Abel S Theorem In Problems And Solutions

Do formulas exist for the solution to algebraical equations in one variable of any degree like the formulas for quadratic equations? The main aim of this book is to give new geometrical proof of Abel's theorem, as proposed by Professor V.I. Arnold. The theorem states that for general algebraical equations of a degree higher than 4, there are no formulas representing roots of these equations in terms of coefficients with only arithmetic operations and radicals. A secondary, and more important aim of this book, is to acquaint the reader with two very important branches of modern mathematics: group theory and theory of functions of a complex variable. This book also has the added bonus of an extensive appendix devoted to the differential Galois theory, written by Professor A.G. Khovanskii. As this text has been written assuming no specialist prior knowledge and is composed of definitions, examples, problems and solutions, it is suitable for self-study or teaching students of mathematics, from high school to graduate.

The intellectual and human story of a mathematical proof that transformed our ideas about mathematics. In 1824 a young Norwegian named Niels Henrik Abel proved conclusively that algebraic equations of the fifth order are not solvable in radicals. In this book Peter Pesic shows what an important event this was in the history of thought. He also presents it as a remarkable human story. Abel was twenty-one when he self-published his proof, and he died five years later, poor and depressed, just before the proof started to receive wide acclaim. Abel's attempts to reach out to the mathematical elite of the day had been spurned, and he was unable to find a position that would allow him to work in peace and marry his fiancé. But Pesic's story begins long before Abel and continues to the present day, for Abel's proof changed how we think about mathematics and its relation to the "real" world. Starting with the Greeks, who invented the idea of mathematical proof, Pesic shows how mathematics found its sources in the real world (the shapes of things, the accounting needs of merchants) and then reached beyond those sources toward something more universal. The Pythagoreans' attempts to deal with irrational numbers foreshadowed the slow emergence of abstract mathematics. Pesic focuses on the contested development of algebra—which even Newton resisted—and the gradual acceptance of the usefulness and perhaps even beauty of abstractions that seem to invoke realities with dimensions outside human experience. Pesic tells this story as a history of ideas, with mathematical details incorporated in boxes. The book also includes a new annotated translation of Abel's original proof.

Classical algebraic geometry, inseparably connected with the names of Abel, Riemann, Weierstrass, Poincaré, Clebsch, Jacobi and other outstanding mathematicians of the last century, was mainly an analytical theory. In our century it has been enriched by the methods and ideas of topology, commutative algebra and Grothendieck's schemes seemed to have replaced once and forever the somewhat naive language of classical algebraic geometry. This book contains more than its modest title suggests. Written in 1897, its scope was as broad as it could possibly be, namely to cover the whole of algebraic geometry, and associated theories. The subject is discussed by Baker in terms of transcendental functions, and in particular theta functions. Many of the ideas put forward are of continuing relevance today, and some of the most exciting ideas from theoretical physics draw on work presented here.

Abel's influence on modern mathematics is substantial. This is seen in many ways, but maybe clearest in the number of mathematical terms containing the adjective Abelian. In algebra, algebraic and complex geometry, analysis, the theory of differential and integral equations, and function theory there are terms like Abelian groups, Abelian varieties, Abelian integrals, Abelian functions. A number of theorems are attributed to Abel. The famous Addition Theorem of Abel, proved in his Paris Mmoire, stands out, even today, as a mathematical landmark. This book, written by some of the foremost specialists in their fields, contains important survey papers on the history of Abel and his work in several fields of mathematics. The purpose of the book is to combine a historical approach to Abel with an overview of his scientific legacy as perceived at the beginning of the 21st century.

In many fields of application of mathematics, progress is crucially dependent on the good flow of information between (i) theoretical mathematicians looking for applications, (ii) mathematicians working in applications in need of theory, and (iii) scientists and engineers applying mathematical models and methods. The intention of this book is to stimulate this flow of information. In the first three chapters (accessible to third year students of mathematics and physics and to mathematically interested engineers) applications of Abel integral equations are surveyed broadly including determination of potentials, stereology, seismic travel times, spectroscopy, optical fibres. In subsequent chapters (requiring some background in functional analysis) mapping properties of Abel integral operators and their relation to other integral transforms in various function spaces are investi- gated, questions of existence and uniqueness of solutions of linear and nonlinear Abel integral equations are treated, and for equations of the first kind problems of ill-posedness are discussed. Finally, some numerical methods are described. In the theoretical parts, emphasis is put on the aspects relevant to applications.