The abstract concepts of metric spaces are often perceived as difficult. This book offers a unique approach to the subject which gives readers the advantage of a new perspective on ideas familiar from the analysis of a real line. Rather than passing quickly from the definition of a metric to the more abstract concepts of convergence and continuity, the author takes the concrete notion of distance as far as possible, illustrating the text with examples and naturally arising questions. Attention to detail at this stage is designed to prepare the reader to understand the more abstract ideas with relative ease.

One of the first books to be dedicated specifically to metric spaces Full of worked examples, to get complex ideas across more easily

Designed for a first course in real variables, this text presents the fundamentals for more advanced mathematical work, particularly in the areas of complex variables, measure theory, differential equations, functional analysis, and probability. Geared toward advanced undergraduate and graduate students of mathematics, it is also appropriate for students of engineering, physics, and economics who seek an understanding of real analysis. The author encourages an intuitive approach to problem solving and offers concrete examples, diagrams, and geometric or physical interpretations of results. Detailed solutions to the problems appear within the text, making this volume ideal for independent study. Topics include metric spaces, Euclidean spaces and their basic topological properties, sequences and series of real numbers, continuous functions, differentiation, Riemann-Stieltjes integration, and uniform convergence and applications.

"Topology of Metric Spaces gives a very streamlined development of a course in metric space topology emphasizing only the most useful concepts, concrete spaces and geometric ideas to encourage geometric thinking, to treat this as a preparatory ground for a general topology course, to use this course as a surrogate for real analysis and to help the students gain some perspective of modern analysis." "Eminently suitable for self-study, this book may also be used as a supplementary text for courses in general (or point-set) topology so that students will acquire a lot of concrete examples of spaces and maps."--BOOK JACKET.

A description of the global properties of simply-connected spaces that are non-positively curved in the sense of A. D. Alexandrov, and the structure of groups which act on such spaces by isometries. The theory of these objects is developed in a manner accessible to anyone familiar with the rudiments of topology and group theory: non-trivial theorems are proved by concatenating elementary geometric arguments, and many examples are given. Part I provides an introduction to the geometry of geodesic spaces, while Part II develops the basic theory of spaces with upper curvature bounds. More specialized topics, such as complexes of groups, are covered in Part III.

The purpose of this book is to communicate some of the recent advances in this field while preparing the reader for more advanced study. The material can be roughly divided into three different types: classical, standard but sometimes with a new twist, and recent. The author first studies basic covering theorems and their applications to analysis in metric measure spaces. This is followed by a discussion on Sobolev spaces emphasizing principles that are valid in larger contexts. The last few sections of the book present a basic theory of quasisymmetric maps between metric spaces. Much of the material is recent and appears for the first time in book format.

An introduction to metric spaces for those interested in the applications as well as theory.