The theory of polynomial identities, as a well-defined field of study, began with a well-known 1948 article of Kaplansky. The field has since developed along two branches: the structural, which investigates the properties of rings which satisfy a polynomial identity; and the varietal, which investigates the set of polynomials in the free ring which vanish under all specializations in a given ring. This book is based on lectures delivered during an NSF-CBMS Regional Conference, held at DePaul University in July 1990, at which the author was the principal lecturer. The first part of the book is concerned with polynomial identity rings. The emphasis is on those parts of the theory related to n x n matrices, including the major structure theorems and the construction of certain polynomials identities and central polynomials for n x n matrices. The ring of generic matrices and its centre is described. The author then moves on to the invariants of n x n matrices, beginning with the first and second fundamental theorems, which are used to describe the polynomial identities satisfied by n x n matrices. One of the exceptional features of this book is the way it emphasizes the connection between polynomial identities and invariants of n x n matrices. Accessible to those with background at the level of a first-year graduate course in algebra, this book gives readers an understanding of polynomial identity rings and invariant theory, as well as an indication of current problems and research in these areas.

Examines concepts that are useful for the modeling of curves and surfaces and emphasizes the mathematical theory that underlies them.

This volume consists of 24 refereed carefully edited papers on various topics in multivariate approximation. It represents the proceedings of a workshop organized by the University of Firenze, and held in September 1995 in Montecatini, Italy.The main themes of the volume are multiresolution analysis and wavelets, multidimensional interpolation and smoothing, and computer-aided geometric design. A number of particular topics are included, like subdivision algorithms, constrained approximation and shape-preserving algorithms, thin plate splines, radial basis functions, treatment of scattered data, rational surfaces and offsets, blossoming, grid generation, surface reconstruction, algebraic curves and surfaces, and neural networks.

Computational geometry is a borderline subject related to pure and applied mathematics, computer science, and engineering. The book contains articles on various topics in computational geometry based on invited lectures and contributed papers presented during the program on computational geometry at the Morningside Center of Mathematics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing). The opening article by R.-H. Wang gives a nice survey of various aspects of computational geometry, many of which are discussed in detail in the volume. Topics of the other articles include problems of optimal triangulation, splines, data interpolation, problems of curve and surface design, problems of shape control, quantum teleportation, and more. The book is suitable for graduate students and researchers interested in computational geometry and specialists in theoretical computer science.

This classic work continues to offer a comprehensive treatment of the theory of univariate and tensor-product splines. It will be of interest to researchers and students working in applied analysis, numerical analysis, computer science, and engineering. The material covered provides the reader with the necessary tools for understanding the many applications of splines in such diverse areas as approximation theory, computer-aided geometric design, curve and surface design and fitting, image processing, numerical solution of differential equations, and increasingly in business and the biosciences. This new edition includes a supplement outlining some of the major advances in the theory since 1981, and some 250 new references. It can be used as the main or supplementary text for courses in splines, approximation theory or numerical analysis.