A Geometrical Picture Book

How do you convey to your students, colleagues and friends some of the beauty of the kind of mathematics you are obsessed with? If you are a mathematician interested in finite or topological geometry and combinatorial designs, you could start by showing them some of the (400+) pictures in the "picture book". Pictures are what this book is all about; original pictures of everybody's favorite geometries such as configurations, projective planes and spaces, circle planes, generalized polygons, mathematical biplanes and other designs which capture much of the beauty, construction principles, particularities, substructures and interconnections of these geometries. The level of the text is suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students. Even if you are a mathematician who just wants some interesting reading you will enjoy the author's very original and comprehensive guided tour of small finite geometries and geometries on surfaces This guided tour includes lots of sterograms of the spatial models, games and puzzles and instructions on how to construct your own pictures and build some of the spatial models yourself.

Praise for George Francis's A Topological Picturebook: Bravo to Springer for reissuing this unique and beautiful book! It not only reminds the older generation of the pleasures of doing mathematics by hand, but also shows the new generation what ``hands on'' really means. - John Stillwell, University of San Francisco The Topological Picturebook has taught a whole generation of mathematicians to draw, to see, and to think. - Tony Robbin, artist and author of Shadows of Reality: The Fourth Dimension in Relativity, Cubism, and Modern Thought The classic reference for how to present topological information visually, full of amazing hand-drawn pictures of complicated surfaces. - John Sullivan, Technische Universitat Berlin A Topological Picturebook lets students see topology as the original discoverers conceived it: concrete and visual, free of the formalism that burdens conventional textbooks. - Jeffrey Weeks, author of The Shape of Space A Topological Picturebook is a visual feast for anyone concerned with mathematical images. Francis provides exquisite examples to build one's "visualization muscles". At the same time, he explains the underlying principles and design techniques for readers to create their own lucid drawings. - George W. Hart, Stony Brook University In this collection of narrative gems and intriguing hand-drawn pictures, George Francis demonstrates the chicken-and-egg relationship, in mathematics, of image and text. Since the book was first published, the case for pictures in mathematics has been won, and now it is time to reflect on their meaning. A Topological Picturebook remains indispensable. - Marjorie Senechal, Smith College and co-editor of the Mathematical Intelligencer

Is there a secret visual language all around us? What's so special about the shape of the Great Pyramid? Why is there something so sixy about circles? How many ways can you tile the plane? Lavishly illustrated by the author, this enchanting small introduction to one of the oldest and most widely-used ancient traditions on Earth will forever change the way you look at a triangle, arch, window, fabric repeat, ceramic pattern, graphic design, painting, spiral or flower. WOODEN BOOKS are small but packed with information. "e;Fascinating"e; FINANCIAL TIMES. "e;Beautiful"e; LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "e;Rich and Artful"e; THE LANCET. "e;Genuinely mind-expanding"e; FORTEAN TIMES. "e;Excellent"e; NEW SCIENTIST. "e;Stunning"e; NEW YORK TIMES. Small books, big ideas.

Digital geometry is about deriving geometric information from digital pictures. The field emerged from its mathematical roots some forty-years ago through work in computer-based imaging, and it is used today in many fields, such as digital image processing and analysis (with applications in medical imaging, pattern recognition, and robotics) and of course computer graphics. Digital Geometry is the first book to detail the concepts, algorithms, and practices of the discipline. This comphrehensive text and reference provides an introduction to the mathematical foundations of digital geometry, some of which date back to ancient times, and also discusses the key processes involved, such as geometric algorithms as well as operations on pictures. *A comprehensive text and reference written by pioneers in digital geometry, image processing and analysis, and computer vision*Provides a collection of state-of-the-art algorithms for a wide variety of geometrical picture analysis tasks, including extracting data from digital images and making geometric measurements on the data*Includes exercises, examples, and references to related or more advanced work

Crisscross, zigzag, bowtie, devil, angel, or star: which are the longest, the shortest, the strongest, and the weakest lacings? Pondering the mathematics of shoelaces, the author paints a vivid picture of the simple, beautiful, and surprising characterizations of the most common shoelace patterns. The mathematics involved is an attractive mix of combinatorics and elementary calculus. This book will be enjoyed by mathematically minded people for as long as there are shoes to lace.Burkard Polster is a well-known mathematical juggler, magician, origami expert, bubble-master, shoelace charmer, and "Count von Count" impersonator. His previous books include A Geometrical Picture Book, The Mathematics of Juggling, and QED: Beauty in Mathematical Proof.

In this introduction to polygons, a triangle convinces a shapeshifter to make him a quadrilateral and later a pentagon, but discovers that where angles and sides are concerned, more isn't always better.

Beautifully rendered, imaginative new geometrical designs. 46 designs.