Tribute to the vision and legacy of Israel Moiseevich Gel'fand Written by leading mathematicians, these invited papers reflect the unity of mathematics as a whole, with particular emphasis on the many connections among the fields of geometry, physics, and representation theory Topics include conformal field theory, K-theory, noncommutative geometry, gauge theory, representations of infinite-dimensional Lie algebras, and various aspects of the Langlands program
This Seminar began in Moscow in November 1943 and has continued without interruption up to the present. We are happy that with this vol ume, Birkhiiuser has begun to publish papers of talks from the Seminar. It was, unfortunately, difficult to organize their publication before 1990. Since 1990, most of the talks have taken place at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Parallel seminars were also held in Moscow, and during July, 1992, at IRES in Bures-sur-Yvette, France. Speakers were invited to submit papers in their own style, and to elaborate on what they discussed in the Seminar. We hope that readers will find the diversity of styles appealing, and recognize that to some extent this reflects the diversity of styles in a mathematical society. The principal aim was to have interesting talks, even if the topic was not especially popular at the time. The papers listed in the Table of Contents reflect some of the rich variety of ideas presented in the Seminar. Not all the speakers submit ted papers. Among the interesting talks that influenced the seminar in an important way, let us mention, for example, that of R. Langlands on per colation theory and those of J. Conway and J. McKay on sporadic groups. In addition, there were many extemporaneous talks as well as short discus sions.
Fresh, lively text serves as a modern introduction to the subject, with applications to the mechanics of systems with a finite number of degrees of freedom. Ideal for math and physics students.
This monograph on the description and study of representations of the rotation group of three-dimensional space and of the Lorentz group features advanced topics and techniques crucial to many areas of modern theoretical physics. Prerequisites include a familiarity with the differential and integral calculus of several variables and the fundamentals of linear algebra. Suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in mathematical physics, the book is also designed for mathematicians studying the representations of Lie groups, for whom it can serve as an introduction to the general theory of representation. The treatment encompasses all the basic material of the theory of representations used in quantum mechanics. The two-part approach begins with representations of the group of rotations of three-dimensional space, analyzing the rotation group and its representations. The second part, covering representations of the Lorentz group, includes an exploration of relativistic-invariant equations. The text concludes with three helpful supplements and a bibliography.
In a sense, trigonometry sits at the center of high school mathematics. It originates in the study of geometry when we investigate the ratios of sides in similar right triangles, or when we look at the relationship between a chord of a circle and its arc. It leads to a much deeper study of periodic functions, and of the so-called transcendental functions, which cannot be described using finite algebraic processes. It also has many applications to physics, astronomy, and other branches of science. It is a very old subject. Many of the geometric results that we now state in trigonometric terms were given a purely geometric exposition by Euclid. Ptolemy, an early astronomer, began to go beyond Euclid, using the geometry of the time to construct what we now call tables of values of trigonometric functions. Trigonometry is an important introduction to calculus, where one stud ies what mathematicians call analytic properties of functions. One of the goals of this book is to prepare you for a course in calculus by directing your attention away from particular values of a function to a study of the function as an object in itself. This way of thinking is useful not just in calculus, but in many mathematical situations. So trigonometry is a part of pre-calculus, and is related to other pre-calculus topics, such as exponential and logarithmic functions, and complex numbers.
A collection of articles in memory of Irene Dorfman and her research in mathematical physics. Among the topics covered are: the Hamiltonian and bi-Hamiltonian nature of continuous and discrete integrable equations; the t-function construction; the r-matrix formulation of integrable systems; pseudo-differential operators and modular forms; master symmetries and the Bocher theorem; asymptotic integrability; the integrability of the equations of associativity; invariance under Laplace-darboux transformations; trace formulae of the Dirac and Schrodinger periodic operators; and certain canonical 1-forms.
