Product Description
This book contains discussions of hundreds of open questions in number theory, organized into 185 different topics. They represent numerous aspects of number theory and are organized into six categories: prime numbers, divisibility, additive number theory, Diophantine equations, sequences of integers, and miscellaneous. To prevent repetition of earlier efforts or duplication of previously known results, an extensive and up-to-date collection of references follows each problem. In the second edition, extensive new material has been added, and corrections have been included throughout the book. This volume is an invaluable supplement to any course in number theory. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An excursion into the labyrinths carved by numbers
Number theory is the most enigmatic of disciplines, in that the problems are so easy to state and understand and yet so hard to resolve. Furthermore, when solved, the proofs are sometimes surprisingly easy. Inthis collection, Guy has put together a truly fascinating survey of what iscurrently (un)known about numbers.
Each page is an excursion into theextensive labyrinths carved out by numbers. Approximately once a month, Iscan it looking for new avenues to explore. Invariably, I see something,sketch out some possible proof routes and then end in frustration. Atypical result of working in number theory.
Whether you are anamateur or professional, if you have an interest in number theory, you willlike this book. Perhaps you will be able to make some progress towardsresolving some of these problems. It is certainly possible, as no field hashad more positive contributions from amateurs than number theory. EvenFermat fit the definition of an amateur.

Outstanding source of intersting problems in number theory
Another of my 10 favorite books.A constant source of inspiration ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Sociological Classic
Back when quality was necessary for tenure, Robert Merton taught sociology at Columbia University. Like most sociologists at his time, he was very universal in his application of theories and insights. This book is a collection of his "best" theories and insights over structural-functionalist paradigm.

His "latent and manifest" consequence is still used by sociologists in examining societal actions. For instance, patriotism allows citizens to take pride in their country's freedoms, the manifest consequence. At the same time, patriotism also prevents citizens from criticizing their country's administration, preventing the actual exercise of their freedoms, the latent consequence.

The dominant criticism leveled at Merton's work is the oversight of not analyzing power and defintion. Criticism of this nature usually comes from other theorists specializing in Marxist approaches.

Another classic one should own.

Ahead of his time
The philosophy of science of Robert K. Merton (1910-2003) is dated from the perspective of the contemporary pragmatism prevailing in today's academic philosophy of science; see: philsci.com.But Merton is still ahead of his time relative to today's academic sociologists, who construe sociology as social psychology.Merton studied under Talcott Parsons at Harvard, and was chairman of the department of sociology at Columbia.In this Social Theory and Social Structure originally published in 1949 he departs from Parsons' psychologistic romanticism with his own rendering of the functionalist type of explanation for sociology: He says that "social function" refers to observable objective consequences and not to subjective dispositions such as aims, motives, or purposes, and that the consequences of interest are those for the larger structures in which the functions are contained. He says failure to distinguish between objective sociological consequence and subjective disposition inevitably leads to confusion, because the subjective disposition may but need not coincide with the objective consequence; the two may vary independently.That confusion remains today among sociologists attempting to make "structural-equation" models.His concept of functional analysis in turn occasioned his distinction between "manifest" and "latent" functions: Manifest functions have objective consequences contributing to the adjustment of the social system and are intended and recognized by the participants in the social system.Latent functions also have objective consequences for the social system but are not intended or recognized by the participants in the social system. Latent functions are thus beyond the reach of any psychologistic sociology.Sociologists unwilling to enroll in an undergraduate level "Introduction to Contemporary Philosophy of Science" would benefit from the pragmatism in this book.

Thomas J. Hickey www.philsci.com

A Classic of Modern Sociology
Social Theory and Social Structure has influenced a generation ofsociologists and remains a viable and important source for those who are just now entering the field.Many common-place concepts can be traced to this book, for example, "reference groups", "self-fulling prophecy", and the "anomie theory of deviance", to name a few.Merton, in this book, also introduced the notion of "theories of the middle-range" to sociology.Although the idea has been, and still is controversial, the suggestion that sociologists develop middle-range theories which come between grand theories and more narrow empirical observations struck a chord with some.

For anyone contemplating a career in sociology, social work, criminology, or public administration, this book should be high on the reading list. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is both an introduction to K-theory and a text in algebra.These two roles are entirely compatible.On the one hand, nothing more than the basic algebra of groups, rings, and modules is needed to explain the clasical algebraic K-theory.On the other hand, K-theory is a natural organizing principle for the standard topics of a second course in algebra, and these topics are presented carefully here.The reader will not only learn algebraic K-theory, but also Dedekind domains, class groups, semisimple rings, character theory, quadratic forms, tensor products, localization, completion, tensor algebras, symmetric algebras, exterior algebras, central simple algebras, and Brauer groups. The presentation is self-contained, with all the necessary background and proofs, and is divided into short sections with exercises to reinforce the ideas and suggest further lines of inquiry. The prerequisites are minimal: just a first semester of algebra (including Galois theory and modules over a principal ideal domain).No experience with homological algebra, analysis, geometry, number theory, or topology is assumed.The author has successfuly used this text to teach algebra to first year graduate students. Selected topics can be used to construct a variety of one-semester courses; coverage of the entire text requires a full year. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Didactic perfection
Mathematics, particularly research mathematics, or mathematics that is close to the frontiers of research would be considerably easier to learn if mathematicians would both explain what they are going to do and explain what historical context motivates the problems or issues they are interested in. This would grant the needed insights and "intuitions" into the subject, which are absolutely necessary if one is to understand a particular mathematical topic in depth. In their papers, monographs, and textbooks, mathematicians could perhaps include at various places in the text some `fundamental insights' into the concepts that are being discussed. In addition, they could describe in detail what their goals are and what strategies they are going to use to solve the problems as they develop.

