Books for understanding mathematics and Statistics | Books - Cambridge University Press

Check out these books below by Cambridge University Press.  

Photo: Pexels

Abstract Algebra with Applications

Abstract Algebra with Applications

Abstract Algebra with Applications provides a friendly and concise introduction to algebra, with an emphasis on its uses in the modern world. The first part of this book covers groups, after some preliminaries on sets, functions, relations, and induction, and features applications such as public-key cryptography, Sudoku, the finite Fourier transform, and symmetry in chemistry and physics. The second part of this book covers rings and fields, and features applications such as random number generators, error correcting codes, the Google page rank algorithm, communication networks, and elliptic curve cryptography...

Intended for a year-long undergraduate course in algebra for mathematics, engineering, and computer science majors, the only prerequisites are calculus and a bit of courage when asked to do a short proof.

• Includes interesting computational examples where students can use their preferred software, including Mathematica, Scientific Workplace and Group Explorer
• Connects theory with practice by featuring plenty of examples and applications
• Emphasizes finite fields and rings and the ways in which the finite mirrors the infinite, making the subject accessible to students

Read more...  

Modern Statistics for Modern Biology 

Modern Statistics for Modern Biology

If you are a biologist and want to get the best out of the powerful methods of modern computational statistics, this is your book. You can visualize and analyze your own data, apply unsupervised and supervised learning, integrate datasets, apply hypothesis testing, and make publication-quality figures using the power of R/Bioconductor and ggplot2. This book will teach you 'cooking from scratch', from raw data to beautiful illuminating output, as you learn to write your own scripts in the R language and to use advanced statistics packages from CRAN and Bioconductor...

Using a minimum of mathematical notation, it builds understanding from well-chosen examples, simulation, visualization, and above all hands-on interaction with data and code.

• Introduces methods on a 'need to know' basis, so students tackle biological questions immediately and understand motivation for the methods
• Contains real-life examples done from scratch, guiding students through realistic complexities and building practical intuition
• Includes a wrap-up chapter that explains the complete workflow from design of experiments to analysis of results, identifying common pitfalls with big data

Read more...

Linear Algebra 

Linear Algebra

Linear Algebra offers a unified treatment of both matrix-oriented and theoretical approaches to the course, which will be useful for classes with a mix of mathematics, physics, engineering, and computer science students...

• Introduces central topics, such as vector spaces, linear maps, linear dependence and eigenvalues early in the book with the aim of helping students transition from calculus to rigorous mathematics
• Motivates the reader whilst introducing new topics, definitions, and appropriate examples in connection with the core concepts presented early in the text so that students will be able to go back to these vital notions and, by the time the course ends, will have worked with them extensively
• Includes many pedagogical features, such as: 'Quick Exercises' throughout with answers upside-down at the bottom of the page; periodic 'Perspectives' that collect various viewpoints on particular topics developed throughout the text; and numerous in-text examples, end-of-chapter exercises, and hints and answers to selected problems at the end of the book

Read more...

Enjoy the Read! 

Source: Cambridge University Press

The City of Dreaming Science: the Oxford Philosophical Club, the scientific revolution and beyond | Science and Technology - Oxford Student

Adam Mellul, Science & Tech at Oxford Student reports, Through the first half of the seventeenth century, Britain was heading towards a scientific revolution.
  

Photo:  Wellcome Collection (CC by 4.0)

Francis Bacon, educated in Cambridge and rejecting Aristotelian philosophy, is credited with developing the scientific method, and in Oxford, advances too were being made. The flourishing of members of a forward-thinking network shaped the future of scientific study in the centuries that have followed.

John Wilkins studied at Oxford at Magdalen Hall (later refounded as Hertford College), graduating with an M.A. in 1634. He returned in 1648 as Warden of Wadham College, and under his leadership, the college prospered. Wilkins went on to marry Robina French née Cromwell, the younger sister of Oliver Cromwell, and also became Master of Trinity College in Cambridge: he was one of the few people to have headed both an Oxford and Cambridge college. Despite never achieving any particular scientific breakthroughs, his influence in Oxford was incredibly important for the advances of scientific knowledge in Britain.

