Proceedings of the Asian Technology Conference in Mathematics (ATCM98) is a collection of works from researchers and teachers in education, mathematics and mathematical sciences using computer technology. The contents, which have been refereed by peer reviewers, cover a broad range of topics on the relevancy of technology in mathematical research and teaching. These include but are not limited to: 1. application of computer algebra systems in research and teaching; 2. computer-aided mathematics teaching; 3. distance learning through the WWW; 4. graphing calculators; 5. mathematical research and teaching using technology; 6. numerical analysis.

The Second International Workshop on Automated Deduction in Geometry (ADG ’98) was held in Beijing, China, August 1–3, 1998. An increase of interest in ADG ’98 over the previous workshop ADG ’96 is represented by the notable number of more than 40 participants from ten countries and the strong tech- cal program of 25 presentations, of which two one-hour invited talks were given by Professors Wen-tsun ̈ Wu and Jing-Zhong Zhang. The workshop provided the participants with a well-focused forum for e?ective exchange of new ideas and timely report of research progress. Insight surveys, algorithmic developments, and applications in CAGD/CAD and computer vision presented by active - searchers, together with geometry software demos, shed light on the features of this second workshop. ADG ’98 was hosted by the Mathematics Mechanization Research Center (MMRC) with ?nancial support from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the French National Center for Scienti?c Research (CNRS), and was organized by the three co-editors of this proceedings volume. The papers contained in the volume were selected, under a strict refereeing procedure, from those presented at ADG ’98 and submitted afterwards. Most of the 14 accepted papers were carefully revised and some of the revised versions were checked again by external reviewers. We hope that these papers cover some of the most recent and signi?cant research results and developments and re?ect the current state-of-the-art of ADG.

The flood of information through various computer networks such as the In ternet characterizes the world situation in which we live. Information worlds, often called virtual spaces and cyberspaces, have been formed on computer networks. The complexity of information worlds has been increasing almost exponentially through the exponential growth of computer networks. Such nonlinearity in growth and in scope characterizes information worlds. In other words, the characterization of nonlinearity is the key to understanding, utiliz ing and living with the flood of information. The characterization approach is by characteristic points such as peaks, pits, and passes, according to the Morse theory. Another approach is by singularity signs such as folds and cusps. Atoms and molecules are the other fundamental characterization ap proach. Topology and geometry, including differential topology, serve as the framework for the characterization. Topological Modeling for Visualization is a textbook for those interested in this characterization, to understand what it is and how to do it. Understanding is the key to utilizing information worlds and to living with the changes in the real world. Writing this textbook required careful preparation by the authors. There are complex mathematical concepts that require designing a writing style that facilitates understanding and appeals to the reader. To evolve a style, we set as a main goal of this book the establishment of a link between the theoretical aspects of modern geometry and topology, on the one hand, and experimental computer geometry, on the other.

This book describes the construction and the properties of CW-complexes. These spaces are important because firstly they are the correct framework for homotopy theory, and secondly most spaces that arise in pure mathematics are of this type. The authors discuss the foundations and also developments, for example, the theory of finite CW-complexes, CW-complexes in relation to the theory of fibrations, and Milnor's work on spaces of the type of CW-complexes. They establish very clearly the relationship between CW-complexes and the theory of simplicial complexes, which is developed in great detail. Exercises are provided throughout the book; some are straightforward, others extend the text in a non-trivial way. For the latter; further reference is given for their solution. Each chapter ends with a section sketching the historical development. An appendix gives basic results from topology, homology and homotopy theory. These features will aid graduate students, who can use the work as a course text. As a contemporary reference work it will be essential reading for the more specialized workers in algebraic topology and homotopy theory.