Unfortunately not many works of mathematics are written in this manner, and so those who wish to learn a given topic must frequently undertake time-consuming literature searches and solve myriads of exercises and problem sets in order to gain the needed insight. This takes large blocks of time, and poses an even greater challenge for those, such as physicists, who not must not only master the physics but also the mathematical formalism used to frame physical theories. Physicists would welcome, and even in many cases grab at straws to learn mathematics in a way that they need to in order to push forward the frontiers of their own subject.

This book though is very different, and is one of the best works of mathematics put in print in the last three decades. The author has given the reader a work that is not only mathematically rigorous but also fits the learning framework discussed above. There is no doubt that K-theory is a highly esoteric subject, but it can be learned much more easily by the study of this book. Within its covers there are myriads of fundamental insights that the author shares with the reader that make the learning of K-theory much more palatable and actually downright fun. It should not be thought however that the reader does not have to exercise a fair amount of cognition when wrestling with the intricacies of K-theory. This is true for K-theory as with other branches of mathematics, but those hungry for a true understanding of K-theory will deeply appreciate the author's efforts in this book.

The goal of K-theory is to generalize linear algebra, the latter of which deals with linear transformations on vector spaces over fields. K-theory tries to find out, and make rigorous, what constructions in linear algebra carry over when the field is replaced by a ring R and the vector space is replaced by a module over this ring. The first issue that must be dealt with is that of the concept of dimension, which for the case of a vector space is well defined (it is the cardinality of its basis). But an R-module does not necessarily have a basis. So the strategy deployed by the author is find the R-modules that do have a dimension. To find out what it means for an R-module to have a basis, the author constructs R-modules that are generated by elements that are not "linearly related." These are called `free' R-modules and the generating set is called an `R-basis.' The author then characterizes free modules that have a finite basis. That this is a non-trivial exercise is proven by the fact that every nontrivial finite Abelian group is a Z-module, where Z is the ring of integers. In addition, every set is a basis of a free R-module so one must find `presentations' of R-modules. These allow the construction of R-modules satisfying certain needed properties. And then, as expected if one is to extend linear algebra, the author constructs `matrices' of R-linear maps between finitely generated free R-modules. However, a free R-module can have a basis with unequal cardinality, and therefore the author finds those rings R whose free modules have unique dimension and those over which every module is free. The needed property is called an `invariant basis number' and it turns out that most rings have an invariant basis number. But some finitely generated R-modules the author points out are too "small" to be free, and so he finds the appropriate generalization of free modules. These are the famous `projective modules' and are the objects on which algebraic K-theory is based.

The designation of "projective" refers to the familiar notion of a projection in ordinary vector space theory, i.e. a linear, idempotent operator. The author describes projective modules as being the `direct summands' of free R-modules, and so to obtain the needed generalization of dimension he constructs Abelian monoids of R-modules under the direct sum operation. This involves finding a universal construction of an Abelian group from a semigroup and this leads to the famous Grothendieck group K0(R) of finitely generated projective R-modules. The finitely generated projective R-modules are `stably isomorphic' if they become equal in K0(R); they are `stably equivalent' if they become congruent in K0(R) modulo finitely generated free modules. The strategy then becomes that of adding R to two finitely generated R-modules to make them stably isomorphic (or stably equivalent). In addition, one must find out to what extent K0(R) determines whether a finitely generated projective R-module is free. This brings up the notion of an R-module being `stably free', and the author finds those stably free R-modules which are free. This involves the notion of the `matrix completion' of a ring and of "shortening" unimodular rows. The author also studies the connection of K0 with number theory, eventually showing that the projective class group is isomorphic to the ideal class group when R is a Dedekind domain.

K0(R) is an element of a sequence of Abelian groups associated to each ring R. To find K1(R), the author finds an analog of the row operations in ordinary linear algebra. The elements of K1(R), the `Bass-Whitehead group' are row-equivalence classes of invertible matrices. A group homomorphism from K1(R) to a group G is the analog of the determinant in ordinary linear algebra, and is often called the `Whitehead-Bass' determinant. K1(R) can be thought of as the "abelianization" of the general linear group GL(R). The elements of K2(R) consist of the relations among the generators of the group of row operations on a matrix. The "standard" relations among these operations give the `Steinberg group', and K2(R) is the center of this group. ... Read more

Product Description

Useful Tools to Help Solve Decision Making Problems

Applied Game Theory and Strategic Behavior demonstrates the use of various game theory techniques to address practical business, economic, legal, and public policy issues. It also illustrates the benefits of employing strategic thinking that incorporates the uncertainty surrounding the behavior of other parties.

Real-world applications of game theory
Exploring a variety of games, the book outlines the process of modeling game theory questions while thinking strategically. It introduces core concepts through simple examples and case studies taken from the authors’ consulting work in the automotive, beer, wine, and spirits industries as well as in debates over government regulation. The authors include newly developed software applications that can construct and solve game theory models and present strategic options in clear, visual diagrams.

Out of the box and into the business world
Striking the right balance between necessary mathematics and practical applications, this book shows how game theory can be used in real life, not just in mathematical models. It helps readers improve their strategic thinking, define games based on actual situations, model games with payoffs and probabilities, and make strategically sound decisions.

Product Description

Theory for Art History provides clear and concise introductions to thirty key figures of contemporary theory: four essential predecessors – Freud, Marx, Nietzsche, and Saussure – and twenty-six major moderns from Adorno to Spivak. This book includes key concepts, biography, survey of work, bibliography of primary texts, and a bibliography of secondary criticism.

Adapted from Theory for Religious Studies, by William E. Deal and Timothy K. Beal.

