Dictionary of Mathematics. This item is unavailable.Dictionary of Mathematics

In the Dictionary of Mathematics, key ideas, terms, and concepts are clearly explained in an accessible and easy-to-use format.

Each entry begins with a short definition and is followed by an explanation and/or worked example. The more complex and important the term, the more detailed the entry.

In writing each entry, the authors kept three questions in mind: what does the entry mean? why do I need to know it? how is it used? The method follows the familiar concept that knowledge in mathematics consists of "concept, context, and skill."

This dictionary was first published in England as The Complete A-Z Mathematics Handbook, and "handbook" better describes its approach. The alphabetical entries focus on application rather than definition; for example, the entry for "ellipse" includes a diagram and descriptive equation but no mention of conic sections or foci. Worked example problems appear in many entries or as entries proper: "derivative" is followed by "derivative of x^n," "derivative of e^x," and so on. The authors, from the Centre for Teaching Mathematics at the University of Plymouth, state that the book is intended as a study companion; topic selection, which includes basic statistics and mechanics in addition to mathematics, is clearly aimed at the secondary curriculum. The mathematics coverage is necessarily not as broad as in any of the standard mathematics dictionaries (e.g., Robert James & Glenn James's Mathematics Dictionary, Chapman & Hall, 1992. 5th ed.), but the explanatory style is unique. Recommended for public and school libraries.AKristine Fowler, Mathematics Lib., Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis
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