Up until recently, Riemannian geometry and basic topology were not included, even by departments or faculties of mathematics, as compulsory subjects in a university-level mathematical education. The standard courses in the classical differential geometry of curves and surfaces which were given instead (and still are given in some places) have come gradually to be viewed as anachronisms. However, there has been hitherto no unanimous agreement as to exactly how such courses should be brought up to date, that is to say, which parts of modern geometry should be regarded as absolutely essential to a modern mathematical education, and what might be the appropriate level of abstractness of their exposition. The task of designing a modernized course in geometry was begun in 1971 in the mechanics division of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University. The subject-matter and level of abstractness of its exposition were dictated by the view that, in addition to the geometry of curves and surfaces, the following topics are certainly useful in the various areas of application of mathematics (especially in elasticity and relativity, to name but two), and are therefore essential: the theory of tensors (including covariant differentiation of them); Riemannian curvature; geodesics and the calculus of variations (including the conservation laws and Hamiltonian formalism); the particular case of skew-symmetric tensors (i. e.

As an introduction to fundamental geometric concepts and tools needed for solving problems of a geometric nature using a computer, this book fills the gap between standard geometry books, which are primarily theoretical, and applied books on computer graphics, computer vision, or robotics that do not cover the underlying geometric concepts in detail. Gallier offers an introduction to affine, projective, computational, and Euclidean geometry, basics of differential geometry and Lie groups, and explores many of the practical applications of geometry. Some of these include computer vision, efficient communication, error correcting codes, cryptography, motion interpolation, and robot kinematics. This comprehensive text covers most of the geometric background needed for conducting research in computer graphics, geometric modeling, computer vision, and robotics and as such will be of interest to a wide audience including computer scientists, mathematicians, and engineers.

Up until recently, Riemannian geometry and basic topology were not included, even by departments or faculties of mathematics, as compulsory subjects in a university-level mathematical education. The standard courses in the classical differential geometry of curves and surfaces which were given instead (and still are given in some places) have come gradually to be viewed as anachronisms. However, there has been hitherto no unanimous agreement as to exactly how such courses should be brought up to date, that is to say, which parts of modern geometry should be regarded as absolutely essential to a modern mathematical education, and what might be the appropriate level of abstractness of their exposition. The task of designing a modernized course in geometry was begun in 1971 in the mechanics division of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University. The subject-matter and level of abstractness of its exposition were dictated by the view that, in addition to the geometry of curves and surfaces, the following topics are certainly useful in the various areas of application of mathematics (especially in elasticity and relativity, to name but two), and are therefore essential: the theory of tensors (including covariant differentiation of them); Riemannian curvature; geodesics and the calculus of variations (including the conservation laws and Hamiltonian formalism); the particular case of skew-symmetric tensors (i. e.

This classic text explores the geometry of the triangle and the circle, concentrating on extensions of Euclidean theory, and examining in detail many relatively recent theorems. 1929 edition.

This book explores the deep and fascinating connections that exist between a ubiquitous class of physically important waves known as solitons and the theory of transformations of a privileged class of surfaces as they were studied by eminent geometers of the nineteenth century. Thus, nonlinear equations governing soliton propagation and also mathematical descriptions of their remarkable interaction properties are shown to arise naturally out of the classical differential geometry of surfaces and what are termed Bäcklund-Darboux transformations.This text, the first of its kind, is written in a straightforward manner and is punctuated by exercises to test the understanding of the reader. It is suitable for use in higher undergraduate or graduate level courses directed at applied mathematicians or mathematical physics.

Engaging, accessible, and extensively illustrated, this brief, but solid introduction to modern geometry describes geometry as it is understood and used by contemporary mathematicians and theoretical scientists. Basically non-Euclidean in approach, it relates geometry to familiar ideas from analytic geometry, staying firmly in the Cartesian plane. It uses the principle geometric concept of congruence or geometric transformation--introducing and using the Erlanger Program explicitly throughout. It features significant modern applications of geometry--e.g., the geometry of relativity, symmetry, art and crystallography, finite geometry and computation. Covers a full range of topics from plane geometry, projective geometry, solid geometry, discrete geometry, and axiom systems. For anyone interested in an introduction to geometry used by contemporary mathematicians and theoretical scientists.

Part II. The geometry and topology of manifolds. This is the second volume of a three-volume introduction to modern geometry, with emphasis on applications to other areas of mathematics and theoretical physics. Topics covered include homotopy groups, fibre bundles, dynamical systems, and foliations. The exposition is simple and concrete, and in a terminology palatable to physicists.