One of the many people Wilkins attracted to Wadham was Christopher Wren, in 1650. Of course Wren became an incredible architect; his second project was the design of the Sheldonian Theatre, and St Paul’s Cathedral, completed in 1710, is regarded as his masterpiece. At Wadham Wren studied Latin and Aristotle’s works, but it was his association with Wilkins that led to the flourishing of scientific developments, with his strength in geometry.

Wilkins led a group, the Oxford Philosophical Club, mainly operating from 1649 to 1660, consisting of natural philosophers and mathematicians amongst other virtuosi. This club was following on from the Gresham College group, or the “1645 group”, in London, which included Wilkins and focused on experimental science. In total 50 names have been mentioned as being in the group, including Wren. They would meet regularly in the Warden’s Lodgings at Wadham to discuss the natural sciences and encourage experimentation, free of political distinctions and influenced by Francis Bacon’s works on the scientific method.

Another famous member was Robert Boyle. In 1654 Boyle arrived in Oxford, having moved from Ireland which he called “a barbarous country where chemical spirits were so misunderstood and chemical instruments so unprocurable”. Regarded as the first modern chemist, Boyle pushed forward the ideas of the experimental scientific method: his seminal work, ‘A Free Enquiry into the Vulgarly Received Notion of Nature’, looked at distinguishing physics from metaphysics. The name ‘Chemistry’ in modern science, originated from Boyle’s work ‘The Sceptical Chymist’. On the walls of University College you will find an inscription marking where Boyle lived between 1655 and 1668. It was here that he discovered the famous Boyle’s Law, describing the relationship between pressure of a gas and the volume it occupies.

On the same inscription, Robert Hooke, Boyle’s assistant, is mentioned. Hooke was slowly recruited into the group that Wilkins had formed, after arriving at Christ Church in 1653, and becoming assistant to Boyle by 1658. Hooke’s contributions to science are varied and include the spring balance, spring suspension for vehicles and the photocopier...

Nowadays many view Cambridge as the university for science, and Oxford as the university for the humanities. After all, Cambridge has 83 Nobel laureates of Medicine, Chemistry and Physics, to Oxford’s 32. But if you look further back in time, you’ll see just how incredibly important and influential the events that unfolded, just some of which are covered here, in Oxford have had on the scientific world.
Read more...

Source: Oxford Student

STEM event set for middle school students | Education - Jamestown Sun

More than 450 middle school students from around Stutsman County are expected to attend a Tech Savvy for girls and STEMtastic for boys event on March 7 at the University of Jamestown. The events are free, inform Sun Staff.
 

Photo: TechSavvy & STEMtastic

The North Dakota STEM Network, AAUW Jamestown Branch, Jamestown Public School District and UJ are collaborating to provide hands-on workshops and opportunities to learn from STEM professionals, said Joan Enderle, event organizer. The participants will work on engineering problem-solving principles, group activities and a chance to step into engineering, mathematician and computer scientist roles, she said...

AAUW Tech Savvy is a daylong science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) career conference designed to attract girls in grades 6-9 to these fields. AAUW Tech Savvy also includes a parent program that encourages families to reinforce girls’ interest in future education and careers in STEM.

For more information, visit the event website at techsavvynd.org.
Read more... 

Source: Jamestown Sun

MassMutual Graduate Fellowship in Complex Systems and Data Science (PhD) | Internship - MarkTechPost

The University of Vermont Complex Systems Center
Website

---

MassMutual Graduate Fellowship in Complex Systems and Data Science, PhD Fellowships
 

Photo: Pixabay

The MassMutual Center of Excellence in Complex Systems and Data Science Graduate Fellowship at University of Vermont offers annual graduate fellowships to students enrolled in the UVM Complex Systems Center’s MS and PhD in Complex Systems and Data Science. These fellowships offer a unique experience for students to tackle real world health and wellness problems that matter most for science, industry, and society.