Customer Reviews (4)

One of the most helpful books I've purchased
This book was a required book for a class and it has been helpful in class and out.It gives a brief biography and a synopsis of the authors that makes the authors text easier to comprehend.

any better books out there
The author tends to imitate theorists that he is hoping to explain. I suppose that cannot be helped. Not for the beginner. Are there any more useful books out there that can be recommended?

A valuable introductory guide
Reviews are intended to let us know whether to read a book, visit a gallery, or attent a show, among other things. It was my reading of Robert Sommers'Amazon.com review of Emerling's "Theory for Art History' that enticed me to purchase the book. I was not disappointed and in particular would recommend the book's 'Afterword' to any student of contemporary critical writing as its applies to the visual arts. While I remain unconvinced of the merits of many of Emerling's theoreticians (and only time will finally arbitrate on that)they are not to be avoided at present, and Emerling provides concise and sometimes lucid summaries of their various ideas.Perhaps the best an introductory book can hope for is to entice students to turn to the primary literature. With this book beside them, that literature, at least as it applies to art history, will be much more accessible.

Gifts to Art Histories
Why more theory and art history books now?(One may ask, as one person did at the Border's I was at.)And, what, or which, (critical and/or art) theory and what, or which, art history, or, to be more precise, which (critical and/or art) theories and which art histories--for there is nothing singular, nothing truly monolithic, about these fields of study, about the fields of critical theory, art theory, and art history and criticism in general and specific.They are, and have been, always-already plural.In what ways does the collecting, the archiving of, "key" theorists, those in or out of vogue, eliminate other theorists--ones who could, and have, vastly re-directed and re-networked the field over the past 200-ish-year-old discipline we have been calling art history?What does Jae Emerling's biography/resource text/unravelings, in other words, what does _Theory for Art History_ give "us" that the shelves of similar texts DO NOT give us, and I do mean "give"--as in the giving of a gift as articulated by Catholic theorist Jean-Luc Marion has articulated--"us"?How does Robert Williams' _Art Theory: An Historical Introduction_ re-configure that way "art theory" is, or was, supposedly scripted and staged?How about the same question for _A Companion to Art Theory_, which is edited by Paul Smith and Carolyn Wilde.What does it mean to "companion" or "accompany" a reader, a undergrad or graduate student, an academic, a professor, or adjunct faculty member in the field of art history?Again, why more theory and art history books now?

An obvious answer to one of my aforementioned questions is that there is no obvious or set answer-no single answer, just as there is no art history, art theory, or critical theory and philosophy; rather, these have always-already been plural.There is always the need for smart and sophisticated texts such as Emerling's in the multifarious field of art history--art histories.

Towards the end of the Twentieth-Century and the beginning/s of the Twenty-first-Century, there has been a veritable explosion of "art history" and "art theory" anthologies and resource texts that range from Eric Fernie's _Art History and Its Methods: A Critical Anthology_ (1995), Donald Preziosi's important _The Art of Art History_ (1998), and Vernon Hyde Minor's _Art History's History_ (1994, 2001) to Jae Emerling's _Theory for Art History_ (2005), his recent and inspired contribution to art history and theory anthologies and resource texts.

Emerling's text is extremely, important, and different-as well as an intervention into the traditionalists' and neoconservatives' celebratory calls, chants, and shouts for the "end of theory" in art history, which (re)surfaced after 9/11 for theory in general and "postmodern" and "poststructuralist" theories in specific, and then they gained momentum after the death of one of the 21st Century's greatest philosophers: Jacques Derrida--as Emerling discusses in his brilliantly written and absolutely inspiring conclusion titled "A Relation of Immanence: The Afterlife of Art History and Critical Theory".Furthermore, this "conclusion" marks this text--as a whole, from beginning to end and back again--as a much-needed one--not to mention a breath of fresh air amid the stench of authoritative, masculinist, and monolithic art history and theory texts, which are more often than not written by the "October Group" and their "offspring."Thus, in this (rather contorted) review, which functions as a compassionate and impassioned critique, I would like to jump around as a "fetishistic" and "hysteric" reader, as Roland Barthes would call it, and which Emerling states "Most readers will not read it from cover to cover" but rather move, jump, skip, and restart their readings of the plethora of philosophers and theorists in _Theory for Art History_ (xiv).

A Step Back ...But a Step Forward

In the "Introduction" Emerling's offers "his" text up as a producer text--some thing to be used and re-used--and in ways most likely not imagined by the author of _Theory for Art History_.In other words, there is no fixed or linear way to go through the text (isn't this true for any text though?Yes, but in this text it is more obvious and encouraged): one may start at Agamben or Spivak.Emerling's approach is truly an instantiation of a performative work(-ing).And, his placement of "Predecessors" (Freud, Marks, Nietzsche, and Saussure) is an invaluable resource to see how later theorists formed their ideas in relation to other, earlier theories and theorists, BUT i do wish Emerling had "Proto-Predecessors" (?) (e.g., Winckelmann, Hegel, Kant, Herder, et al.), but Emerling does give a reason for this blatant omission: the text is more for "critical theory's" entrance into art history after WWII and beyond.(I have always thought it interesting that when NYC [or the USA] "stole" modern art, Europe "stole" theory, which during the late 70s to the late 80s and early 90s was sometimes more important than any artwork or artists--indeed, the rise of the academic and intellectual Superstar--a la Andy Warhol.)

