The two volumes of Maths for Chemists provide an excellent resource for all undergraduate chemistry students but are particularly focussed on the needs of students who may not have studied mathematics beyond GCSE level (or equivalent). The texts are introductory in nature and adopt a sympathetic approach for students who need support and understanding in working with the diverse mathematical tools required in a typical chemistry degree course. The early chapters of Maths for Chemists Volume I: Numbers, Functions and Calculus provide a succinct introduction to the important mathematical skills of algebraic manipulation, trigonometry, numbers, functions, units and the general grammar of maths. Later chapters build on these basic mathematical principles as a foundation for the development of differential and integral calculus. In spite of the introductory nature of this volume, some of the more important mathematical tools required in quantum chemistry are deliberately included, through a gradual introduction to, and development of, the concept of the eigenvalue problem. Ideal for the needs of undergraduate chemistry students, Tutorial Chemistry Texts is a major series consisting of short, single topic or modular texts concentrating on the fundamental areas of chemistry taught in undergraduate science courses. Each book provides a concise account of the basic principles underlying a given subject, embodying an independent-learning philosophy and including worked examples.
Martin Cockett is a Senior Lecturer at the University of York and has over 20 years experience in the application of laser spectroscopy and computational chemistry to the study of excited and ionic states of molecules and clusters in the gas phase. Following a Ph.D. at Southampton, he spent two years in Japan as a postdoc at the Institute for Molecular Science, during which time he established a track record in the application of the then new laser threshold ionisation technique, ZEKE spectroscopy, to the study of aromatic van der Waals complexes. He then spent three years at the University of Edinburgh, extending his interest in weak interactions to Rydberg and ionic states of small inorganic van der Waals complexes and applied ZEKE spectroscopy to the study of electronically excited states of small molecular ions. In 1996 he was appointed to a lectureship at the University of York where he has established a research track record in the experimental and theoretical study of non-covalent interactions. A great deal of his early teaching experience at York focussed on the coordination, development and delivery of the extensive in-house maths provision to Year 1 and 2 students. This experience at the front line of maths teaching to chemistry undergraduates helped shape his approach to the teaching of difficult core physical chemistry topics to undergraduate students. A key objective in this respect has been to motivate, engage and challenge the whole cohort, regardless of their mathematical abilities. Graham Doggett was for many years a key member of the academic staff in the Department of Chemistry at the University of York. His research interests lay in quantum chemistry, latterly focussing on the application of spin-coupled valence bond theory to electronic resonance states. Much of his teaching focussed on the development of the in-house mathematics provision within the Chemistry Department as well as in inorganic and physical chemistry. He retired in 2004 and now lives with his wife in Hertfordshire.