Come to beautiful Burlington, Vermont and work in a highly-collaborative, fun, and dynamic research environment. The Vermont Complex Systems Center is a postdisciplinary team of faculty, researchers, and students working at the University of Vermont’s College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences on real-world, data-rich, and meaningful complex systems problems of all kinds.

This graduate fellowship will be funded by our groundbreaking data science partnership with MassMutual...

We will be accepting applications for the 2019 MassMutual Graduate Fellows cohort until February 1, 2019 for Fall 2019 Admission, and October 15, 2019 for Spring Admission.

Eligibility Requirements
-For PhD Fellowship: a completed Master’s Degree
-For Master’s Fellowship: a completed Bachelor’s Degree
-Knowledge of data science and computational tools
-Ability to work independently
-Intellectual curiosity and interest in working in a highly-collaborative complex systems science environment
Read more... 

Source: MarkTechPost

Highlights from BYU colleges by Ally Arnold and Emma Benson | Universe.byu.edu

College of Fine Arts and Communications

These are some recent characters created by students in the BYU animation program.
Photo: BYU Center for Animation

The BYU animation program has been ranked No. 1 in the nation by the Animation Career Review. The program has won 18 student Emmys and the E3 College Game Competition this year for their game “Beat Boxer.” The animation program is highly competitive; it consists of around 80 students and accepts only 20-25 each year...

Claudine Bigelow at home in her BYU office. Her research will take her to Europe this summer.
Photo: Alyssa Lyman

Professor Claudine Bigelow received a grant to fund research on Scandinavian pioneer women and folk music traditions. Her studies will take her to Sweden, Stockholm, Iceland and Denmark. Bigelow’s inspiration for her research project stems from a recent collaborative project with professor Joe Ostraff that included visiting Church historical sites. The trip sparked Bigelow’s desire to study her ancestry and the unique musical and familial cultures that stem from Sweden and Denmark.

---

College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
The Society of Actuaries has recognized BYU’s actuarial science program as a Center of Actuarial Excellence. BYU is the first western school to receive this prestigious placement, making it one of the top 10 percent schools in the nation for actuarial science. This honor is given to programs that have a challenging curriculum partnered with a high graduation rate of students equipped to work in the field. The program has excelled and the number of employed graduates has risen to about 96 percent with an increase of faculty and research in the past three years.

See University news here.  
Read more...

Source: Universe.byu.edu

5 summer scholarships helping students have productive vacations | Scholarships - Zee News

Here are the scholarships below, writes Zee Media Bureau.
 

Photo: Representational image

Come summer vacations and students from all academic levels take off from their academic schedules to find peace in leisure activities. While some students rekindle their hobbies, there are obviously some students who wish to make their summers as productive as possible. For higher education students, summer breaks are the peak times when they gun it for their competitive exam preparations. But if you’re a student who can’t handle the thought of being glued to the PlayStation for a month, or for that matter a student who can’t bust heads with others in some jam-packed coaching class; perhaps an exposure to the hidden world of fellowship programs could make your summer vacations just the kind of pleasurable and productive abodes you need.

Elite institutions of the nation and some other organisations provide exclusive programs during summers every year. These Summer Scholarship Initiatives provide students with a chance to make productive use of their time and be rewarded for the same. Such fellowship and scholarship programs range from social work initiatives to experimental study tours (even international trips!). Some institutions go ahead and even compensate the participants for their enthusiasm towards these programs. So, if your idea of celebrating a summer aligns even remotely with adaptive learning and unconventional studies, these five scholarships and fellowships might give just the right consolation for going ahead and leaving those old-school vacations plans.
Read more...

Source: Zee News

Allow me to tell you how awesome you are | Your Unicorn Career - Science Magazine

Photo: Alaina G. Levine

Introducing “Your Unicorn Career,” a new column from Science Careers, recommends Alaina G. Levine, STEM careers consultant, a professional speaker, and the author of Networking for Nerds (Wiley, 2015). 