_Theory for Art_, after the "Predecessors," has various influential theorists that are placed in alphabetical order: from Theodor W Adorno to Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak.Using this "queer" strategy, I argue, Emerling blasts the hierarchy of theorists and makes a rhizome: what connects these theorists are their studies of art-without being a trained art historian, and what connects them is (ironically?) their disconnection; this bring us to the beautiful Outside of the overwhelming mass of "similar" texts that I mentioned at the beginning of this (quick) review.My only critique here is that Emerling does not mention some important theorists such as Helene Cixous, Maurice Blanchot, and others, and he does not give the importance that feminism and LGBT and (later) queer theory have played a crucial role in art history and (critical) theory--but these are my biases ... we all haven them.
.
I should note that Emerling, by alphabetizing the various theorists by her or his last name, seemed trite when I first saw it, but after reading it (in bits and pieces, and then as a whole, and then just the intro and conclusion) functions as a way to, as I stated above, level out--in a powerfully productive way, without obliterating, the theorists and their respective theories.In short, the alphabatizing of theorists is a highly imaginative maneuver in this day-and-age when certain quarters privilege this or that theorist or theory over and against others.By alphabetizing, the authors, this encourages the reader, in a rather blatant way, to make their own connections and a mixing and matching of theories and theorists, which, for some, would be too perverse, but, as I stated, art history is (among other things) "queer".

Interdisciplinarity

It should go without say, or maybe not, that art history has always (already) been interdisciplinary (AND theoretical, as Emerling stats "art history is already a theory"), but this is suppressed by those who desire that art history-as well as the art object-remain a field, an object, unto its own, unto itself; thus, unblemished, untouched, pure, and pristine ... a discipline that will not gain anything by drawing from other disciplines within the Humanities and Social Sciences, or so they (so often) proclaim.But, art history always already moved in and out of its disciplinary borders, leaking into other disciplines as they have also leaked into art history.

Is it so easily forgotten that JJ Winckelmann-a German, Protestant-turned-Catholic "homosexual"-drew on various theories and practices in order to develop his project: art history-a development of the Enlightenment itself.Is it so easily forgotten (read: suppressed) that Winckelmann fetishsized (which isn't a "bad" act-just a perverse one-a beautifully perverse act, if you ask me) and wrote veritable love letters, beautiful ones at that, to the dead (Greek boys), and who was eventually killed, post-coitus--after leaking everywhere and everywhere surrounded by images and statues of the Ancient past--by an Italian rent-boy?Indeed, how easily it is forgotten, suppressed, that the art history of, say, for example, HW Janson-as well as many other magisterial and authoritative art historians and their "panoptic" art-historical dooms-day books, to cite Donald Preziosi in _Rethinking Art History, was and is always already interdisciplinary, theoretical, and, in many ways, "queer"-in all of its senses, definitions, and anti-definitions. And it is vastly important due to the gift of feminists, queers, the working class in the academy, and people/queers of color who commenced multiple theories in "art history."It is important because what we, feminists, queers, and people of color, were given a gift that is also a promise, and as with all promises, this promise must be kept in order to keep art history as democratic, anti-colonialist, anti-racists and classist, feminist, anti-heterosexist as possible--if not for everybody, but at least then for those whom these issues are important--worth the fight to keep some of the roads open.

It is always a pleasure to find new anthologies texts in/for art history, so "finding" Emerling's text was a joy, and in a sense a gift already given to "me" and "art history".

-robt ... Read more

Product Description

Since the beginning of the modern era of algebraic topology, simplicial methods have been used systematically and effectively for both computation and basic theory. With the development of Quillen's concept of a closed model category and, in particular, a simplicial model category, this collection of methods has become the primary way to describe non-abelian homological algebra and to address homotopy-theoretical issues in a variety of fields, including algebraic K-theory. This book supplies a modern exposition of these ideas, emphasizing model category theoretical techniques.

Discussed here are the homotopy theory of simplicial sets, and other basic topics such as simplicial groups, Postnikov towers, and bisimplicial sets. The more advanced material includes homotopy limits and colimits, localization with respect to a map and with respect to a homology theory, cosimplicial spaces, and homotopy coherence. Interspersed throughout are many results and ideas well-known to experts, but uncollected in the literature.

Intended for second-year graduate students and beyond, this book introduces many of the basic tools of modern homotopy theory. An extensive background in topology is not assumed.

Reviews:

"… a book filling an obvious gap in the literature and the authors have done an excellent job on it. No monograph or expository paper has been published on this topic in the last twenty-eight years." - Analele Universitatii din Timisoara

"… is clearly presented and a brief summary preceding every chapter is useful to the reader. The book should prove enlightening to a broad range of readers including prospective students and researchers who want to apply simplicial techniques for whatever reason." - Zentralblatt MATH

 "… they succeed. The book is an excellent account of simplicial homotopy theory from a modern point of view […] The book is well written. […] The book can be highly recommended to anybody who wants to learn and to apply simplicial techniques and/or the theory of (simplicial) closed model categories." - Mathematical Reviews

Customer Reviews (2)

math problems are hard!
i still can't figure out how you can explain why someone is gay using the math in this book. admittedly i have problems understanding long division so about the only thing that made sense to me in this book where the page numbers. which run in sequential order thank god.

Excellent book!
Gives a well-written and concise treatment of developments in an area of topology that has seen considerable progress in the past 50 years. The only other general expository books in this area are more than 20 years old. This is particularly important because the book unifies many seemingly disparate results and approaches. Even classic constructions (like the Hurewicz homomorphism) are give modern (and very concise) interpretations. I strongly recommend this book to students and researchers in algebraic topology. ... Read more

Product Description
Understand the structure, behavior, and limitations of logic machines with this thoroughly updated third edition. Many new topics are included, such as CMOS gates, logic synthesis, logic design for emerging nanotechnologies, digital system testing, and asynchronous circuit design, to bring students up-to-speed with modern developments. The intuitive examples and minimal formalism of the previous edition are retained, giving students a text that is logical and easy to follow, yet rigorous. Kohavi and Jha begin with the basics, and then cover combinational logic design and testing, before moving on to more advanced topics in finite-state machine design and testing. Theory is made easier to understand with 200 illustrative examples, and students can test their understanding with over 350 end-of-chapter review questions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The "Bible" of Computer Science
This is the most important book in computer science,because the author haswritten all of the mathematical materials in it.If you read it,it will help youto understand what "Algorithm" is.:) ... Read more

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The new edition of this non-mathematical review of catastrophe theory contains updated results and many new or expanded topics including delayed loss of stability, shock waves, and interior scattering. Three new sections offer the history of singularity and its applications from da Vinci to today, a discussion of perestroika in terms of the theory of metamorphosis, and a list of 93 problems touching on most of the subject matter in the book.

