaining access to these topics.