The random walks of George Polya

Gerald L. Alexanderson

316 pages, parution le 01/01/2000

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Résumé

George Polya enjoyed the esteem of the mathematical community not only for his deep and influential contributions in a variety of mathematical fields, hut also for his groundbreaking work in the teaching of mathematics. His Standing in the latter area could rest solely on his having written one of the most widely read books in mathematics, the still-popular How to Solve It. Various other books were almost equally influential, however: Mathematical Discovery and Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning to name but two. With G. Szego he wrote the mathematical classic, Problems and Theorems in Analysis.

In addition to his championing problem-solving, he contributed to mathematics important.results in complex and real analysis, inequalities, mathematical physics, combinatorics, probability theory, number theory and geometry. He coined the phrases "random walk" and "central limit theorem" and gave to mathematics the Polya Enumeration Theorem, along with many other ideas used widely today.

The present work attempts to describe how such versatility came about and, along the way, tells some stories about mathematics and mathematicians that, we hope, will enlighten and entertain.

Childhood
Polya's education
Vienna, Göttingen and Paris
Zurich
Collaboration with Szego
Oxford and Cambridge
The United States - the first visit
Swiss citizenship
Stanford
Honors
The later years
Appendix I: Polya's work in probability K. L. Chung
Appendix II: Polya's work in analysis R. P. Boas
Appendix III: Comments on number theory D. H. Lehmer
Appendix IV: Polya's geometry D. Schattschneider
Appendix V: Polya's enumeration theorem R. C. Reed
Appendix VI: Polya's contributions in mathematical physics M. M. Schiffer
Appendix VII: Polya and mathematical education A. H. Schoenfeld +Appendix VIII: Polya's influence
Appendix IX: Prizes awards and lectureships
Appendix X: On picture writing G. Polya
Appendix XI: On learning, teaching and learning teaching G. Polya
Appendix XII: Cast of Characters

L'auteur - Gerald L. Alexanderson

Gerald L. Alexanderson is the Valeriote Professor of Science at Santa Clara University where he has been chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science since 1967. As a student at Stanford University he worked with George Polya and remained a friend of Polya and his wife for the next thirty or so years. Alexanderson has been President of the Mathematical Association of America and prior to that served for seven years as Secretary of the MAA. He has written numerous articles on mathematics and mathematicians and has coauthored or coedited a dozen books in the field. From 1986 to 1990 he served as editor of "Mathematics Magazine."

Caractéristiques techniques

	PAPIER
Éditeur(s)	The Mathematical Association of America (MAA)
Auteur(s)	Gerald L. Alexanderson
Parution	01/01/2000
Nb. de pages	316
Format	15 x 23
Couverture	Broché
Poids	515g
Intérieur	Noir et Blanc
EAN13	9780883855287
ISBN13	978-0-88385-528-7