The need for improved mathematics education at the high school and college levels has never been more apparent than in the 1990's. As early as the 1960's, I.M. Gelfand and his colleagues in the USSR thought hard about this same question and developed a style for presenting basic mathematics in a clear and simple form that engaged the curiosity and intellectual interest of thousands of high school and college students. These same ideas, this same content, unchanged by over thirty years of experience and mathematical development, are available in the following books to any student who is willing to read, to be stimulated, and to learn. "Functions and Graphs" provides instruction in transferring formulas and data into geometrical form. Thus, drawing graphs is shown to be one way to "see" formulas and functions and to observe the ways in which they change. This skill is fundamental to the study of calculus and other mathematical topics. Teachers of mathematics will find here a fresh understanding of the subject and a valuable path to the training of students in mathematical concepts and skills.
Two-part treatment begins with discussions of coordinates of points on a line, coordinates of points in a plane, and coordinates of points in space. Part two examines geometry as an aid to calculation and peculiarities of four-dimensional space. Abundance of ingenious problems — includes solutions, answers, and hints. 1967 edition.
Spaces of Fundamental and Generalized Functions, Volume 2, analyzes the general theory of linear topological spaces. The basis of the theory of generalized functions is the theory of the so-called countably normed spaces (with compatible norms), their unions (inductive limits), and also of the spaces conjugate to the countably normed ones or their unions. This set of spaces is sufficiently broad on the one hand, and sufficiently convenient for the analyst on the other. The book opens with a chapter that discusses the theory of these spaces. This is followed by separate chapters on fundamental and generalized functions, Fourier transformations of fundamental and generalized functions, and spaces of type S.
This book considers the theory of 'integrable' non-linear partial differential equations. The theory was developed at first by mathematical physicists but later mathematicians, particularly from the Soviet Union, were attracted to the field. In this volume are reprinted some fundamental contributions, originally published in Russian Mathematical Surveys, from some of the leading Soviet workers. Dr George Wilson has written an introduction intended to smooth the reader's path through some of the articles.
In a sense, trigonometry sits at the center of high school mathematics. It originates in the study of geometry when we investigate the ratios of sides in similar right triangles, or when we look at the relationship between a chord of a circle and its arc. It leads to a much deeper study of periodic functions, and of the so-called transcendental functions, which cannot be described using finite algebraic processes. It also has many applications to physics, astronomy, and other branches of science. It is a very old subject. Many of the geometric results that we now state in trigonometric terms were given a purely geometric exposition by Euclid. Ptolemy, an early astronomer, began to go beyond Euclid, using the geometry of the time to construct what we now call tables of values of trigonometric functions. Trigonometry is an important introduction to calculus, where one stud ies what mathematicians call analytic properties of functions. One of the goals of this book is to prepare you for a course in calculus by directing your attention away from particular values of a function to a study of the function as an object in itself. This way of thinking is useful not just in calculus, but in many mathematical situations. So trigonometry is a part of pre-calculus, and is related to other pre-calculus topics, such as exponential and logarithmic functions, and complex numbers.
This monograph on the description and study of representations of the rotation group of three-dimensional space and of the Lorentz group features advanced topics and techniques crucial to many areas of modern theoretical physics. Prerequisites include a familiarity with the differential and integral calculus of several variables and the fundamentals of linear algebra. Suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in mathematical physics, the book is also designed for mathematicians studying the representations of Lie groups, for whom it can serve as an introduction to the general theory of representation. The treatment encompasses all the basic material of the theory of representations used in quantum mechanics. The two-part approach begins with representations of the group of rotations of three-dimensional space, analyzing the rotation group and its representations. The second part, covering representations of the Lorentz group, includes an exploration of relativistic-invariant equations. The text concludes with three helpful supplements and a bibliography.
The need for improved mathematics education at the high school and college levels has never been more apparent than in the 1990s. As early as the 1960s, I. M. Gel'fand and his colleagues in the USSR thought hard about this same question and developed a style for presenting basic mathematics in a clear and simple form that engaged the curiosity and intellectual interest of thousands of high school and college students. These same ideas, this same content, unchanged by over thirty years of experience and mathematical development, are available in the present books to any student who is willing to read, to be stimulated and to learn. "The Method of Coordinates" is a way of transferring geometric images into formulas, a method for describing pictures by numbers and letters denoting constants and variables. It is fundamental to the study of calculus and other mathematical topics. Teachers of mathematics will find here a fresh understanding of the subject and a valuable path to the training of students in mathematical concepts and skills.
