Geometry and Its Applications, Second Edition (Hardcover)

by Walter A. Meyer (Author)
Key Phrases: exterior angle inequality, canonical perspective projection, symbolic rigor, Spherical Geometry Axiom, San Ildefonso, Electric Company (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"this text is more interesting to read than our present text. The author writes at a more appropriate level. (He) expresses himself well especially n the historical texts, examples, and ideas."
--David E. Ewing, Central Missouri State University
"Real strengths of the text include the applications, the treatment of symmetry, and the attention to isometries. The style is conversational and the approaches to problems are sensible. I appreciate the large number of problems."
--Steven Williams, Brigham Young University
"The author's emphasis on applications sets this proposed text apart from the standard ones. His examples make the point that geometry plays a vital role in the modern world."
--Gerald E. Gannon, California State University, Fullerton -- Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
MAA REVIEW
[Reviewed by Fernando Q. Gouvêa, on 03/25/2006]

OK, I'll admit it. I didn't think I was going to like this book. But it surprised me. It is, in my opinion, just the sort of thing its intended audience needs, and quite well executed.

Most American mathematics departments offer a regular course in geometry, usually aimed mostly at future teachers. Given that students now arrive in college with very little geometrical knowledge, these courses have settled on a fairly standard pattern. First, one does a little synthetic geometry, following Euclid as modified by Hilbert, in more or less detail and at varying levels of rigor. Next comes some (still synthetic) non-Euclidean geometry, usually very lightly done. At that point, coordinates, vectors, and transformations can come in, which creates the opportunity to introduce various other kinds of geometry (especially projective) and/or to spend some time considering symmetries of the plane and related topics (Meyer does the latter). From there on, one is free to consider special topics; Meyer chooses to do a little bit of the theory of polyhedra.

All this is fairly standard, as is the provision, made through a web site, of software support (in this case, using Geometer's Sketchpad). What makes Meyer's book stand out are two things. First, he puts to good use his experience in industry (at Grumman Corporation, where he ran a robotics research program) in order to present applications that, while usually simple, seem real. This includes some fairly important (and non-classical) material, such as a discussion of Voronoi diagrams.

The second is harder to pin down; I'd describe it as the book's "voice": a humane, intelligent, reflective way of discussing things that is quite interesting to read. Read his discussion of what axioms are, early in the first chapter, to see what I mean. If we can get students to read the book and think about what they read, they'll learn a lot from this book.

So: this may look fairly traditional (especially from the outside), but it's actually quite creative and very well done. Anyone teaching this kind of geometry course should consider adopting this book.

-- Fernando Q. Gouvêa is professor of mathematics at Colby College

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 560 pages
• Publisher: Academic Press; 2 edition (March 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0123694272
• ISBN-13: 978-0123694270
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #199,371 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good practical book, December 23, 2005

By	Ms. Math (Farmington, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Geometry and Its Applications, First Edition (Hardcover)

This book is a good college level textbook, with a lot of practical applications for geometry. Good for a college text to prepare geometry teachers to deal with questions from students like, "What will I ever need to use geometry for?" I really liked that the book has solutions to the odd numbered problems and the sections in each chapter on how geometry applies to everyday problems faced in physics and engineering. The CD was a nice supplement to use with geometers sketchpad.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BOOK OF IDEAS, April 21, 2002

By	Ahmed Morsi (JEDDAH, AZZIZEYA Saudi Arabia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Geometry and Its Applications, First Edition (Hardcover)

I got this book as a second hand and shortly its very very nice book.
The applications are very smart and clear ,
Its contexts and illustrations are adequate ,precise and really easy to read and understand.
I realy loved this book ,and i guess this is how the geometry Should be taught as rich ideas with apps not in abstract form.
You will find a nice proof for fermat's least time principle,
and lots lots more intersting ideas good for physics and computer
graphics programming.
This book really worth any price.