Customer Reviews (3)

Singularity theory
Catastrophe theory is introduced as a sort of merger of Whitney's theory of singularities of mappings and Poincaré's qualitative theory of dynamical systems. First Whitney. A surface is projected onto a plane. Somewhere the surface is folded, so that the inverse of the projection is multi-valued. Now, the plane may represent the possible values of the control parameters of a dynamic system, and the surface the possible states of the system. Moving continuously in the plane across the boundary between a single-valued and a multi-valued region may cause a jump on the surface to one of the other sheets--i.e. a small external change causes the system's state to change drastically: a "catastrophe". Poincaré's bifurcation theory of dynamical systems may now be perceived similarly on a metalevel where the systems themselves are points in a space--again an infinitesimal move in the system space may cause drastic changes of the system's equilibria. This type of geometric thinking may then be used in applications--but only sober ones, mind you: elasticity, optics, etc. Back in the old days Thom quite successfully pushed his catastrophe theory on gullible non-mathematicians. Arnol'd states his own view on those matters clearly and repeatedly throughout the book. From the preface: "Neither in 1965 nor later was I ever able to understand a word of Thom's own talks on catastrophes. He once described them to me as 'bla, bla, bla'". Arnol'd instead prefers the mathematical meat and potatoes of catastrophe theory: the theory of singularities. If only one were as enthusiastic as Arnol'd about singularity classification theorems then this would be very interesting indeed.

Outstanding introduction for life and behavioral scientists.
Catastrophe theory was the first mathematical "advance" to receive extensive coverage in the popular press since quantum mechanics. The interest and adulation afforded to chaos theory and nonlinear dynamicalsystems research barely immitated the enthusiasm and later scorn generatedby Thom and his followers. In retrospect it is hard to see what all theexcitement was about. Perhaps that's exactly why this book deserves seriousattention.

While the doctoral trained mathematician may find more faultshere than the rest of us, this book provides sufficient complexity for theprofessional, and at times is "gentle" enough for thenonmathematician. It will probably find its most useful audience amongpeople with "semi-mathematical" trainings, scientists in life andbehavioral or social sciences. For these people, who may just want to findout why Thom's initial theorems generated so much excitement andcontroversey, this book will be a readable delight.

This book should bemandatory reading for anyone claiming an interest in chaos theory but whodoes not understand how some of the overzealousness of a new paradigm canhave devestating consequences. Needless to say, those unfamiliar withcontemporary mathematical advances and behavioral/life/physicalapplications in European literarature will find this book invaluable.

Outstanding introduction for life and behavioral scientists.
Catastrophe theory was the first mathematical "advance" to receive extensive coverage in the popular press since quantum mechanics. The interest and adulation afforded to chaos theory and nonlinear dynamicalsystems research barely immitated the enthusiasm and later scorn generatedby Thom and his followers. In retrospect it is hard to see what all theexcitement was about. Perhaps that's exactly why this book deserves seriousattention.

While the doctoral trained mathematician may find more faultshere than the rest of us, this book provides sufficient complexity for theprofessional, and at times is "gentle" enough for thenonmathematician. It will probably find its most useful audience amongpeople with "semi-mathematical" trainings, scientists in life andbehavioral or social sciences. For these people, who may just want to findout why Thom's initial theorems generated so much excitement andcontroversey, this book will be a readable delight. ... Read more

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Theory for Education provides a concise and clear introduction to key contemporary theorists, including their lives, major works and ideas. Written for the student in need of a quick introduction or for the scholar brushing up on details, this new volume in the theory4 series presents major thinkers whose work and ideas have shaped critical thinking in our time. Greg Dimitriadis and George Kamberelis underscore the particular relevance of these thinkers for the field of education - their work on education, how others in education have used them and possible future directions for teachers and researchers.

Theory for Education's ease of use, clarity and comprehensive scope will be invaluable for those entering the field.

(This volume is adapted from Theory for Religious Studies, by William E. Deal and Timothy K. Beal.) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Dense but helpful overview
I can think of two ways to introduce a theorist - by simplifying core ideas, well exemplified; or by short, abstract, expository summaries of thought. This book does the latter. Short on examples, but relatively clear on key theoretical constructs, with consistent links to further reading.

As a late-career professor with a cognitive-psych and instructional-design background,these literary/critical theorists are new territory for me - and that's the fun. Seems like this best is best suited for academics already fairly fluent in abstractions. Not sure how a master's or beginning doctoral student would respond - haven't tried it yet. ... Read more

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From the Introduction: "These notes are taken from a course on algebraic K-theory [given] at the University of Chicago in 1967. They also include some material from an earlier course on abelian categories, elaborating certain parts of Gabriel's thesis. The results on K-theory are mostly of a very general nature." ... Read more

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From warm-up exercises to classroom activities, learn organizational theory in a fun new way! EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISES IN ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY AND DESIGN teaches new skills faster than you ever thought possible through personal inventories, creative production projects, and even real fieldwork! For any level of business, get the organizational textbook that's easy-to-use and full of study tools too. ... Read more

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"This book collects the essential existing results in the fast-pacedfield of learning and evolutionary game theory together with new work bytwo leaders in the field. It will be essential to anyone doingtheoretical work on learning and games or using evoultionary game theoryin applied work." -- Larry Samuelson, Antoine Augustin Cournot Professorof Economics, University of Wisconsin

In economics, most noncooperative game theory has focused on equilibriumin games, especially Nash equilibrium and its refinements. Thetraditional explanation for when and why equilibrium arises is that itresults from analysis and introspection by the players in a situationwhere the rules of the game, the rationality of the players, and theplayers' payoff functions are all common knowledge. Both conceptuallyand empirically, this theory has many problems.

