This invaluable resource will guide general readers, as well as students, through the often bewildering maze of equations and theorems encountered within the mathematical universe. Nearly 1,000 entries have been added for this new edition covering everything from pure and applied mathematics to statistics. Also included are entries on mathematics of more general interest, such as fractals, game theory, and chaos. Providing succinct definitions and clear explanations to a wealth of terms, A Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics also enables readers to make new discoveries as they browse and check cross-references. With explanatory figures, diagrams, and tables for ready reference to compliment the text, clear and precise definitions, with helpful examples, of a wide range of mathematical terms and concepts, and brief biographical sketches of the great mathematicians, this comprehensive dictionary will serve as an indispensable and trustworthy guide to the dynamic world of mathematics.
If you want to buy this dictionary, don't buy the 4th edition. There is a newer edition (currently the 5th edition is the newest edition). The 4th edition is not comprehensive enough and leaves out these terms: • arity • class (of x), written as [x] • commutativity (of maps) • determinant (from the quadratic formula: b^2-4ac) • endomorphism • functor • idempotent • kernel / null space (but 'nullity' is defined) • kernel equivalence • level curve/surface (f(x, y, z) = a constant) • magma/groupoid • monoid • monomorphism • nabla (although 'gradient (grad)' is defined as the vector obtained by applying the del operator) • natural map / canonical map (π : X→X/E) • similar matrices (If Q^(-1) A Q = B then A and B are similar) • simply-connected region • standard basis (although the equivalent term 'canonical basis' is included) • standard product • uniform convergence