The winding number is one of the most basic invariants in topology. It measures the number of times a moving point P goes around a fixed point Q, provided that P travels on a path that never goes through Q and that the final position of P is the same as its starting position. This simple idea has far-reaching applications. The reader of this book will learn how the winding number can help us show that every polynomial equation has a root (the fundamental theorem of algebra),guarantee a fair division of three objects in space by a single planar cut (the ham sandwich theorem),explain why every simple closed curve has an inside and an outside (the Jordan curve theorem),relate calculus to curvature and the singularities of vector fields (the Hopf index theorem),allow one to subtract infinity from infinity and get a finite answer (Toeplitz operators),generalize to give a fundamental and beautiful insight into the topology of matrix groups (the Bott periodicity theorem). All these subjects and more are developed starting only from mathematics that is common in final-year undergraduate courses.

Robotics: Science and Systems VIII spans a wide spectrum of robotics, bringing together contributions from researchers working on the mathematical foundations of robotics, robotics applications, and analysis of robotics systems.

This IMA Volume in Mathematics and its Applications COMPUTER AIDED PROOFS IN ANALYSIS is based on the proceedings of an IMA Participating Institutions (PI) Conference held at the University of Cincinnati in April 1989. Each year the 19 Participating Institutions select, through a competitive process, several conferences proposals from the PIs, for partial funding. This conference brought together leading figures in a number of fields who were interested in finding exact answers to problems in analysis through computer methods. We thank Kenneth Meyer and Dieter Schmidt for organizing the meeting and editing the proceedings. A vner Friedman Willard Miller, Jr. PREFACE Since the dawn of the computer revolution the vast majority of scientific compu tation has dealt with finding approximate solutions of equations. However, during this time there has been a small cadre seeking precise solutions of equations and rigorous proofs of mathematical results. For example, number theory and combina torics have a long history of computer-assisted proofs; such methods are now well established in these fields. In analysis the use of computers to obtain exact results has been fragmented into several schools.

The American Journal of Mathematics publishes research papers and articles of broad appeal covering the major areas of contemporary mathematics.

Reproduction of the original: Hawkins Electrical Guide Number Two, Questions, Answers and Illustrations by Hawkins and Staff