Photo: iStock.com/Andrew Rich

Throughout my undergrad years studying mathematics, I fancied a magical job as a “theoretical mathematician.” In my mind, I would stand around blackboards all day, exploring the topological formulae that describe doughnuts and coffee cups—because that’s what we did in topology class. I envisioned lots of deep thought, ivy, wood-paneled offices, and nerds. Lots of nerds. As a nerd myself, it sounded like heaven.

But I was curious whether this was my only career option. I figured I had a variety of decent opportunities ahead of me. After all, I had majored in the language of the universe.

When I brought up the topic with my academic adviser—having never had a career conversation with him before—I was looking forward to him telling me about the many enchanted careers and jobs where I would be valued. 

Instead, with a blatant tone of disappointment, he used the word “nothing” to describe what I could do, other than become a professor, a teacher, or go into actuarial studies. He informed me that I was one of only two of his protégés to not go to graduate school. In his mind, it was clear: I was a failure. 

Ahem.

In the 22 years since then, I have thought back on this moment 1001 times—and I have heard similar stories from 1001 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals. I’m not angry at Dr. Math for counseling me as he did. Dr. Math, like many professors, contently resided in the two-dimensional plane of the tenure track...

But something funny happened on the way to the quasar. I realized that as much as I love astronomy and physics and indeed many other areas of STEM—I soon switched my majors to math and anthropology—I didn’t want to conduct research in any of these areas. Solving mathematical problems was great fun, but it was not what I wanted to do 100% of the time. I wanted something more from my STEM career.

As I explored jobs in science communication, outreach, marketing, and career planning, I realized that, to do all the things I wanted to do, I would have to be creative and entrepreneurial. I would have to make it myself, in my own way, to stay authentic and achieve my own definition of success. It also meant I would have to argue with the ill-informed and haters who couldn’t, wouldn’t, or didn’t want to help me in my vision.

But over time, I forged my dream job. You can, too.
Read more...

Source: Science Magazine 

Colorado Mesa University plans to add actuarial science courses in the fall | Campus - The Criterion

Actuaries analyze the possible financial impact of risks, summarizes Elias Born, Reporter at The Criterion.

Photo: Colorado Mesa University (CMU)

Colorado Mesa University (CMU) will allegedly be adding some actuarial science classes, starting the fall semester of 2019.

“Over the past 10 years I have had numerous students inquire about having such a degree,” Director of Public Relations David Ludlam said. “Actuarial science applies mathematical and statistical methods to assess risk in insurance, whether it be auto, dwelling, or life.”
CMU already offers most of the classes that usually compose an actuarial science degree. They include finance, risk management, insurance, and economics courses from the business department. 

From the computer science, math and statistics side, calculus, probability, statistics, and linear algebra are already present. “We have decided to offer a BS in mathematics with a concentration in actuarial science,” Ludlam said. “We thought about starting a stand-alone degree but there’s so much overlap with the mathematics degree that there were not enough differences to separate.”

An actuary analyzes the possible financial impact of risks, which puts them into the insurance field often. The career is projected to grow 22 percent in the next ten years.

Actuaries start with a bachelor’s in mathematics, actuarial sciences, business, or a related field. There are six exams, each testing mastery over a certain domain that actuaries cover, from financial models to life contingencies. These exams are taken after a student has graduated from college and is under the care of their employer; their job at their company first is to study for these exams.
Read more...

Source: The Criterion

6 things to prepare teachers for Digital Learning Day | Teaching & Learning - eSchool News

Follow on Twitter as @eSN_Laura

Digital Learning Day lands on February 28--here are tools to help get ready, says Laura Ascione, Managing Editor, Content Services at eSchool Media.

Photo: eSchool News

Digital learning plays an integral part in helping students build the skills they need for academic and personal success. In fact, it’s so important that it has its own day, and this year, Digital Learning Day is on February 28.