This volume presents students with problems and exercises designed to illuminate the properties of functions and graphs. The 1st part of the book employs simple functions to analyze the fundamental methods of constructing graphs. The 2nd half deals with more complicated and refined questions concerning linear functions, quadratic trinomials, linear fractional functions, power functions, and rational functions. 1969 edition.
Prominent Russian mathematician's concise, well-written exposition considers n-dimensional spaces, linear and bilinear forms, linear transformations, canonical form of an arbitrary linear transformation, and an introduction to tensors. While not designed as an introductory text, the book's well-chosen topics, brevity of presentation, and the author's reputation will recommend it to all students, teachers, and mathematicians working in this sector.
The second half of the 20th century and its conclusion : crisis in the physics and mathematics community in Russia and in the West -- Interview with Sergey P. Novikov -- The w-function of the KdV hierarchy -- On the zeta functions of a meromorphic germ in two variables -- On almost duality for Frobenius manifolds -- Finitely presented semigroups in knot theory. Oriented case -- Topological robotics : subspace arrangements and collision free motion planning -- The initial-boundary value problem on the interval for the nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The algebro-geometric approach. I -- On odd Laplace operators. II -- From 2D Toda hierarchy to conformal maps for domains of the Riemann sphere --Integrable chains on algebraic curves -- Fifteen years of KAM for PDE -- Graded filiform Lie algebras and symplectic nilmanifolds --Adiabatic limit in the Seiberg-Witten equations -- Affine Krichever-Novikov algebras, their representations and applications -- Tame integrals of motion and o-minimal structures.
The first systematic theory of generalized functions (also known as distributions) was created in the early 1950s, although some aspects were developed much earlier, most notably in the definition of the Green's function in mathematics and in the work of Paul Dirac on quantum electrodynamics in physics. The six-volume collection, Generalized Functions, written by I. M. Gel′fand and co-authors and published in Russian between 1958 and 1966, gives an introduction to generalized functions and presents various applications to analysis, PDE, stochastic processes, and representation theory. The unifying idea of Volume 5 in the series is the application of the theory of generalized functions developed in earlier volumes to problems of integral geometry, to representations of Lie groups, specifically of the Lorentz group, and to harmonic analysis on corresponding homogeneous spaces. The book is written with great clarity and requires little in the way of special previous knowledge of either group representation theory or integral geometry; it is also independent of the earlier volumes in the series. The exposition starts with the definition, properties, and main results related to the classical Radon transform, passing to integral geometry in complex space, representations of the group of complex unimodular matrices of second order, and harmonic analysis on this group and on most important homogeneous spaces related to this group. The volume ends with the study of representations of the group of real unimodular matrices of order two.
The first systematic theory of generalized functions (also known as distributions) was created in the early 1950s, although some aspects were developed much earlier, most notably in the definition of the Green's function in mathematics and in the work of Paul Dirac on quantum electrodynamics in physics. The six-volume collection, Generalized Functions, written by I. M. Gel'fand and co-authors and published in Russian between 1958 and 1966, gives an introduction to generalized functions and presents various applications to analysis, PDE, stochastic processes, and representation theory. In Volume 3, applications of generalized functions to the Cauchy problem for systems of partial differential equations with constant coefficients are considered. The book includes the study of uniqueness classes of solutions of the Cauchy problem and the study of classes of functions where the Cauchy problem is well posed. The last chapter of this volume presents results related to spectral decomposition of differential operators related to generalized eigenfunctions.
This classic textbook by two mathematicians from the USSR's prestigious Kharkov Mathematics Institute introduces linear operators in Hilbert space, and presents in detail the geometry of Hilbert space and the spectral theory of unitary and self-adjoint operators. It is directed to students at graduate and advanced undergraduate levels, but because of the exceptional clarity of its theoretical presentation and the inclusion of results obtained by Soviet mathematicians, it should prove invaluable for every mathematician and physicist. 1961, 1963 edition.
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