Books in the History of Mathematics series

The fame of the Polish school at Lvov rests with the diverse and fundamental contributions of Polish mathematicians working there during the interwar years. In particular, despite material hardship and without a notable mathematical tradition, the school made major contributions to what is now called functional analysis. The results and names of Banach, Kac, Kuratowski, Mazur, Nikodym, Orlicz, Schauder, Sierpinski, Steinhaus, and Ulam, among others, now appear in all the standard textbooks. The vibrant joie de vivre and singular ambience of Lvov's once scintillating social scene are evocatively recaptured in personal recollections. The heyday of the famous Scottish Cafe-unquestionably the most mathematically productive cafeteria of all time-and its precious Scottish Book of highly influential problems are described in detail, revealing the special synergy of scholarship and camaraderie that permanently elevated Polish mathematics from utter obscurity to global prominence. This chronicle of the Lvov school-its legacy and the tumultuous historical events which defined its lifespan-will appeal equally to mathematicians, historians, or general readers seeking a cultural and institutional overview of key aspects of twentieth-century Polish mathematics not described anywhere else in the extant English-language literature.

Examines the historically unique conditions under which the International Congress of Mathematicians took place in Oslo in 1936. Relying heavily on unpublished archival sources, the authors consider the different goals of the various participants in the Congress, most notably those of the Norwegian organizers, and the Nazi-led German delegation.

For a long time, World War I has been shortchanged by the historiography of science. Until recently, World War II was usually considered as the defining event for the formation of the modern relationship between science and society. In this context, the effects of the First World War, by contrast, were often limited to the massive deaths of promising young scientists.

Henri Poincare (1854-1912) was one of the greatest scientists of his time, perhaps the last one to have mastered and expanded almost all areas in mathematics and theoretical physics. In this book, twenty world experts present one part of Poincare's extraordinary work. Each chapter treats one theme, presenting Poincare's approach, and achievements.

Part of the ""A Century of Mathematics in America"" collection, this book contains articles that describe the mathematics and the mathematical personalities in some of the nations' prominent departments: Johns Hopkins, Clark, Columbia, MIT, Michigan, Texas, and the Institute for Advanced Study.

Deals with some of the influential mathematics departments in the United States. This book also deals with a conference held at Princeton in 1946 to commemorate the university's bicentennial. It covers topics such as the influence of women in American mathematics, the burgeoning of differential geometry, and discussions of the work of von Karman.

Contains translations of some of historically significant works in set theory, model theory, analysis and algebra. This book is suitable for graduate students and researchers interested in set theory and the history of mathematics.

Includes articles written by A N Kolmogorov's students and colleagues and his personal accounts of shared experiences and lifelong mathematical friendships. This volume includes the following articles: ""On A N Kolmogorov"" by V I Arnol'd, ""In Memory of A N Kolmogorov"" by S M Nikol'skii, and ""A Few Words on A N Kolmogorov"" by P S Aleksandrov.

Presents the historical development of mathematical analysis. This book surveys the history of differential equations, the calculus of variations, and functional analysis. It describes the development of the theory of complex functions in the nineteenth century.

The Ausdehnungslehre of 1862 is Grassmann's mature presentation of his extension theory. The work captured his mathematical achievements. This book includes development of the inner product and its relation to the concept of angle, the 'theory of functions' from the point of view of extension theory, and his contribution to the Pfaff problem.

The idea of chaos figures prominently in mathematics. It arose in the work of one of the greatest mathematicians of the late 19th century, Henri Poincare, on a problem in celestial mechanics: the three body problem. This title opens with a discussion of the development of the three body problem itself and Poincare's related earlier work.