Digital Learning Day celebrates educators who create and implement strong instructional practices that use technology and tech tools to connect students with meaningful learning experiences.

The focus isn’t on edtech for edtech’s sake, but instead looks at all the tools used to support and empower teachers and students, such as online courses, blended learning, and digital content and resources.

Each year, states, districts, schools, and classrooms across the United States and around the world hold thousands of events to celebrate Digital Learning Day. Anyone planning to participate in Digital Learning Day 2019 should add their event to the Digital Learning Day map.

We’ve gathered some digital learning data, resources, and fun facts below to help you get ready for Digital Learning Day 2019.
Read more...

Source: eSchool News

Georgia Tech Proposes a Model for Education 2040 | Editor’s Picks - eLearningInside News

Cait Etherington, writer and education/training consultant notes, Georgia Tech has been a pioneer of tech education for decades. Recently, it has made headlines as one of the country’s elite institutions working to transform not only how technology education is delivered but also to whom. 

Image of Georgia Tech campus
Photo: courtesy of JJonahJackalope at English Wikipedia.

This is best illustrated by Georgia Tech’s online master’s degree in computer science, which enables students to complete a degree that normally cost over $50,000 for just $7,000. In a recently released report, Georgia Tech outlines its 2040 vision. From all accounts, accessibility will continue to play a critical part in the institution’s mandate over the next two decades.

Pillars of Georgia Tech’s 2040 
Mandate By the year 2040, Georgia Tech hopes that its leaners will be more ethnically and socioeconomically diverse. This means creating more opportunities for learners of all age demographics. As stated in an executive summary published in February, “The Georgia Tech Commitment is a promise to these new learners to provide the rigorous, high-quality experience that has defined a Georgia Tech education for more than 130 years but to do it in a way that is individually personalized and sustainable for a lifetime. This commitment is a promise to invest in the success of all Georgia Tech students.”...

Five New Initiatives Will Be Launched to Drive Future Mandate 
While all these goals sound good on paper, Georgia Tech’s leaders recognize that putting them into action will require concrete initiatives. To this end, the Georgia Tech Commission on Creating the Next in Education has approved five immediate actions and longer-term projects to drive the Institute’s 2040 mandate.

The first initiative is a move to “whole-person education.” As stated in the report:

“Georgia Tech graduates have a reputation for strong technical skills and initiative, but, increasingly, other skills are needed for success in the twenty-first century workplace, including cognitive skills, such as problem solving and creativity; interpersonal skills, such as communications and leadership; and intrapersonal skills, such as adaptability and discipline. The Commission found that virtually all employers consider these skills to be a distinguishing characteristic for long-term success.”

To achieve a “whole-person education,” Georgia Tech plans to pour increased resources into experiential learning, global education initiatives, professional development for graduates, and the development of soft and interpersonal skills.

In addition to focusing on the whole learner, Georgia Tech is currently developing a series of new models of education to meet learners’ needs. This will include offering more microcredentials and a new credit-for- accomplishment unit, which will be “measured by demonstrated competencies and skills.”...

The full Creating the Next in Education report can be read on the Georgia Tech website.
Read more...

Source: eLearningInside News

How To Build A Data Science Dream Team | BrandVoice - Forbes

Strong collaboration between data scientists and subject-matter experts (SMEs) on data is essential for building an infrastructure of capturing data for rapid, accurate decisions. It’s important to understand the role of a data scientist in order to build your data science “dream team.”, continues Forbes.

 

Abstract Digital network communication
Photo: Getty

Mark Twain once said, “Data is like garbage. You’d better know what you are going to do with it before you collect it.” This gives data science teams food for thought.

The go-to method in data collection for many teams has been to “collect it all” and sort it out later, though this data strategy brings up several issues for managing, qualifying, and processing data later on.

The solution? Strong collaboration between data scientists and subject-matter experts (SMEs) on the data is essential for building an infrastructure of capturing data for rapid, accurate decisions. But where to start? First, it’s important to understand the role of a data scientist in order to determine the best way to build your data science “dream team.”

