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Traditional game theory has been successful at developing strategy in games of incomplete information: when one player knows something that the other does not. But it has little to say about games of complete information, for example, tic-tac-toe, solitaire and hex. The main challenge of combinatorial game theory is to handle combinatorial chaos, where brute force study is impractical. In this comprehensive volume, Jozsef Beck shows readers how to escape from the combinatorial chaos via the fake probabilistic method, a game-theoretic adaptation of the probabilistic method in combinatorics. Using this, the author is able to determine the exact results about infinite classes of many games, leading to the discovery of some striking new duality principles. Available for the first time in paperback, it includes a new appendix to address the results that have appeared since the book's original publication.

A series of important applications of combinatorics on words has emerged with the development of computerized text and string processing. The aim of this volume, the third in a trilogy, is to present a unified treatment of some of the major fields of applications. After an introduction that sets the scene and gathers together the basic facts, there follow chapters in which applications are considered in detail. The areas covered include core algorithms for text processing, natural language processing, speech processing, bioinformatics, and areas of applied mathematics such as combinatorial enumeration and fractal analysis. No special prerequisites are needed, and no familiarity with the application areas or with the material covered by the previous volumes is required. The breadth of application, combined with the inclusion of problems and algorithms and a complete bibliography will make this book ideal for graduate students and professionals in mathematics, computer science, biology and linguistics.

The Hilbert transform has many uses, including solving problems in aerodynamics, condensed matter physics, optics, fluids, and engineering. Written in a style that will suit a wide audience (including the physical sciences), this book will become the reference of choice on the topic, whatever the subject background of the reader. It explains all the common Hilbert transforms, mathematical techniques for evaluating them, and has detailed discussions of their application. Especially useful for researchers are the tabulation of analytically evaluated Hilbert transforms, and an atlas that immediately illustrates how the Hilbert transform alters a function. A collection of exercises helps the reader to test their understanding of the material in each chapter. The bibliography is a wide-ranging collection of references both to the classical mathematical papers, and to a diverse array of applications.

Aggregation is the process of combining several numerical values into a single representative value, and an aggregation function performs this operation. This readable book provides a comprehensive, rigorous and self-contained exposition of aggregation functions. It is ideal for graduate students and a unique resource for researchers.

The use of topological ideas to explore various aspects of graph theory, and vice versa, is a fruitful area of research. There are links with other areas of mathematics, such as design theory and geometry, and increasingly with such areas as computer networks where symmetry is an important feature.

Oriented matroids are a very natural mathematical concept which presents itself in many different guises and which has connections and applications to many different areas. These include discrete and computational geometry, combinatorics, convexity, topology, algebraic geometry, operations research, computer science and theoretical chemistry. This is the second edition of the first comprehensive, accessible account of the subject. It is intended for a diverse audience: graduate students who wish to learn the subject from scratch; researchers in the various fields of application who want to concentrate on certain aspects of the theory; specialists who need a thorough reference work; and others at academic points in between. A list of exercises and open problems ends each chapter. For the second edition, the authors have expanded the bibliography greatly to ensure that it remains comprehensive and up-to-date, and they have also added an appendix surveying research since the work was first published.

This 2010 comprehensive overview of relational mathematics provides an easy introduction to the topic, but is nevertheless theoretically sound and up-to-date. Assuming a minimum of prerequisites, it is suitable for applied scientists, explaining all of the necessary mathematics from scratch.

A collection of papers written by prominent experts that examine a variety of advanced topics related to Boolean functions and expressions.

Mora covers the classical theory of finding roots of a univariate polynomial, emphasising computational aspects. He shows that solving a polynomial equation really means finding algorithms that help one manipulate roots rather than simply computing them; to that end he also surveys algorithms for factorizing univariate polynomials.

This book presents results on and applications of extremal problems in finite sets and finite posets from a unified point of view. The emphasis is on the powerful methods arising from the fusion of combinatorial techniques with programming, linear algebra, eigenvalue methods, and probability theory.

