This textbook introduces generalized trigonometric functions through the exploration of imperfect circles: curves defined by |x|p + |y|p = 1 where p ≥ 1. Grounded in visualization and computations, this accessible, modern perspective encompasses new and old results, casting a fresh light on duality, special functions, geometric curves, and differential equations. Projects and opportunities for research abound, as we explore how similar (or different) the trigonometric and squigonometric worlds might be. Comprised of many short chapters, the book begins with core definitions and techniques. Successive chapters cover inverse squigonometric functions, the many possible re-interpretations of π, two deeper dives into parameterizing the squigonometric functions, and integration. Applications include a celebration of Piet Hein’s work in design. From here, more technical pathways offer further exploration. Topics include infinite series; hyperbolic, exponential, and logarithmic functions; metrics and norms; and lemniscatic and elliptic functions. Illuminating illustrations accompany the text throughout, along with historical anecdotes, engaging exercises, and wry humor. Squigonometry: The Study of Imperfect Circles invites readers to extend familiar notions from trigonometry into a new setting. Ideal for an undergraduate reading course in mathematics or a senior capstone, this book offers scaffolding for active discovery. Knowledge of the trigonometric functions, single-variable calculus, and initial-value problems is assumed, while familiarity with multivariable calculus and linear algebra will allow additional insights into certain later material.

Drawing examples from mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, economics, medicine, politics, and sports, this book illustrates how nonlinear dynamics plays a vital role in our world. Examples cover a wide range from the spread and possible control of communicable diseases, to the lack of predictability in long-range weather forecasting, to competition between political groups and nations. After an introductory chapter that explores what it means to be nonlinear, the book covers the mathematical concepts such as limit cycles, fractals, chaos, bifurcations, and solitons, that will be applied throughout the book. Numerous computer simulations and exercises allow students to explore topics in greater depth using the Maple computer algebra system. The mathematical level of the text assumes prior exposure to ordinary differential equations and familiarity with the wave and diffusion equations. No prior knowledge of Maple is assumed. The book may be used at the undergraduate or graduate level to prepare science and engineering students for problems in the "real world", or for self-study by practicing scientists and engineers.

This textbook offers an invitation to modern algebra through number systems of increasing complexity, beginning with the natural numbers and culminating with Hamilton's quaternions. Along the way, the authors carefully develop the necessary concepts and methods from abstract algebra: monoids, groups, rings, fields, and skew fields. Each chapter ends with an appendix discussing related topics from algebra and number theory, including recent developments reflecting the relevance of the material to current research. The present volume is intended for undergraduate courses in abstract algebra or elementary number theory. The inclusion of exercises with solutions also makes it suitable for self-study and accessible to anyone with an interest in modern algebra and number theory.

Improvisation as Art traces how modernity's emphasis on inventiveness has changed the meaning of improvisation; and how the ideals and laws that led improvisation to be banned from "high art" in the eighteenth century simultaneously enabled the inventive reintegration of improvisation into modernism. After an in-depth exploration of contemporary theoretical contentions surrounding improvisation, Landgraf examines how the new emphasis on inventiveness affects the understanding of improvisation in the emerging aesthetic and anthropological discourses of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He first focuses on accounts of improvisational performances by Moritz, Goethe, and Fernow and reads them alongside the aesthetics of autonomy as it develops at the same time. In its second half, the book investigates how the problem of "planning" art receives a different treatment in German Romanticism. The final chapter focuses on the writings of Heinrich von Kleist where improvisation presents a central aesthetic principle. Kleist's figurations of improvisation recognize the anthropological predicament of the self in modern society and the social constraints that invite and often force individuals to improvise.

This text provides a detailed presentation of the main results for infinite products, as well as several applications. The target readership is a student familiar with the basics of real analysis of a single variable and a first course in complex analysis up to and including the calculus of residues. The book provides a detailed treatment of the main theoretical results and applications with a goal of providing the reader with a short introduction and motivation for present and future study. While the coverage does not include an exhaustive compilation of results, the reader will be armed with an understanding of infinite products within the course of more advanced studies, and, inspired by the sheer beauty of the mathematics. The book will serve as a reference for students of mathematics, physics and engineering, at the level of senior undergraduate or beginning graduate level, who want to know more about infinite products. It will also be of interest to instructors who teach courses that involve infinite products as well as mathematicians who wish to dive deeper into the subject. One could certainly design a special-topics class based on this book for undergraduates. The exercises give the reader a good opportunity to test their understanding of each section.

This book offers an introduction to the algorithmic-numerical thinking using basic problems of linear algebra. By focusing on linear algebra, it ensures a stronger thematic coherence than is otherwise found in introductory lectures on numerics. The book highlights the usefulness of matrix partitioning compared to a component view, leading not only to a clearer notation and shorter algorithms, but also to significant runtime gains in modern computer architectures. The algorithms and accompanying numerical examples are given in the programming environment MATLAB, and additionally – in an appendix – in the future-oriented, freely accessible programming language Julia. This book is suitable for a two-hour lecture on numerical linear algebra from the second semester of a bachelor's degree in mathematics.

This book takes the reader on a journey from familiar high school mathematics to undergraduate algebra and number theory. The journey starts with the basic idea that new number systems arise from solving different equations, leading to (abstract) algebra. Along this journey, the reader will be exposed to important ideas of mathematics, and will learn a little about how mathematics is really done. Starting at an elementary level, the book gradually eases the reader into the complexities of higher mathematics; in particular, the formal structure of mathematical writing (definitions, theorems and proofs) is introduced in simple terms. The book covers a range of topics, from the very foundations (numbers, set theory) to basic abstract algebra (groups, rings, fields), driven throughout by the need to understand concrete equations and problems, such as determining which numbers are sums of squares. Some topics usually reserved for a more advanced audience, such as Eisenstein integers or quadratic reciprocity, are lucidly presented in an accessible way. The book also introduces the reader to open source software for computations, to enhance understanding of the material and nurture basic programming skills. For the more adventurous, a number of Outlooks included in the text offer a glimpse of possible mathematical excursions. This book supports readers in transition from high school to university mathematics, and will also benefit university students keen to explore the beginnings of algebraic number theory. It can be read either on its own or as a supporting text for first courses in algebra or number theory, and can also be used for a topics course on Diophantine equations.