What does a data scientist do?
There is much discussion, and often confusion, around the term “data scientist.” In short, the definition of data science is the process of asking questions and getting answers from data. By defining the different roles of data scientists and breaking them into four distinct categories, it may better clarify the different uses of the term data scientist, each with its own focus...

Giving Data Scientists the Tools to Succeed
Keeping these guidelines in mind will help you assemble a team of data scientists to take on your biggest data challenges. And just as racing teams pair highly skilled drivers with the latest technological innovations to achieve increasingly faster results, you should empower data scientists with tools that will help them do their groundbreaking work faster.
Read more...

Source: Forbes 

Nelson Mandela University maths-art competition goes national | RNews

Whether you are surrounded by towering skyscrapers on a bustling city street, or contemplating the intricate design of a tiny flower, one thing is clear: mathematically-precise shapes, angles and patterns are everywhere, as RNews reports. 
 

Photo: RNews

To encourage learners to recognize mathematics in the world around them and bring it to life, the Govan Mbeki Mathematics Development Centre (GMMDC) at Nelson Mandela University is running its second annual Math-Art Competition, where entrants must submit artworks inspired by mathematics. It opens on March 2 and closes on May 3,

The competition – which was launched and run in the Eastern Cape last year – has been extended to include all provinces, thanks to strong partnerships with Umalusi (the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training), the South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF), the Centre for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Education (CASME), the University of the Free State, the Department of Basic Education (Eastern Cape), Kutlwanong Centre for Maths, Science and Technology, the Independent Schools Association of South Africa (ISASA) and Curro Schools...

Nelson Mandela University maths-art competition goes national

Each participant will also have to provide a written explanation outlining the link between their artworks and maths, by describing which mathematical concept they used, how their artwork links to the selected category, and which sources they used to design their work.   

Each submitted artwork must be two-dimensional and A4 to A2 in size, with relief work no more than 2cm high.

Through the Math-Art Competition, along with various conferences and school-based activities, GMMDC aims to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) activities to increase the popularity of maths in the classroom.
Read more... 

Additional resources
GMMDC Math Art Competition 2019
For more information, contact: mathart@mandela.ac.za or watch the promotional video on YouTube: (keywords: Math-Art Competition 2019) 


Source: RNews  

SMU, NTU offer more options, places for computer studies | Cyber Security - The Straits Times

SMU offering 2 new courses; NTU to take in more students for 10 computing programmes, continues The Straits Times. 

NTU has allocated 675 places for its 10 computing-related undergraduate programmes this academic year, up from 450 in 2015. It will also offer two new double majors, including mathematical and computer sciences.
ST PHOTO: JASMINE CHOONG

More undergraduates will be able to take up computing-related programmes at Singapore Management University (SMU) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) from August this year, when the new academic year begins.

SMU has announced it will be offering two new computing-related degree programmes: computer science, and computing and law.

Students who choose to take up a bachelor's degree in computer science will learn technical skills to build computing products.

Those in the computing and law programme, which commences in August 2020, will be trained in both areas.

SMU said they will be "equipped with skill sets in IT and business innovation, operating IT and business innovations within a legal framework and employing IT in legal practice".

NTU has also allocated 675 places for its 10 computing-related undergraduate programmes this academic year, which include data analytics and cyber security...

Students who take up the double major programme in mathematical and computer sciences - offered jointly by the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences and the School of Computer Science and Engineering - can specialise in at least one of four areas.
Read more...

Source: The Straits Times

200+ students expected for Math Moves U 2019 | School of Engineering - UNM Newsroom

The UNM School of Engineering is preparing for more than 250 young scientists, engineers, researchers and mathematicians to be on campus next month, inform The University of New Mexico - School of Engineering.

The annual Math Moves U is taking place Saturday, March 2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Centennial Engineering Center. It is free, but registration is required, and can be done online.