This volume, the third in a sequence that began with The Theory of Matroids and Combinatorial Geometries, concentrates on the applications of matroid theory to a variety of topics from engineering (rigidity and scene analysis), combinatorics (graphs, lattices, codes and designs), topology and operations research (the greedy algorithm).

This concise and elementary introduction to stochastic control and mathematical modelling is designed for researchers in stochastic control theory studying its application in mathematical economics, and for interested economics researchers. Also suitable for graduate students in applied mathematics, mathematical economics, and non-linear PDE theory.

This book is a continuation of Theory of Matroids (also edited by Neil White), and again consists of a series of related surveys that have been contributed by authorities in the area. The volume has been carefully edited to ensure a uniform style and notation throughout.

This comprehensive introduction to the calculus of variations and its main principles also presents their real-life applications in various contexts: mathematical physics, differential geometry, and optimization in economics. Based on the authors' original work, it provides an overview of the field, with examples and exercises suitable for graduate students entering research. The method of presentation will appeal to readers with diverse backgrounds in functional analysis, differential geometry and partial differential equations. Each chapter includes detailed heuristic arguments, providing thorough motivation for the material developed later in the text. Since much of the material has a strong geometric flavor, the authors have supplemented the text with figures to illustrate the abstract concepts. Its extensive reference list and index also make this a valuable resource for researchers working in a variety of fields who are interested in partial differential equations and functional analysis.

This collaborative volume presents trends arising from the fruitful interaction between combinatorics on words, automata and number theory. Graduate students, research mathematicians and computer scientists working in combinatorics, theory of computation, number theory, symbolic dynamics, fractals, tilings and stringology will find much of interest in this book.

Fundamental arithmetic operations support virtually all of the engineering, scientific, and financial computations required for practical applications, from cryptography, to financial planning, to rocket science. This comprehensive reference provides researchers with the thorough understanding of number representations that is a necessary foundation for designing efficient arithmetic algorithms. Using the elementary foundations of radix number systems as a basis for arithmetic, the authors develop and compare alternative algorithms for the fundamental operations of addition, multiplication, division, and square root with precisely defined roundings. Various finite precision number systems are investigated, with the focus on comparative analysis of practically efficient algorithms for closed arithmetic operations over these systems. Each chapter begins with an introduction to its contents and ends with bibliographic notes and an extensive bibliography. The book may also be used for graduate teaching: problems and exercises are scattered throughout the text and a solutions manual is available for instructors.

This monograph systematically develops and returns to the topological and geometrical origins of absolute measurable space. The existence of uncountable absolute null space and extension of the Purves theorem are among the many topics discussed. The exposition will suit researchers and graduate students of real analysis, set theory and measure theory.

Singularities are a common feature of the qualitative side of mathematics. In this monograph, the authors present some powerful methods for dealing with singularities in elliptic and parabolic partial differential inequalities, which will appeal to researchers and graduate students interested in analysis.

The algebraic theory of automata was created by Schutzenberger and Chomsky over 50 years ago and there has since been a great deal of development. Classical work on the theory to noncommutative power series has been augmented more recently to areas such as representation theory, combinatorial mathematics and theoretical computer science. This book presents to an audience of graduate students and researchers a modern account of the subject and its applications. The algebraic approach allows the theory to be developed in a general form of wide applicability. For example, number-theoretic results can now be more fully explored, in addition to applications in automata theory, codes and non-commutative algebra. Much material, for example, Schutzenberger's theorem on polynomially bounded rational series, appears here for the first time in book form. This is an excellent resource and reference for all those working in algebra, theoretical computer science and their areas of overlap.

Originally published in 2000, this is the first volume of a comprehensive treatise on the mathematical theory of deterministic control systems modeled by multi-dimensional partial differential equations (distributed parameter systems). Volume 1 presents the abstract parabolic and hyperbolic settings, including many fascinating results.

