An Introduction to Morse Theory

ISBN-13: 9780821810224 / Angielski / Miękka / 2001

Yukio Matsumoto

Opis

In a very broad sense, spaces are objects of study in geometry, and functions are objects of study in analysis. There are, however, deep relations between functions defined on a space and the shape of the space, and the study of these relations is the main theme of Morse theory. In particular, its feature is to look at the critical points of a function, and to derive information on the shape of the space from the information about the critical points. Morse theory deals with both finite-dimensional and infinite-dimensional spaces. In particular, it is believed that Morse theory on infinite-dimensional spaces will become more and more important in the future as mathematics advances. This book describes Morse theory for finite dimensions. Finite-dimensional Morse theory has an advantage in that it is easier to present fundamental ideas than in infinite-dimensional Morse theory, which is theoretically more involved. Therefore, finite-dimensional Morse theory is more suitable for beginners to study. On the other hand, finite-dimensional Morse theory has its own significance, not just as a bridge to infinite dimensions.

Widoczna okładka, to zdjęcie poglądowe, a rzeczywista szata graficzna może różnić się od prezentowanej. Nie gwarantujemy zgodności okładki z prezentowanym zdjęciem.