The event will feature science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workshops geared toward students in sixth through ninth grades. Students experience the career fields through hands-on learning and problem solving.
Read more... 

Source: UNM Newsroom

Independence problem solved though collaboration | Mathematics - MIT News

Sandi Miller | Department of Mathematics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology says, A math professor gives his undergraduates a frustrating combinatorics problem; their solution will soon be published in a leading journal.

MIT Assistant Professor Yufei Zhao (far right) gave undergraduates (l-r) Mehtaab Sawhney, David Stoner, and Ashwin Sah a particularly vexing combinatorics problem. Their theorem on the number of independent sets in a graph is on the board behind them.
Photo: courtesy of Yufei Zhao

In 2009, when Yufei Zhao was an MIT undergraduate, he was intrigued by a 2001 conjecture by Rutgers University mathematician Jeff Kahn regarding the number of independent sets in a graph. An independent set in a graph is a subset of vertices such that no two of them are joined by an edge.

“Many important structures can be modeled using independent sets,” said Zhao. “For example, if the graph models some kind of incompatibility, then an independent set represents a mutually compatible collection.”

Zhao was participating in a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) summer program in Duluth, Minnesota, and while he was researching what would be one of his first math research papers, he came across a combinatorics problem by Kahn. The problem puzzled him. An attempt to solve it came close, as he described in a paper he wrote with David Galvin in 2010 titled, “The number of independent sets in a graph with small maximum degree.”

Yufei Zhao graduated in 2010, received his PhD in 2015, and is now the Class of 1956 Career Development Assistant Professor at MIT. His focus is on combinatorics, discrete mathematics, and graph theory...

The techniques that they found to solve that conjecture quickly led to work on several related problems, including for their upcoming paper “A Reverse Sidorenko Inequality,” related to graph colorings and graph homomorphisms. Explains Zhao: “This paper solves several open problems concerning graph colorings and homomorphisms, including one of my favorite problems regarding maximizing the number of q-colorings in a d-regular graph.” 
Read more... 

Source: MIT News

Weird Maths Paperback | Books - Amazon

Agnijo Banerjee, the 17-year-old prodigy determined to make mathematics cool with his book. 

Photo: Weird Maths: At the Edge of Infinity and Beyond, a book he co-authored with his mentor David Darling.

Is anything truly random? Does infinity actually exist? Could we ever see into other dimensions?

In this delightful journey of discovery, David Darling and extraordinary child prodigy Agnijo Banerjee draw connections between the cutting edge of modern maths and life as we understand it, delving into the strange – would we like alien music? – and venturing out on quests to consider the existence of free will  and the fantastical future of quantum computers. 

Publication Date: February 1, 2018
Read more...

Source: Amazon

These were Albert Einstein's 5 favourite books | Education, Gender and Work - World Economic Forum

This article was originally published by Big Think.

---

Take a look at 5 of Albert Einstein's favourite books, from Ernst Mach to Johann von Goethe below, recommends Paul Ratner, writer and filmmaker.

A glimpse into the mind of a genius.
Photo: REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang

Undoubtedly considered one of the brightest individuals who ever lived, Albert Einstein did not become so accomplished in a vacuum. The physicist learned from the best minds of history, as is evidenced by his voracious appetite for reading and his extensive personal book collection.

In "Einstein for the 21st Century," the authors describe the famous scientist's library. It contained "much of the canon of the time," write the editors Peter Galison, Gerald J.Holton, and Silvan S. Schweber, referring to the great collection of German books. Among these were such names as Boltzmann, Buchner, Friedrich Hebbel, two editions of the works of Heine, Helmholtz and von Humboldt. There were also many books by the philosophers Immanuel Kant, Gotthold Lessing, Nietzsche, and Schopenhauer.

But what were Einstein's favorite books? Perhaps there's no one simple answer to that but we do know which works the creator of the theory of general relativity seemed to come back to over and over.

Here are his 5 favorite books and writers, as we know it.
Read more...

