Math Books

[sfBlackfox]

Hi guys,

So recently I got this message stating that an ordered book won't arrive, instead I get a refund in coupons, in other words I have to get another book from them. So rather than spending it on some novel I'll never read, I thought I'd spend it on math books. So I was wondering which I should get?

Considering the orginal book was costly (60€) I anticipate I can get a couple math books out of it. So at best I'd like a trigonometry, linear algebra & a matrix book. If any books you feel helped you, please include them. I can't remember any titles that I used in school, and I honestly don't care much for books in my own language. I like to read in English, so that when I read online, I don't have to translate terms over in order to understand them.

Also, for future reference feel free to add books from different fields. I like to have all sorts of reading material available. I hate it when my mind has nothing to think about.

[atropos]

I can think of several books that I really liked. I noticed that you didn't specify what level of book you were looking for (high school, college, university, etc.), so I made notes as to the knowedge assumed for each book.

Matrices and Transformations ISBN: 0-486-63634-8
A very nice introduction to matrices and various transformations. Assumes only algebra and some trig.

Elementary Linear Algebra ISBN: 0-471-66960-1
Another introductory text. Some people say the typeset is "busy" with too many text boxes of various colors and font sizes, but the information contained is spot on. Assumes only algebra.

Matrices and Linear Algebra ISBN: 0-486-66328-0
Intermediate level presentation of linear algebra. Assumes knowledge of real analysis and set theory.

Linear Algebra with Applications ISBN: 0-135-538349-8
This is a somewhat elementary text, but is more proof oriented than the rest.

I can't think of any trig books off the top of my head, but the 3 book series "Introduction to Calculus and Analysis" by R. Courant is (IMO) the most perfect series of math books ever written. They cover, in great detail, nearly every aspect of continuous mathematics.

[htirwin]

I'm in Linear Algebra right now in college, and we're using "Linear Algebra and It's Applications", by David Lay. It seams pretty good. Inside of the front cover it has references to pages which apply to specific applications: Biology and Ecology, Business and Economics, Computers and Computer Science, Control Theory, Electrical Engineering, Engineering, Mathematics, Numerical and Linear Algebra, Physical Sciences, and Statistics. With subsections under each. For example, under Computers and Computer Science: Color Monitors, Computer Graphics, Cray Supercomputer, Data Storage, Error-detections and correction, high end computer graphics boards, Homogenous Coordinates, Parallel Processing, Perspective Projections, Vector Pipeline Architecture, Virtual Reality, VSLI micro chips, and wire-frame models.

The new version is sort of expensive, about 100-130 dollars, but the 3rd editions, can be bought for 8 dollars used on Amazon. I purchased the 3rd edition hoping it would work for my class.

Unfortunately, even thought the content is practically identical, they have changed problem orderings, and stuff to force students to buy the new version. I'm just going to take photo's of the problem sets from the copy in the library.

http://www.amazon.com/Linear-Algebra-Its-Applications-Edition/dp/0201709708

[ResidentBiscuit]

Have you taken a discrete math course yet? If not, I'd say grab a book for that. Interesting topics, and it's pretty obvious how it applies to CS.

[tition]

A bit unrelated, but this year, if I am lucky with the J1 visa, I will be teaching linear algebra. I am supposed to use

"Linear Algebra with Applications" by Otto Bretscher.

My first glance at the book suggests it's crappy, but I have no choice cause this will be my first year in the US and I gotta do as they tell me :)

My recommendations for math books:
if you can't download the book on the russian book download sites, it is probably not worth it. Better invest in a book on a programming language.

[atropos]

tition wrote:

..."Linear Algebra with Applications" by Otto Bretscher.

I have seen this book. I have read this book. This book is one of the worst textbooks about linear algebra I have ever read. It is terse, un-motivated, and poorly structured (e.g. presenting subspaces before explaining spaces, eigenvalues before eigenvectors)

If you do get lucky with your visa and get the opportunity to teach in the States, I would suggest going along with the department's decision concerning the textbook, but quietly pushing the book to some dark corner of the storage room and using your own notes to teach the course.

[helios]

Right now I'm in Probability and Statistics and the professor suggested as additional reading Probability and Computing: Randomized Algorithms and Probabilistic Analysis by Mitzenmacher and Upfal. So far it's an interesting read. It has many examples of applications of probability to computer science. But at it's core it's still a math book, and it gives proofs for the theorems it enounces. So you get the best out of both worlds.

One caveat: It's possible the book assumes some knowledge of multivariate calculus.

[sfBlackfox]

Thanks so far guys!

I was looking something at the aim of a college/university level, but am fairly happy with what has been suggested already.

If anyone has any more ideas, please do add them. I'm going to mark this one as solved and see which onces look best for me.

[edwardjacobis]

great.. I hope someone wll do this for you