The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics

by R. David Nelson

The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics takes in all branches of pure and applied mathematics, from algebra to mechanics and from number theory to statistics. Invaluable for students at all levels, it is also a useful and versatile source book for economists, business people, engineers, technicians and scientists of all kinds who use mathematics in the course of their work.

Genres: Mathematics, Reference, Nonfiction, Dictionaries, Science

496 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 1989

About the author

R. David Nelson, born in 1938, was educated at Calday Grange Grammar School, Cheshire, and Christ's College, Cambridge. After postgraduate studies in mathematical logic at Cambridge and Bristol Universities, he entered the teaching profession. He has published papers in mathematical journals and is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.

He was a lecturer at the University of Manchester from 1981 to 2001, specializing in mathematical cognition and the history of mathematics. He is now an Honorary Fellow. His publications include Extensions of Calculus, Multicultural Mathematics, and The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics. He has lectured in Poland, Italy, France, and the USA, and in 1995, at the invitation of the State Education Committee of the People's Republic of China, organized and led a three-week National Seminar on Mathematics Education to initiate reform of the Chinese national mathematics curriculum.

A former member of the National Youth Orchestra, his main recreations are playing the flute and the piano. He also enjoys gardening and golf. His wife, Gillian, is a writer, and they have three children.

Reviews

[basogus only a trim · Rating 4 out of 5]

great for a quick note you can look up :)

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some people think a dictionary is just a list of words, and I suppose it is. But you can learn a great deal from a dictionary, especially if it's a dictionary of a single subject or topic .... like this one!