In The Theory of Learning in Games Drew Fudenberg and DavidLevine develop an alternative explanation that equilibrium arises as thelong-run outcome of a process in which less than fully rational playersgrope for optimality over time. The models they explore provide afoundation for equilibrium theory and suggest useful ways for economiststo evaluate and modify traditional equilibrium concepts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

This book is not about learning but the application of nonlinear dynamics
This book does not provide valuable information about learning systems. It demonstrates, that nonlinear dynamics can be used to describe a subclass of learning. I personally doubt, that this subclass is of great interest, because it neglects completely heuristic strategies in game playing. Besides this, nonlinear dynamics is only useful if the number of parameter of the system is small. I doubt, that these toy examples are sufficient to describe reality, e.g., economics.

Moreover, the organization of the book and the style it is written in, is in my view not favorable.

I guess, this book is for a very small readership that does not have to worry about the correspondence of a model with nature. But also from this perspective it can not be recommended, because it is not written well. Both thumbs down!

Learning Learning in Games
An excellent treatise on some important work in the theory of learning in games. Fudenberg and Levine provide a good coverage of standard myopic play dynamics with a special emphasis on ficticious play and replicator dynamics. I particularly liked the sections going through the Kandori, Mailath and Rob (1993) model as well as Young (1993) on the evolution of convention.

The treatments of dynamic systems analysis, elementary game theory, stochastic approximation theory, etc., are necessarily short. The appendices do not suffice for a reader without a reasonable background.

Nonetheless an essential read for anybody doing serious work in learning, or wanting to know what all the fuss is about.

Good book
During the work on my master thesis ("Learning in strategicgames") i bought several books about the topic. This is the one ofthem. Chapters 1 and 2 (Introduction, Fictitious Play) are really goodintroduction into the subject. The following chapters evolve the theoryfurther giving some good ideas for practical implementation (I was writinga C programwhich had to be able to play the game and to learn). I wouldrecommend this book to anyone interested in relatively new field - Learningin games. ... Read more

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The new edition of Groups reflects the author's unique combination of academic expertise and group consultant experience by including the latest research on group dynamics and the most current views on ways to make working in groups more effective. Napier and Gershenfeld present complex concepts in a way that makes them more understandable, recognizing that students are more familiar with the dynamics of individual behavior and building on that knowledge to teach group theory.

Throughout the text students are presented with tools that help them apply concepts and theories. Case studies provide real-life context and Reader Activities (reflective exercises) and Individual Experiments—creation and observation of group situations—engage students in the learning process by asking them to apply what they learn to their own lives. At the end of every chapter, For Further Information sections list book and web resources to provide an expanded perspective of concepts discussed in the text.

• New! Chapter 10, From Groups to Teams: The Changing Landscape of Organizational Life, summarizes the latest research on the dynamics of teams and applying it to business and mental health settings.
• New! Updated exercises have been moved from the end of each chapter to the Instructor's Resource Manual.

Customer Reviews (4)

Groups
The book was necessary for a course I am taking but it was interesting none the less.It's interesting to try to understand group dynamics as we are associated with groups in most of our everyday situations.Even in a line waiting at the DMV we are a part of a group that wishes to get a license or get an accident report etc.I was satisfied with the purchase and the delivery time and will continue to shop Amazon.

Great quality
Seller shipped on time and book was the exact same quality as described.Great doing business with you!

Questionable Reference Causes Doubt
On page 19, under the heading of Selective Perception and Communication, the authors indicate that "research" has shown that grades received by teachers reveal bias of the teacher as opposed to the actual level of knowledge of the child.Two specific examples are provided but WITHOUT citation to the supposed research.Since the research material is so well documented in the rest of the book, I question why they did not make the citation available here.I would like to read this research but am left without the option to find it myself.Ironically, my view of everything that I read in this book from this point on will be tarnished by this experience.

A classic book about groups- EXCELLENT resource
The authors have been around fora long time, but they still have fresh ideas. Anyone interested in the complexity of groups, should read this book. It is wonderful. ... Read more

Product Description
Using familiar concepts from classical measurement methods and basic statistics, Hambleton and colleagues introduce the basics of item response theory (IRT) and explain the application of IRT methods to problems in test construction, identification of potentially biased test items, test equating, and computerized-adaptive testing. The book also includes a thorough discussion of alternative proceduers for estimating IRT parameters, such as maximum likehood estimation, marginal maximum likehood estimation, and Bayesian estimation in such a way that the reader does not need a knowledge of calculus to follow these explanations. Including step-by-step numerical examples throughout, the book concludes with an exploration of new directions in IRT research and development. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Well made introduction
This short volume covers many of the basics of Item Respone Theory, beginning with a definition of the topic, moving through test analysis and construction, and finally ending with some of the basics of computerized adaptive testing.While there are certainly quantitative examples and problems, the focus is on quantitative explanations and descriptions of the process to motivate the study in the first place.Three possible mathematical frameworks are discussed, and their corresponding formulae provided without derivation.(The authors will quote the general form of an information function, for example, and then skip to the completely derived version for the model at hand.A reader familiar with statistics and calculus can fill in the intermediate steps; a reader not familiar with these topics will have no reason to, as the results of the derivation are provided.)

