Books by Paul R. Halmos

This classic by one of the twentieth century's most prominent mathematicians offers a concise introduction to set theory. Suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in mathematics, it employs the language and notation of informal mathematics. There are very few displayed theorems; most of the facts are stated in simple terms, followed by a sketch of the proof. Only a few exercises are designated as such since the book itself is an ongoing series of exercises with hints. The treatment covers the basic concepts of set theory, cardinal numbers, transfinite methods, and a good deal more in twenty-five brief chapters. This book is a very specialized but broadly useful introduction to set theory. It is aimed at 'the beginning student of advanced mathematics' ... who wants to understand the set-theoretic underpinnings of the mathematics he already knows or will learn soon. It is also useful to the professional mathematician who knew these underpinnings at one time but has now forgotten exactly how they go. ... A good reference for how set theory is used in other parts of mathematics.--Allen Stenger, The Mathematical Association of America, September 2011.Dover (2017) republication of the edition originally published by D. Van Nostrand Co., Princeton, New Jersey, 1960.www.doverpublications.com

This concise classic by Paul R. Halmos, a well-known master of mathematical exposition, has served as a basic introduction to aspects of ergodic theory since its first publication in 1956. "The book is written in the pleasant, relaxed, and clear style usually associated with the author," noted the Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society, adding, "The material is organized very well and painlessly presented."Suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in mathematics, the treatment covers recurrence, mean and pointwise convergence, ergodic theorem, measure algebras, and automorphisms of compact groups. Additional topics include weak topology and approximation, uniform topology and approximation, invariant measures, unsolved problems, and other subjects.Dover (2017) republication of the edition originally published by the Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1956.www.doverpublications.com

As a newly minted Ph.D., Paul Halmos came to the Institute for Advanced Study in 1938--even though he did not have a fellowship--to study among the many giants of mathematics who had recently joined the faculty. He eventually became John von Neumann's research assistant, and it was one of von Neumann's inspiring lectures that spurred Halmos to write Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces. The book brought him instant fame as an expositor of mathematics. Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces combines algebra and geometry to discuss the three-dimensional area where vectors can be plotted. The book broke ground as the first formal introduction to linear algebra, a branch of modern mathematics that studies vectors and vector spaces. The book continues to exert its influence sixty years after publication, as linear algebra is now widely used, not only in mathematics but also in the natural and social sciences, for studying such subjects as weather problems, traffic flow, electronic circuits, and population genetics. In 1983 Halmos received the coveted Steele Prize for exposition from the American Mathematical Society for "e;his many graduate texts in mathematics dealing with finite dimensional vector spaces, measure theory, ergodic theory, and Hilbert space."e;