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Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning (Dover Books on Mathematics) Paperback – July 7, 1999

by A. D. Aleksandrov (Author), A. N. Kolmogorov (Author), M. A. Lavrentev (Author),

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Hailed by The New York Times Book Review as "nothing less than a major contribution to the scientific culture of this world," this major survey features the work of 18 outstanding mathematicians. Primary subjects include analytic geometry, algebra, ordinary and partial differential equations, the calculus of variations, functions of a complex variable, prime numbers, and theories of probability and functions. Other topics include linear and non-Euclidean geometry, topology, functional analysis, more. 1963 edition.

Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning (Dover Books on Mathematics)

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Product Details

Series: Dover Books on Mathematics
Paperback: 1120 pages
Publisher: Dover Publications (July 7, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0486409163
ISBN-13: 978-0486409160
Product Dimensions: 2 x 5.8 x 8.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #21 in Books > Science & Math > Mathematics > Geometry & Topology
- #30 in Books > Science & Math > Mathematics > Pure Mathematics > Calculus
- #42 in Books > Science & Math > Mathematics > Pure Mathematics > Algebra

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Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars

5 star		76%
4 star		24%
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 80 people found the following review helpful

Great book for math fans

By A Customer on October 17, 2002

Format: Paperback

I whole-heartedly agree with the other positive reviews offered here. There are only a few things I would like to add:
(1) Popular math and science has become quite popular lately. I'm sure that there are many pop-math/pop-sci readers who would like a more 'meatier' treatment of math that still has an accessible style. If you're in that group, then this book is for you.
It basically requires recollection of high school algebra and a willingness to wade through and learn some challenging material. I should add that the book looks intimidating in size but this is mostly due to the fact that Dover has bound 3 volumes as 1 (which is actually a great deal for readers).
(2) I can't think of too may books that can, with effort, take a novice through the bulk of a college/university level math curriculum.
(3) This book contains material by 2 of the greatest mathematicians/scientists of all time: Andrei Kolmogorov (famous for his work on probability and information theory as well as Kolmogorov Complexity/Algorithmic Information Theory) and I. M. Gelfand (for his work on mathematical physics). The book is worth buying for that reason alone.

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59 of 60 people found the following review helpful

Additional comments to my previous review

By Ryuji Suzuki on May 2, 2000

Format: Paperback

In addition to my previous review, concerning the contents, here are a few additions on physical aspects.
This 1999 paperback edition has all three volumes in one binding. The paper is thinner so the book is less bulky. Page number resets at the beginning of volume 2 and 3. (not renumbered.) Thus the book content is not altered from the 2nd edition (three volumes set) from MIT Press in 1969.
One major change is that there is one index at the end of the book which covers all three volumes. The volume is indicated together with the page number. This improves the convenience.

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45 of 46 people found the following review helpful

Mathematics : Its Content, Methods and Meaning

By David Liu on May 4, 2000

Format: Paperback

It is a wonderful book. It reminds me of "The Feynman Lectures" in that it focuses on understanding, is (relatively) accessibly, has an incredible depth, and in that it covers an amazing amount. It includes "real" instruction, and you would be able to "do problems" after reading the book, although the real focus is more on understanding/ conceptual stuff.

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37 of 40 people found the following review helpful

Superb but BEWARE of what you buy

By Ken Braithwaite on November 21, 2008

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

The Dover edition is 3 volumes in one. Many of the copies for sale here are just ONE of the 3 volumes. So be careful what you order!

This is a superb series of essays on major areas of math, by leading Russian mathematicians. They provide a splendid but SERIOUS introduction to each area. It is 50 years old but all this stuff is still central to any math related degree.

The book does a great job providing "motivation" and connecting the areas of math together. I wish I had had it when I did my degrees.

Suitable for those in math, physics, engineering. If you want a less ambitious, popular account of math then look for Ian Stewart's Concepts of Modern Mathematics, also from Dover.

Anf again, be careful about what you order.

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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

A great text to have in your collection!

By From Detroit on March 23, 2005

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

This book gives a nice overview of the various fields of mathematics (no pun intended ;-)). Famous Russian authors have pooled their talents to come up with a book that summarizes the majority of the mathematics available the time. It's basically a dictionary for mathematicians! Covers topics from number theory, calculus, analysis, topology and even higher up subjects such as functional analysis and differential geometry. There are interesting theorems, and examples throughout.

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27 of 29 people found the following review helpful

The model book

By N N Taleb on May 8, 2013

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

There is something admirable about the school of the Russians: they are thinkers doing math, with remarkable clarity, minimal formalism, and total absence of unnecessary pedantry one finds in more modern texts (in the post Bourbaki era). This is of course surprising as one would have expected the exact opposite from the products of the communist era. Mathematicians should be using this book as a model for their own composition. You can read it and reread it. Professors should assign this in addition to modern texts, as readers can get intutions, something alas absent from modern texts.

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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

Masterpiece

By Alexey Chentsov on April 25, 2013

Format: Paperback

This is a pure masterpiece written by great mathematical minds of the XXth century. I wish I had this book when I was in high school. You can read it all or browse through some chapters which interest you. High school math is pretty much all you need to read it, but you'll certainly appreciate the content even if you have a PhD.

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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful

Wonderful

By Toan Vu Phan on November 14, 2003

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

This books is an amazing summary of almost all undergraduate math. It is definitely a mathematical masterpiece of all time, written by some of the most prominent mathematicians of all time.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

I bought this book because I was getting interested in math and wanted...

Cheap and comprehensive. I bought this book because I was getting interested in math and wanted something exciting to read through and that wasn't pop-sciency crap. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Monty Thibault

Exactly as advertised in previous comments. A good 'Feynman' equivalent of math. Easy to follow, clear concise language. 4 stars because there are no practice problems in the book. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Andrei Serg

Five Stars

I love the way it delivers knowledge.

Published 6 months ago by Jose A. Wong-Perez

It's like a guided tour of a Soviet mathematics museum.

It's like a guided tour of a Soviet mathematics museum.

Excellent reading for anyone interested in mathematics.

Not many problems to crunch. Read more

Published 6 months ago by Adrian Vazquez

Five Stars

good buy will use again

Published 7 months ago by Donald T Foster

Four Stars

The content is good. However, it is too heavy. When reading it, my arm is painful.

Published 9 months ago by Arondes

I like it

I will recommend this product to any one interested.

Published 15 months ago by Jean P Tiendrebeogo

A masterpiece!

I think this should be a must have for anyone interested in mathematics. Even for self learning.
There's everything in it, ranging from history of mathematics, mathematical... Read more

Published 17 months ago by Stefano Bellodi

WARNING!! BE SURE TO BUY THE 3 VOLUMES IN ONE EDITION, NOT JUST...

I have not yet read this book so I can't comment on its quality. I did notice, however, that the book pictured on this page, and the description provided as well, are for Volume 2... Read more

Published 22 months ago by William D. Fusfield

Good read but requires some knowledge of math to avoid being...

The book is a good read but requires some knowledge of math to avoid being lost and overwhelmed by the content

Published on October 21, 2013 by Victor Johnson

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