The text is clear and complete, and can be used by those who wish to work with item reponse theory in all its gory details, or by those who simply wish to have a better understanding of what the subject is all about.Excellent first introduction to the topic. ... Read more

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Understanding Capital is a brilliantly lucid introduction to Marxist economic theory. Duncan Foley builds an understanding of the theory systematically, from first principles through the definition of central concepts to the development of important applications. All of the topics in the three volumes of Capital are included, providing the reader with a complete view of Marxist economics.

Foley begins with a helpful discussion of philosophical problems readers often encounter in tackling Marx, including questions of epistemology, explanation, prediction, determinism, and dialectics. In an original extension of theory, he develops the often neglected concept of the circuit of capital to analyze Marx's theory of the reproduction of capital. He also takes up central problems in the capitalist economy: equalization of the rates of profit (the "transformation problem"); productive and unproductive labor and the division of surplus value; and the falling rate of profit. He concludes with a discussion of the theory of capitalist crisis and of the relation of Marx's critique of capitalism to his conception of socialism.

Through a careful treatment of the theory of money in relation to the labor theory of value, Foley clarifies the relation of prices to value and of Marx's categories of analysis to conventional business and national income accounts, enabling readers to use Marx's theory as a tool for the analysis of practical problems. The text is closely keyed throughout to the relevant chapters in Capital and includes suggestions for further reading on the topics discussed.

Customer Reviews (2)

Monetary expression of labor value
This book is an excellent introduction to Marx's economic theories (but not his political theories). It has three main merits: (i) it is written in an extremely clear and understandable manner, (ii) it compresses most of Marx's economic ideas into a short book, and (iii) it introduces the notion of the monetary expression of labour value, which is a key concept to understanding Marx's labor theory of value. The recent renaissance on labor value theories is partly due to the author's efforts. If you think that labor value theories are nonsense, then read this -- it may change your mind. Similarly, if you are convinced of the foundational importance of labor time in understanding captialist economies (as opposed to, say, marginal utility) then you may still learn something new.

The mathematical content can be understood by anyone who can read an algebraic equation and follow some simple manipulations.

In sum, this is a book for those interested in Marx's economics, but may not want to wade through all three volumes of Capital.

interesting economics, but what's the greater relevance?
First off, this is not a book to read if you want to know how Marx critiques capatalism. Sure that's touched on a little, but most of the book is devoted to pure economics, without any talk at all about how theeconomics comment on the way society, and capatalist firms function. Thebook is locked into numbers, and I'm guessing that it was meant to be usedin a college course as a supplement. He says that his math is on the levelof intermediate economics, and he's probably right, but don't expect him todo any explanation, he just plows on through, leaving those who aren't solucky as to have taken up to intermediate economics courses left in thedust. No empirical analysis whatsoever, except for a calculation of thesocial surplus and the labor value of money. If your an economist you'llhave a ball. ... Read more

Product Description
In this student-friendly text, Strayer presents all of the topics necessary for a first course in number theory. Additionally, chapter on primitive roots, Diophantine equations, and continued fractions allow instructors the flexibility to tailor the material to meet their own classroom needs. Each chapter concludes with seven Student Projects, one of which always involves programming a calculator or computer. All of the projects not only engage students in solving number-theoretical problems but also help familiarize them with the relevant mathematical literature. ... Read more

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This book is a general introduction to Higher AlgebraicK-groups of rings and algebraic varieties, which were firstdefined by Quillen at the beginning of the 70's.These K-groups happen to be useful in many different fields,including topology, algebraic geometry, algebra and numbertheory.The goal of this volume is to provide graduate students,teachers and researchers with basic definitions, conceptsand results, and to give a sampling of current directions ofresearch.Written by five specialists of different parts ofthesubject, each set of lectures reflects the particularperspective ofits author. As such, this volume can serve asa primer (if not as a technical basic textbook) formathematicians from many different fields ofinterest. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A quick overview of a highly developed branch of mathematics
Algebraic K-theory may be viewed loosely as a theory of large matrices and how to define invariants for them. In ordinary linear algebra, the trace and determinant are elementary examples of these invariants and are straightforward to calculate. And in that same context, if one has M equations in N unknowns over some field K, then the solutions of this system of equations form a vector space S over K. If R is the subspace spanned by column vectors of length M, then Dim S + Dim R = N. As H. Gillet explains in one of the articles in the book, this result can be cast into the language of short exact sequences, and attempts to generalize this for the case when K is a ring is one of the tasks of algebraic K-theory. In this connection algebraic K-theory is useful in the following way: If K is either the integers or a finite field over an indeterminate, then for a polynomial ring A with D -1 variables over K, the group GL(n, A) is finitely generated when N is greater than equal to D + 2. This is an example where things look more stable when the dimension is high, a theme that occurs over and over again in K-theory. Indeed, when A is a finitely generated commutative regular ring, the question as to whether GL(n, A) is finitely generated for all sufficiently large n is equivalent to the question as to whether the K-group K1(A) is finitely generated.

This book goes considerably further then these relatively elementary considerations, in that it treats the higher K-groups and the connection with topological K-theory. Readers will need an extensive background in algebra and topology to appreciate the constructions in this book, which are mostly formal and thus there is the canonical inverse relationship between rigor and understanding. There are many places in the book though where readers can gain useful insights into a mature and highly developed branch of mathematics.

