Introduction to Topology: Pure and Applied

For juniors and seniors of various majors, taking a first course in topology.

 

This book introduces topology as an important and fascinating mathematics discipline.   Students learn first the basics of point-set topology, which is enhanced by the real-world application of these concepts to science, economics, and engineering as well as other areas of mathematics. The second half of the book focuses on topics like knots, robotics, and graphs. The text is written in an accessible way for a range of undergraduates to understand the usefulness and importance of the application of topology to other fields.

Colin Adams is the Thomas T. Read Professor of Mathematics at Williams College. He received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1983. He is particularly interested in the mathematical theory of knots, their applications, and their connections with hyperbolic geometry. He is the author of The Knot Book, an elementary introduction to the mathematical theory of knots and co-author with Joel Hass and Abigail Thompson of How to Ace Calculus: The Streetwise Guide, and How to Ace the Rest of Calculus: the Streetwise Guide, humorous supplements to calculus. He has authored a variety of research articles on knot theory and hyperbolic 3-manifolds. A recipient of the Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Distinguished Teaching Award from the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) in 1998, he was a Polya Lecturer for the MAA for 1998-2000, and is a Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer for 2000-2002. He is also the author of mathematical humor column called "Mathematically Bent" which appears in the Mathematical Intelligencer.

Robert Franzosa is a professor of mathematics at the University of Maine. He received his Ph.D from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1984. He has published research articles on dynamical systems and applications of topology to geographic information systems. He has been actively involved in curriculum development and in education outreach activities throughout Maine. He is currently co-authoring a text, Algebraic Models in Our World, which is targeted for college-level general-education mathematics audiences. He was the recipient of the 2003 Presidential Outstanding Teaching Award at the University of Maine.