Lie groups and Lie algebras have become essential to many parts of mathematics and theoretical physics, with Lie algebras a central object of interest in their own right.

Based on a lecture course given to fourth-year undergraduates, this book provides an elementary introduction to Lie algebras. It starts with basic concepts. A section on low-dimensional Lie algebras provides readers with experience of some useful examples. This is followed by a discussion of solvable Lie algebras and a strategy towards a classification of finite-dimensional complex Lie algebras. The next...

Many people do not realise that mathematics provides the foundation for the devices we use to handle information in the modern world. Most of those who do know probably think that the parts of mathematics involvedare quite 'cl- sical', such as Fourier analysis and di?erential equations. In fact, a great deal of the mathematical background is part of what used to be called 'pure' ma- ematics, indicating that it was created in order to deal with problems that originated within mathematics itself. It has taken many years for mathema- cians to come to terms with this situation, and some of them...