Originally published in 1979, this book shows the beautiful simplifications that can be brought to the theory of differential equations by treating such equations from the product integral viewpoint. The first chapter of the book, dealing with linear ordinary differential equations, should be accessible to anyone with a knowledge of matrix theory and elementary calculus. Later chapters assume more sophistication on the part of the reader. The essential unity of these subjects is illustrated by the fact that the idea of the product integral can be naturally and effectively used to deal with all of them.

Originally published in 1981, this excellent treatment of the mathematical theory of entropy gives an accessible exposition of the ways in which this idea has been applied to information theory, ergodic theory, topological dynamics and statistical mechanics. Scientists who want a quick understanding of how entropy is applied in disciplines not their own, or simply desire a better understanding of the mathematical foundation of the entropy function will find this to be a valuable book.

Originally published in 1977, this volume is concerned with the relationship between symmetries of a linear second-order partial differential equation of mathematical physics, the coordinate systems in which the equation admits solutions via separation of variables, and the properties of the special functions that arise in this manner.

Originally published in 1987, this book is devoted to the approximation of real functions by real rational functions. These are, in many ways, a more convenient tool than polynomials, and interest in them was growing, especially since D. Newman's work in the mid-sixties. The authors aim at presenting the basic achievements of the subject and, for completeness, also discuss some topics from complex rational approximation. Certain classical and modern results from linear approximation theory and spline approximation are also included for comparative purposes. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in approximation theory and numerical analysis.

Provided the first self-contained comprehensive exposition of the theory of dynamical systems as a core mathematical discipline closely intertwined with all main areas of mathematics. The authors introduce and rigorously develop the theory while providing researchers interested in applications with fundamental tools and paradigms.

Written by prominent experts in the field, this monograph provides the first comprehensive, unified presentation of the structural, algorithmic and applied aspects of the theory of Boolean functions. The book focuses on algebraic representations of Boolean functions and offers a unique in-depth treatment that provides emphasis on algorithms and applications.

This book provides a lucid and comprehensive introduction to the differential geometric study of partial differential equations. It was the first book to present substantial results on local solvability of general and, in particular, nonlinear PDE systems without using power series techniques.

Like differentiability, convexity is a natural and powerful property of functions that plays a significant role in many areas of mathematics, both pure and applied. It ties together notions from topology, algebra, geometry and analysis, and is an important tool in optimization, mathematical programming and game theory. This book, which is the product of a collaboration of over 15 years, is unique in that it focuses on convex functions themselves, rather than on convex analysis. The authors explore the various classes and their characteristics and applications, treating convex functions in both Euclidean and Banach spaces. The book can either be read sequentially for a graduate course, or dipped into by researchers and practitioners. Each chapter contains a variety of specific examples, and over 600 exercises are included, ranging in difficulty from early graduate to research level.

This major revision of Berstel and Perrin's classic Theory of Codes has been rewritten with a more modern focus and a much broader coverage of the subject. The concept of unambiguous automata, which is intimately linked with that of codes, now plays a significant role throughout the book, reflecting developments of the last 20 years. This is complemented by a discussion of the connection between codes and automata, and new material from the field of symbolic dynamics. The authors have also explored links with more practical applications, including data compression and cryptography. The treatment remains self-contained: there is background material on discrete mathematics, algebra and theoretical computer science. The wealth of exercises and examples make it ideal for self-study or courses. In sum this is a comprehensive reference on the theory of variable-length codes and their relation to automata.

Ordered sets are ubiquitous in mathematics and have significant applications in computer science, statistics, biology and the social sciences. As the first book to deal exclusively with finite ordered sets, this book will be welcomed by graduate students and researchers in all of these areas. Beginning with definitions of key concepts and fundamental results (Dilworth's and Sperner's theorem, interval and semiorders, Galois connection, duality with distributive lattices, coding and dimension theory), the authors then present applications of these structures in fields such as preference modelling and aggregation, operational research and management, cluster and concept analysis, and data mining. Exercises are included at the end of each chapter with helpful hints provided for some of the most difficult examples. The authors also point to further topics of ongoing research.