The theory of idempotent matrices with entries in complex group algebras has recently experienced a revival, in view of its close relationship with deep geometric problems and conjectures. The relevant questions studied in this book for general groups are motivated by specific examples. A variety of techniques is employed from commutative algebra, homological algebra and functional analysis.The book can serve as an introduction to this lively research area. The pace is suitable for independent study and the level of the presentation not very demanding. The exercises at the end of each chapter form an essential part of the book.

All needed notions are developed within the book: with the exception of fundamentals which are presented in introductory lectures, no other knowledge is assumed Provides a more in-depth introduction to the subject than other existing books in this area Over 400 exercises including hints for solutions are included

Lie groups has been an increasing area of focus and rich research since the middle of the 20th century. In Lie Groups: An Approach through Invariants and Representations, the author's masterful approach gives the reader a comprehensive treatment of the classical Lie groups along with an extensive introduction to a wide range of topics associated with Lie groups: symmetric functions, theory of algebraic forms, Lie algebras, tensor algebra and symmetry, semisimple Lie algebras, algebraic groups, group representations, invariants, Hilbert theory, and binary forms with fields ranging from pure algebra to functional analysis. By covering sufficient background material, the book is made accessible to a reader with a relatively modest mathematical background. Historical information, examples, exercises are all woven into the text. This unique exposition is suitable for a broad audience, including advanced undergraduates, graduates, mathematicians in a variety of areas from pure algebra to functional analysis and mathematical physics.

This is Volume II of a two-volume introductory text in classical algebra. The text moves methodically with numerous examples and details so that readers with some basic knowledge of algebra can read it without difficulty. It is recommended either as a textbook for some particular algebraic topic or as a reference book for consultations in a selected fundamental branch of algebra. The book contains a wealth of material. Amongst the topics covered in Volume are the theory of ordered fields and Nullstellen Theorems. Known researcher Lorenz also includes the fundamentals of the theory of quadratic forms, of valuations, local fields and modules. What’s more, the book contains some lesser known or nontraditional results – for instance, Tsen's results on the solubility of systems of polynomial equations with a sufficiently large number of indeterminates.

This book provides a distinctive, well-motivated introduction to mathematical logic. It starts with the definition of first order languages, proceeds through propositional logic, completeness theorems, and finally the two Incompleteness Theorems of Godel.

"Offers a mathematical introduction to non-life insurance and, at the same time, to a multitude of applied stochastic processes. It gives detailed discussions of the fundamental models for claim sizes, claim arrivals, the total claim amount, and their probabilistic properties....The reader gets to know how the underlying probabilistic structures allow one to determine premiums in a portfolio or in an individual policy." --Zentralblatt für Didaktik der Mathematik

Contains lecture notes on four topics at the forefront of research in computational mathematics. This book presents a self-contained guide to a research area, an extensive bibliography, and proofs of the key results. It is suitable for professional mathematicians who require an accurate account of research in areas parallel to their own.

This book is ideal for practicing experts in particular actuaries in the field of property-casualty insurance, life insurance, reinsurance and insurance supervision, as well as teachers and students. It provides an exploration of Credibility Theory, covering most aspects of this topic from the simplest case to the most detailed dynamic model. The book closely examines the tasks an actuary encounters daily: estimation of loss ratios, claim frequencies and claim sizes.

This book is novel in its broad perspective on Riemann surfaces: the text systematically explores the connection with other fields of mathematics. The book can serve as an introduction to contemporary mathematics as a whole, as it develops background material from algebraic topology, differential geometry, the calculus of variations, elliptic PDE, and algebraic geometry. The book is unique among textbooks on Riemann surfaces in its inclusion of an introduction to Teichmüller theory. For this new edition, the author has expanded and rewritten several sections to include additional material and to improve the presentation.

"The textbook explains elementary but powerful topological methods based on the Borsuk-Ulam theorem and its generalizations. It covers many substantial results, sometimes with proofs simpler than those in the original papers. At the same time, it assumes no prior knowledge of algebraic topology, and all the required topological notions and results are gradually introduced. History, additional results, and references are presented in separate sections."--Résumé de l'éditeur.