Nets, Puzzles, and Postmen: An Exploration of Mathematical Connections - Softcover

Higgins, Peter M

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0199218439 ISBN 13: 9780199218431

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2009

Synopsis

What do road and railway systems, mingling at parties, mazes, family tress, and the internet all have in common? All are networks--either people or places or things that relate and connect to one another. In this lively and fun look at the mathematics of networks, Peter Higgins shows that these phenomena--and many more--all share the same deep mathematical structure. Filled with puzzles and other curious mathematical conundrums, this stimulating book offers new insights into such familiar mathematical quandaries as the four-color map, the bridges of Konisberg, and the Postman Problem (what is the most efficient way of delivering your letters, so you get back to your starting point without having traversed any street twice). Only relatively recently have mathematicians begun to explore networks and connections, and their importance has taken everyone by surprise. Nets, Puzzles, and Postmen takes readers on a dazzling tour of this new field, in a book that will delight math buffs everywhere.

About this title

About the Author:

Peter M. Higgins is Professor of Mathematics and Head of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Essex. His previous mathematics books for a popular audience include Mathematics for the Curious, Mathematics for the Imagination, and The Official Book of Circular Sudoku.

Review:

"Well written and easy to follow."--Mathematical Reviews

"In Nets, Puzzles, and Postmen, Peter Higgins offers a popular account of the mathematics of networks. Readers willing to expose themselves to mathematical reasoning will find themselves rewarded with numerous insight into the structure of networks." -- Science

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0199218439
• ISBN 13: 9780199218431
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 247