Characteristic Classes. (AM-76), Volume 76

John Milnor

ISBN 10: 0691081220 / ISBN 13: 9780691081229

Published by Princeton University Press, 1992

About this Item

1974. First Edition. Paperback. Series: Annals of Mathematics Studies. Num Pages: 340 pages, illustrations. BIC Classification: PBPH. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational; (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 233 x 158 x 20. Weight in Grams: 486. . . . . .

Seller Inventory # V9780691081229

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Characteristic Classes. (AM-76), Volume 76
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication Date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691081220
• ISBN 13: 9780691081229
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

The theory of characteristic classes provides a meeting ground for the various disciplines of differential topology, differential and algebraic geometry, cohomology, and fiber bundle theory. As such, it is a fundamental and an essential tool in the study of differentiable manifolds.



In this volume, the authors provide a thorough introduction to characteristic classes, with detailed studies of Stiefel-Whitney classes, Chern classes, Pontrjagin classes, and the Euler class. Three appendices cover the basics of cohomology theory and the differential forms approach to characteristic classes, and provide an account of Bernoulli numbers.



Based on lecture notes of John Milnor, which first appeared at Princeton University in 1957 and have been widely studied by graduate students of topology ever since, this published version has been completely revised and corrected.

From the Back Cover

The theory of characteristic classes began in the year 1935 with almost simultaneous work by Hassler Whitney in the United States and Eduard Stiefel in Switzerland. Stiefel's thesis, written under the direction of Heinz Hopf, introduced and studied certain 'characteristic' homology classes determined by the tangent bundle of a smooth manifold.