Source: World Economic Forum 

An excellent little book for new philosophers | Entertainment - Patheos

Paul Copan's "A Little Book for New Philosophers" should be read by everyone, according to Dr. Coyle Neal, co-host of the City of Man Podcast and Associate Professor of Political Science at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, MO. 

Photo: IVP

We have to feel a little bit sorry for philosophers writing popular introductions to their profession. They always have to begin by defending their own existence in a way that most other disciplines don’t. A book introducing a broader or ‘more practical’ discipline called A Little Book for New Engineers or A Little Book for New Biologists or A Little Book for New Political Scientists wouldn’t have to spend the first half of the book explaining why one would want to be a Engineer, Biologist, or Political Scientist in the first place. [Note to IVP: If you’re looking for someone to write A Little Book for New Political Scientists, I’m happy to offer my services…] A book introducing a narrower discipline, even if less practical, called A Little Book for New Literary Critics or A Little Book for New Equestrians likewise would not need such an introduction, as it would be unlike to be picked by anyone who isn’t already interested in the topic. Philosophy, for better or worse, is a large enough discipline that everyone has at least heard of it, but its nuts and bolts are not very well known and are perceived as “impractical.” As a result, the discipline is often perceived as needing extra defense.

Paul Copan gives this extra defense skillfully in A Little Book for New Philosophers. The first half of the book is even called “Why Study Philosophy?” But, in the course of giving a thoughtful answer to that question, Copan also presents an introduction both to the subject matter of philosophy as a whole and to some of its major subcategories.  The second half of the book, “How to Study Philosophy”, outlines the various settings in which philosophy operates, including the personal obligations of philosophers to be virtuous themselves, the community in which philosophy happens, the criteria for proper skepticism, and some guiding questions to help us decide if philosophy is something we ought to be intentionally (or even professionally) pursuing...

All that to say that A Little Book for New Philosophers is an excellent book those who want to know whether or not to pursue philosophy. It also happens to be an excellent book for everyone else too.
Read more...

Source: Patheos

9 Books Every Professional Should Read in 2019 | Business Books - Inc.

Gene Hammett, Speaker, growth strategist, and host of the LeadersintheTrenches.com podcast reports, By reading experts' insights, anyone can emulate the strategies of the best and brightest.

Photo: Getty Images

New years bring new challenges. Given 2019's accelerated pace thus far, the trials you face this year may be your toughest yet.

What's a business to do when consumers trust strangers online more than brands they know? How can leaders keep their composure when they're under more stress than ever? Increasingly complex challenges in A.I. and machine learning, the rise of blockchain, Gen Z demands for a more diverse workforce -- is it possible to handle all this and stay sane?

The answer is yes, and the solution is reading. There's a good reason the most successful people in the world share a love of books. By reading experts' insights, anyone can emulate the strategies of the best and brightest.

Whether you want to help your business grow or expand your personal horizons, these books can help:

Read more...

Source: Inc.

10 New Books We Recommend This Week | Book Review - New York Times

Follow on Twitter as @johnwilliamsnyt

Suggested reading from critics and editors at The New York Times by John Williams, Daily Books Editor and Staff Writer.

It’s a truism that books help us imagine our way into other people’s lives, and the books on this week’s list do it in a remarkable variety of ways. There’s historical fiction that visits the relatively recent past (Tennessee Williams and his social milieu come to life in Christopher Castellani’s “Leading Men”) and the very recent past (Thomas Mallon’s “Landfall” is a novel about George W. Bush and his presidency). Valeria Luiselli’s innovative new novel asks us to imagine the pain and sacrifice in the lives of those who arrive at the American border. Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom offer evocative stories about being black in America. Esmé Weijun Wang’s essays give us a firsthand idea of what it’s like to experience schizophrenia.

Also this week: A look at America’s “territorial empire,” an ingenious satirical novel, a memoir about grief and Virginia Woolf, the biography of a powerful and influential first lady, and Elizabeth McCracken’s long-awaited new novel, “Bowlaway.”

Read more...

Source: New York Times