This remarkable book has endured as a true masterpiece of mathematical exposition. There are few mathematics books that are still so widely read and continue to have so much to offer-even after more than half a century has passed! The book is overflowing with mathematical ideas, which are always explained clearly and elegantly, and above all, with penetrating insight. It is a joy to read, both for beginners and experienced mathematicians. "Hilbert and Cohn-Vossen" is full of interesting facts, many of which you wish you had ...
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This remarkable book has endured as a true masterpiece of mathematical exposition. There are few mathematics books that are still so widely read and continue to have so much to offer-even after more than half a century has passed! The book is overflowing with mathematical ideas, which are always explained clearly and elegantly, and above all, with penetrating insight. It is a joy to read, both for beginners and experienced mathematicians. "Hilbert and Cohn-Vossen" is full of interesting facts, many of which you wish you had known before. It's also likely that you have heard those facts before, but surely wondered where they could be found. The book begins with examples of the simplest curves and surfaces, including thread constructions of certain quadrics and other surfaces. The chapter on regular systems of points leads to the crystallographic groups and the regular polyhedra in R3. In this chapter, they also discuss plane lattices. By considering unit lattices, and throwing in a small amount of number theory when necessary, they effortlessly derive Leibniz's series: ?/4=1?1/3+1/5?1/7+?.... In the section on lattices in three and more dimensions, the authors consider sphere-packing problems, including the famous Kepler problem. One of the most remarkable chapters is "Projective Configurations". In a short introductory section, Hilbert and Cohn-Vossen give perhaps the most concise and lucid description of why a general geometer would care about projective geometry and why such an ostensibly plain setup is truly rich in structure and ideas. Here, we see regular polyhedra again, from a different perspective. One of the high points of the chapter is the discussion of Schlafli's Double-Six, which leads to the description of the 27 lines on the general smooth cubic surface. As is true throughout the book, the magnificent drawings in this chapter immeasurably help the reader. A particularly intriguing section in the chapter on differential geometry is Eleven Properties of the Sphere. Which eleven properties of such a ubiquitous mathematical object caught their discerning eye and why? Many mathematicians are familiar with the plaster models of surfaces found in many mathematics departments. The book includes pictures of some of the models that are found in the G???ttingen collection. Furthermore, the mysterious lines that mark these surfaces are finally explained! The chapter on kinematics includes a nice discussion of linkages and the geometry of configurations of points and rods that are connected and, perhaps, constrained in some way. This topic in geometry has become increasingly important in recent times, especially in applications to robotics. This is another example of a simple situation that leads to a rich geometry. It would be hard to overestimate the continuing influence Hilbert-Cohn-Vossen's book has had on mathematicians of this century. It surely belongs in the "pantheon" of great mathematics books.
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Add this copy of Geometry and the Imagination (Ams Chelsea Publishing) to cart. $42.00, fair condition, Sold by Beers Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Sacramento, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1957 by American Mathematical Society.
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Used-Acceptable. No Jacket. Dust jacket is missing. Cover is in good condition, minimal bumping to top and bottom of spine. Two inch pen inscrtiption reads 'Laskey 07/30/07' in the top right corner of the end page. Below is a half inch sticker with the price inked out. There is a discolored two inch rectangle in the bottom center-left of the end page. Text block and pages have moderate foxing all across, but all text is fully legible.
Add this copy of Geometry and the Imagination. Second Edition to cart. $48.32, very good condition, Sold by Zubal Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Cleveland, OH, UNITED STATES, published 1952 by Chelsea Publishing Company.
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2nd edition; ix, 357 pp., Hardcover, very good. -If you are reading this, this item is actually (physically) in our stock and ready for shipment once ordered. We are not bookjackers. Buyer is responsible for any additional duties, taxes, or fees required by recipient's country.
Add this copy of Geometry and the Imagination to cart. $49.25, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published by Chelsea.
Add this copy of Geometry and the Imagination to cart. $50.00, very good condition, Sold by Lavendier Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Foster, RI, UNITED STATES, published 1952 by Chelsea Publishing House.
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Very Good. Size: 9x1x0; Chelsea Publishing Company; New York, 1983. Hardcover. A Very Good, navy blue cloth binding with gilt lettering on spine, binding sturdy and intact, some handling/scuffing to boards, previous owner handwritten ink name and year top front pastedown, some rubbing along board edges, several soiled specks top text block edge, few dog-eared pages, bit of crimping to spine edges, soiled stain rear board buckram, without Dust wrapper. A nice and overall clean copy. 8vo[octavo or approx. 6 x 9 inches]. 357pp., indexed. We pack securely and ship daily with delivery confirmation on every book. The picture on the listing page is of the actual book for sale. Additional Scan(s) are available for any item, please inquire.
Add this copy of Geometry and the Imagination to cart. $60.18, good condition, Sold by Bulk Book Warehouse rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Rotterdam, NY, UNITED STATES.
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Good. Shows minimal wear such as frayed or folded edges, minor rips and tears, and/or slightly worn binding. May have stickers and/or contain inscription on title page. No observed missing pages.
Add this copy of Geometry and the Imagination to cart. $65.15, Sold by BookDepart rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Shepherdstown, WV, UNITED STATES, published 1952 by Chelsea Publishing Company.
Edition:
1952, Chelsea Publishing Company
Hardcover
Details:
Publisher:
Chelsea Publishing Company
Published:
1952
Alibris ID:
16705446340
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UsedGood. Hardcover; translated by P. Nemenyi; this work is an English translation of the famous Anschauliche Geometrie. Fading, scuffing, and shelf wear to ext erior; former owner's name written on front endpaper; fading to pages; in g ood condition with clean text, firm binding.
Add this copy of Geometry and the Imagination to cart. $90.00, good condition, Sold by Book Dispensary rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Niagara Falls, NY, UNITED STATES, published 1952 by Chelsea Publishing Company.
Add this copy of Geometry and the Imagination to cart. $92.08, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1952 by Chelsea.
Add this copy of Geometry and the Imagination to cart. $93.57, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1952 by Chelsea Publishing House.
Add this copy of Geometry and the Imagination (Ams Chelsea Publishing) to cart. $111.11, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by American Mathematical Society.