As was hinted above, for a ring R, K0 gives a measure of the failure of finitely generated projective R-modules from having a dimension theory like that of vector spaces.The first algebraic K-group K1 of a ring R is the quotient group of the infinite general linear group GL(R) modulo the infinite elementary group E(R) (the infinite elementary group comes from considering those matrices which differ from the identity only by an off diagonal element). Whitehead's Lemma shows that E(R) is a normal subgroup of GL(R). One can show that K1 of the integers is just {-1, 1}, and, for more general commutative rings R, that the determinant on GL(R) to the units R* of R induces a universal homomorphism and K1(R) is equal to these units. Thus the determinant gives in this case a universal invariant as was noted above. The second algebraic K-group of a ring R is then defined by generalizing the elementary group to the `Steinberg group' and then taking limits. There is an epimorphism from the Steinberg group to the elementary group and after passing to the infinite limit, the kernel of this epimorphism is defined as the second algebraic K-group of the ring R. K2(R) measures to what extent the Steinberg relations do not define the relations for the elementary group. One can show that K2 of the integers Z is Z/2, and that K2 of the direct product of two rings is the direct sum of their K2 groups.

Topological K-theory, also discussed in detail throughout the book, has its origins in the theory of vector bundles. Two vector bundles are called `stably-equivalent' if they are isomorphic after taking their direct sum with trivial bundles. Stable equivalence forms an equivalence relation and the stable classes form a ring under direct sum and tensor product. This ring is called the K-ring K(X) of the space X on which the vector bundles are defined. If X is compact and E is a vector bundle over X, then the sheaf of sections of this vector bundle is a finitely generated projective module over the ring C(X) of continuous functions on X. This result is known as the Serre-Swan theorem and allows one to discuss the K-theory of the space X in terms of the K-theory of C(X). The properties of this K-theory satisfy those needed to make it a cohomology theory, except for the dimension axiom. Topological K-theory also has the property of Bott periodicity, wherein the K-groups at one dimension are isomorphic to those of two dimensions less.

The higher topological K-theory groups have a counterpart in algebraic K-theory. This can be shown in several different ways, but this book discusses the Quillen or `Q-construction' of higher algebraic K-theory. Dependent on the notion of a `nerve' of a category and its classifying space, the Q-construction involves starting with an exact category M and defining a new category QM with the same objects but with morphisms satisfying certain properties of admissibility and composition. For a small exact category M, the ith higher algebraic K-group of this category is defined as the (i+1)-th homotopy group of the classifying space of M. The book also discusses, for a ring R, the `+-construction' of Quillen, which was the first definition of higher algebraic K-theory, and is considerably less esoteric than the Q-construction since it involves the well-known result that GL(R) is the first homotopy group of the classifying space of GL(R) and the intuitive geometric construction of adding cells to the classifying space to form a new space that has certain useful properties. The ith-higher algebraic K-group is then defined as the ith-homotopy group of this space. Although it is not done in this book, this definition coincides with the Q-construction when the latter is applied to the category of finitely generated projective R-modules. ... Read more

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This comprehensive resource examines how nursing theory and patterns of knowing affect nursing practice. In addition to the concepts of ethical knowledge, aesthetic knowledge, and empiric knowledge development, you'll learn about the newest pattern of knowing - emancipatory knowing. This pattern centers on the human capacity to create change by envisioning desired outcomes, particularly in situations that involve injustice or social wrongs. Throughout the book, helpful activities encourage you to reflect on important concepts and explore how evidence-based nursing theory can be used to improve the quality of care.

• A full-color insert visually demonstrates the fundamentals of knowing and includes the new concept of emancipatory knowing.
• Comprehensive discussions of nursing theory help you understand how theory development and nursing research apply to actual practice.
• Interpretive Summaries of selected conceptual frameworks highlight the essential features you need to know.

Customer Reviews (8)

Not a good book
This book should have been titled, "Integrated Feminism and Political Activism in Nursing." I found this text to be primarily motivated by the endorsement of a specific political agenda; the authors do not claim a particular affiliation, but it is clear the authors favor a certain political association. Some of the information presented in this book is useful, but the majority of the material is repetitive, mundane, and is based on what I believe is a personal, skewed philosophy. Moreover, the authors seem to forget that there are actually males in the nursing profession, because after reading this text one might think that only females have contributed to the art and science of nursing. Additionally, one might believe these authors favor a socialistic viewpoint based on their "emancipatory knowing" theory. The only reason I will give the book 2 stars is because there is some, all be it little, theory presented in the text that is actually constructive; however, in my opinion, the majority of the contents of this publication is not suitable or appropriate for a theory textbook that benefits the subject of nursing science as a whole. It is difficult to believe that this work has survived so many editions!

Pushing an agenda with a little education thrown in
This book was required for a graduate level nursing class.Unfortunately, I found it very difficult to read, very repetitive, and circuitous.The author spend an inordinate amount of time referencing her own works to support her theory.The author also has an obvious political agenda, promoting the work and political views for "change" of Marx, Engels, and other progressive communist theorists, as well as assuming that the oppression of women and nurses comprises the majority of nursing history until this century.She takes an adversarial approach to society and the norms and values that the majority of people in our culture cherish, and promotes an agenda for change to eradicate inequities of the world by tearing down traditional ways.Visiting the author's personal website ([...]), you can see that she does indeed have an agenda to promote. As a textbook, I think that this book spends too much time pushing a radical activist agenda rather than teaching about the real theory of knowing in nursing.I got rather disgusted reading about how everyone is oppressed in one form or another and needs to be freed so that all of humanity can reach its full potential; this is the underlying theme that supports Chinn's own addition to the theory of knowing: emancipatory knowing.

Required for a class
This book was required for a class I'm taking. It was very difficult to read and comprehend.Nursing theory is a dry and difficult to relate to topic, and this book actually made it harder. Additionally, the authors' personal and politcal views were expressed to a depth I found inapproprate for a text book.I will recommend my school look for a better book.

Integrated Theory
I took an interdisciplinary course taught by a nurse. This book was applicable to my field even though I'm not nursing. Great explanations of concepts for a student who has never studied nursing theory.

Great
Great service .. I have used this book on a daily bases for my class . Thanks for the speedy service ... Read more