Classic, lively explanation of one of the byways of mathematics. Klein bottles, Moebius strips, projective planes, map coloring, problem of the Koenigsberg bridges, much more, described with clarity and wit.

An analysis of the one-sided and one-edged shape made famous by the illustrations of M.C. Escher, written by an award-winning IBM researcher, traces the Mbius strip's history from the mid-1800s to its present role in mathematics, science, engineering, and other disciplines.

In the 19th century, pure mathematics research reached a climax in Germany, and Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) was an epochal example. August Ferdinand Möbius (1790–1868) was his doctoral student whose work was profoundly influenced by him. In the 18th century, it had been mostly the French school of applied mathematics that enabled the rapid developments of science and technology in Europe. How could this shift happen? It can be argued that the major reasons were the devastating consequences of the Napoleonic Wars in Central Europe, leading to the total defeat of Prussia in 1806. Immediately following, far-reaching reforms of the entire state system were carried out in Prussia and other German states, also affecting the educational system. It now guaranteed freedom of university teaching and research. This attracted many creative people with new ideas enabling the “golden age” of pure mathematics and fundamental theory in physical sciences. Möbius’ legacy reaches far into today’s sciences, arts, and architecture. The famous one-sided Möbius strip is a paradigmatic example of the ongoing fascination with mathematical topology. This is the first book to present numerous detailed case studies on Möbius topology in science and the humanities. It is written for those who believe in the power of ideas in our culture, experts and laymen alike.

In recent years, many students have been introduced to topology in high school mathematics. Having met the Mobius band, the seven bridges of Konigsberg, Euler's polyhedron formula, and knots, the student is led to expect that these picturesque ideas will come to full flower in university topology courses. What a disappointment "undergraduate topology" proves to be! In most institutions it is either a service course for analysts, on abstract spaces, or else an introduction to homological algebra in which the only geometric activity is the completion of commutative diagrams. Pictures are kept to a minimum, and at the end the student still does nr~ understand the simplest topological facts, such as the rcason why knots exist. In my opinion, a well-balanced introduction to topology should stress its intuitive geometric aspect, while admitting the legitimate interest that analysts and algebraists have in the subject. At any rate, this is the aim of the present book. In support of this view, I have followed the historical development where practicable, since it clearly shows the influence of geometric thought at all stages. This is not to claim that topology received its main impetus from geometric recreations like the seven bridges; rather, it resulted from the l'isualization of problems from other parts of mathematics-complex analysis (Riemann), mechanics (Poincare), and group theory (Dehn). It is these connec tions to other parts of mathematics which make topology an important as well as a beautiful subject.

This book offers an introductory course in algebraic topology. Starting with general topology, it discusses differentiable manifolds, cohomology, products and duality, the fundamental group, homology theory, and homotopy theory. From the reviews: "An interesting and original graduate text in topology and geometry...a good lecturer can use this text to create a fine course....A beginning graduate student can use this text to learn a great deal of mathematics."—-MATHEMATICAL REVIEWS

Concise work presents topological concepts in clear, elementary fashion, from basics of set-theoretic topology, through topological theorems and questions based on concept of the algebraic complex, to the concept of Betti groups. Includes 25 figures.

This text contains a detailed introduction to general topology and an introduction to algebraic topology via its most classical and elementary segment. Proofs of theorems are separated from their formulations and are gathered at the end of each chapter, making this book appear like a problem book and also giving it appeal to the expert as a handbook. The book includes about 1,000 exercises.