This text is ideal for advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate students. The author first develops the necessary background in probability theory and Markov chains before using it to study a range of randomized algorithms with important applications in optimization and other problems in computing. The book will appeal not only to mathematicians, but to students of computer science who will discover much useful material. This clear and concise introduction to the subject has numerous exercises that will help students to deepen their understanding.

Philosophical considerations, which are often ignored or treated casually, are given careful consideration in this introduction. Thomas Forster places the notion of inductively defined sets (recursive datatypes) at the center of his exposition resulting in an original analysis of well established topics. The presentation illustrates difficult points and includes many exercises. Little previous knowledge of logic is required and only a knowledge of standard undergraduate mathematics is assumed.

At first glance the prime numbers appear to be distributed in a very irregular way amongst the integers, but it is possible to produce a simple formula that tells (in an approximate but well-defined sense) how many primes can be found that are less than any integer. The prime number theorem tells what this formula is and it is indisputably one of the the great classical theorems of mathematics. This textbook introduces the prime number theorem and is suitable for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students. The author deftly shows how analytical tools can be used in number theory...

This is an accessible introduction to some of the fundamental connections among differential geometry, Lie groups, and integrable Hamiltonian systems. The text demonstrates how the theory of loop groups can be used to study harmonic maps. By concentrating on the main ideas and examples, the author leads up to topics of current research. The book is suitable for students who are beginning to study manifolds and Lie groups, and should be of interest both to mathematicians and to theoretical physicists as well.