Computer Vision Metrics provides an extensive survey and analysis of over 100 current and historical feature description and machine vision methods, with a detailed taxonomy for local, regional and global features. This book provides necessary background to develop intuition about why interest point detectors and feature descriptors actually work, how they are designed, with observations about tuning the methods for achieving robustness and invariance targets for specific applications. The survey is broader than it is deep, with over 540 references provided to dig deeper. The taxonomy includes search methods, spectra components, descriptor representation, shape, distance functions, accuracy, efficiency, robustness and invariance attributes, and more. Rather than providing ‘how-to’ source code examples and shortcuts, this book provides a counterpoint discussion to the many fine opencv community source code resources available for hands-on practitioners.

What do Bach's compositions, Rubik's Cube, the way we choose our mates, and the physics of subatomic particles have in common? All are governed by the laws of symmetry, which elegantly unify scientific and artistic principles. Yet the mathematical language of symmetry-known as group theory-did not emerge from the study of symmetry at all, but from an equation that couldn't be solved. For thousands of years mathematicians solved progressively more difficult algebraic equations, until they encountered the quintic equation, which resisted solution for three centuries. Working independently, two great prodigies ultimately proved that the quintic cannot be solved by a simple formula. These geniuses, a Norwegian named Niels Henrik Abel and a romantic Frenchman named Évariste Galois, both died tragically young. Their incredible labor, however, produced the origins of group theory. The first extensive, popular account of the mathematics of symmetry and order, The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved is told not through abstract formulas but in a beautifully written and dramatic account of the lives and work of some of the greatest and most intriguing mathematicians in history.

Why is the number seven lucky--even holy--in almost every culture? Why do we speak of the four corners of the earth? Why do cats have nine lives (except in Iran, where they have seven)? From literature to folklore to private superstitions, numbers play a conspicuous role in our daily lives. But in this fascinating book, Annemarie Schimmel shows that numbers have been filled with mystery and meaning since the earliest times, and across every society. In The Mystery of Numbers Annemarie Schimmel conducts an illuminating tour of the mysteries attributed to numbers over the centuries. She begins with an informative and often surprising introduction to the origins of number systems: pre-Roman Europeans, for example, may have had one based on twenty, not ten (as suggested by the English word "score" and the French word for 80, quatrevingt --four times twenty), while the Mayans had a system more sophisticated than our own. Schimmel also reveals how our fascination with numbers has led to a rich cross-fertilization of mathematical knowledge: "Arabic" numerals, for instance, were picked up by Europe from the Arabs, who had earlier adopted them from Indian sources ("Algorithm" and "algebra" are corruptions of the Arabic author and title names of a mathematical text prized in medieval Europe). But the heart of the book is an engrossing guide to the symbolism of numbers. Number symbolism, she shows, has deep roots in Western culture, from the philosophy of the Pythagoreans and Platonists, to the religious mysticism of the Cabala and the Islamic Brethren of Purity, to Kepler's belief that the laws of planetary motion should be mathematically elegant, to the unlucky thirteen. After exploring the sources of number symbolism, Schimmel examines individual numbers ranging from one to ten thousand, discussing the meanings they have had for Judaic, Christian, and Islamic traditions, with examples from Indian, Chinese, and Native American cultures as well. Two, for instance, has widely been seen as a number of contradiction and polarity, a number of discord and antithesis. And six, according to ancient and neo-platonic thinking, is the most perfect number because it is both the sum and the product of its parts (1+2+3=6 and 1x2x3=6). Using examples ranging from the Bible to the Mayans to Shakespeare, she shows how numbers have been considered feminine and masculine, holy and evil, lucky and unlucky. A highly respected scholar of Islamic culture, Annemarie Schimmel draws on her vast knowledge to paint a rich, cross-cultural portrait of the many meanings of numbers. Engaging and accessible, her account uncovers the roots of a phenomenon we all feel every Friday the thirteenth.

This Handbook, first published in 2005, provides standard procedures for planning and conducting a survey of any species or habitat and for evaluating the data.

-~- T he articles in this book are dedicated to Martin Gardner, the world's greatest expositor and popularizer of mathematics. While our papers are confined to this single subject, Gardner's interests and accomplishments have a wide range of subjects. Hence, we have entitled the book the Mathematical Gardner, and would like to see other volumes such as the Magical, the Literary, the Philosophical, or the Scientific Gardner accompany it. Of course, our title is also an appropriate pun, for Martin Gardner's relationship to the mathematical community is similar to a gardener's relationship to a beautiful flower garden. The contributors to this volume comprise only a small part of a large body of mathematicians whose work has been nurtured by its exposition in "Mathematical Games"; Martin's column which appears every month in Scientific American. More than just a mathematical journalist, Martin connects his readers by passing along problems and information and stimulating creative activity. Thus, he is a force behind the scenes as well as a public figure. Two people were particularly helpful in putting this book together.

This volume constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Image and Signal Processing, ICISP 2020, which was due to be held in Marrakesh, Morocco, in June 2020. The conference was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 40 revised full papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 84 submissions. The contributions presented in this volume were organized in the following topical sections: digital cultural heritage & color and spectral imaging; data and image processing for precision agriculture; machine learning application and innovation; biomedical imaging; deep learning and applications; pattern recognition; segmentation and retrieval; mathematical imaging & signal processing.

Engineers around the world depend on MATLAB for its power, usability, and outstanding graphics capabilities. Yet too often, engineering students are either left on their own to acquire the background they need to use MATLAB, or they must learn the program concurrently within an advanced course. Both of these options delay students from solving realistic design problems, especially when they do not have a text focused on applications relevant to their field and written at the appropriate level of mathematics. Ideal for use as a short-course textbook and for self-study Elementary Mathematical and Computational Tools for Electrical and Computer Engineers Using MATLAB fills that gap. Accessible after just one semester of calculus, it introduces the many practical analytical and numerical tools that are essential to success both in future studies and in professional life. Sharply focused on the needs of the electrical and computer engineering communities, the text provides a wealth of relevant exercises and design problems. Changes in MATLAB's version 6.0 are included in a special addendum. The lack of skills in fundamental quantitative tools can seriously impede progress in one's engineering studies or career. By working through this text, either in a lecture/lab environment or by themselves, readers will not only begin mastering MATLAB, but they will also hone their analytical and computational skills to a level that will help them to enjoy and succeed in subsequent electrical and computer engineering pursuits.