Book Description
Elayn Martin-Gay's success as a developmental math author starts with a strong focus on mastering the basics through well-written explanations, innovative pedagogy and a meaningful, integrated program of learning resources. The revisions to this edition provide new pedagogy and resources to build reader confidence and help readers develop basic skills and understand concepts. Features incorporation of AMATYC and NCTM standards-reflected in an increased emphasis on visualization graphing, and data analysis. In addition, Martin-Gay's 4-step problem solving process-Understand, Translate, Solve and Interpret-is integrated throughout. Also includes new features such as Study Skills Reminders, "Integrated Reviews", and "Concept Checks." For those in need of a graphing utility resource in intermediate algebra, and for readers who need to prepare for advanced algebra or finite math.
Customer Reviews:
Intermediate Algebra Book.......2007-02-17
I was very impressed with how fast the book arrived. It also arrived in great condition. I would definately consider doing business with this vendor again.
Book needs more explanations and less fluff.......2005-06-04
Book needs more explanations on problems and less "Study habit reminders" and other fluffy stuff that I just skip over. What student has time to read the "extra optional stuff"?
In my humble opinion, this book doesn't explain problems well.
It doesn't explain WHY. It assumes you know WHY problems are solved in certain ways.
For example, on page 110, she throws a property at you:
"If A is a positive number, then | X |
< a is equivalent to -a
< X
< a."
It would really help me understand this property if I knew WHY| X |
< a is equivalent to -a
< X
< a.
The answer book should explain more also - especially for problems that are different from the examples.
I do like the idea of concept checks though.
Sometimes complex.......2003-09-29
This book covers many problems but lacks descriptive solutions. I could not get a good concept of how to solve the problems because most of the solutions were broken into several sections. This book does give some of the answers but again it does lack descriptive solutions.
I can't wait to get this book!.......2003-09-17
In my pre-algebra I and II classes, we used Martin-Gay's books. They were wonderful! They're easy to understand and follow with plenty of exercises. I was looking forward to using her books for Intermediate Algebra. I was extremely disappointed to find that the college switched to a different book...one that isn't helpful at all. I'm planning on using Martin-Gay's book along side our college textbook we now have. Hopefully, the lightbulb will be going on much quicker!
Very Complete.......2003-03-07
This book won't let you get stuck, it explains all concepts clearly. It offers a good beginning algebra review, and gives you a thorough dose of the tougher stuff.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent work!.......2005-08-23
Thank you, Mr. M. Skura for a quick devivery of this book. I do appreciate it! And the book is in a good condition, nothing to say. Thanx again. I didn't expect it so soon.
Book Description
Updated with new material, this Fifth Edition of the most widely used book in combinatorial problems explains how to reason and model combinatorically. It also stresses the systematic analysis of different possibilities, exploration of the logical structure of a problem, and ingenuity. Combinatorical reasoning underlies all analysis of computer systems. It plays a similar role in discrete operations research problems and in finite probability. This book seeks to develop proficiency in basic discrete math problem solving in the way that a calculus text develops proficiency in basic analysis problem solving.
Customer Reviews:
Haphazard Applied Combinatorics is more like it..........2007-04-20
Mr. Tucker has, in his mundane brilliance, decided that all college professors would be able enough to fill in the gaps that he has blatantly left out in this book. The examples assume that the reader has actually been well versed on the subject prior to picking up this bound misfit, nor do they offer very detailed explanations on how he gets from point A to point B. It's the cut and dry "Here's the start, then you do this, and here's the answer" approach is very annoying, especially when your instructor is not the greatest. Furthermore, the exercises listed in some chapters have little or no relevance to the examples the author presents prior. This is a poor author and a poor choice of colleges to choose this book to teach from.
Do not be mislead by the positive reviews; this book is mediocre.......2005-11-04
This book covers basically two topics: Graph Theory and Enumeration.
The things I liked about this book were challenging problems. This book will certainly be a great SOURCE of problems for an upper-level undergraduate course in graph theory or combinatorics.
However, there are too many shortcomings. The book does not cover topics in depth, and the definitions and theorems it gives are stated very precisely and not explained. Unless you have had an introductory course in graph theory or combinatorics, these definitions will take a lot of time to sink in and make intuitive sense. Several useful theorems are not presented at all, are subtly stated in the text, or are presented in some problem.
The next problem is that this book is riddled with errors. And these are more than just errors in the Answers section, of which there are many, but errors in the actual problems! Sometimes even errors in the proofs. Usually these are typographical errors or sometimes just flat out wrong answers. You can find an errata list on the author's site, but it is far from complete.
I assume the other reviewers did not thoroughly work through this book and did not notice the errors. It is inexcusable for a math textbook to have this many errors. It almost seems as though this book wasn't edited at all. It is truly poor.
Excellent for applications.......2004-06-28
The book covers the fundamentals of graph theory and combinatorics (enumeration) and is designed for first courses for undergraduates.
The material is presented in a clear, friendly manner. The sections are short and specific and the emphasis is on problem-solving. Many examples are provided and constitute the majority of the book's volume. Each section ends with 20-30 exercises with answers (not full solutions) at the end of the book.
The book is excellent for computer science and applied math majors looking for a clear, application-based introduction to combinatorics and graph theory. It is also excellent for self-study.
The book's main flaw is that the proofs are not rigorous and are sometimes more intuitive than mathematical. For pure math students looking to explore graph theory and combinatorics in a more rigorous manner, other books (e.g. Diestel, "Graph Theory") will serve that purpose better.
An almost ideal introduction book to combinatorics.......2002-05-23
There have been wonderfully written reviews of this book, but since this is really an excellent textbook, I am urged to praise again. Fully recommended.
This book is easily and clearly written; covers almost every important basic concept and technic in graph theory and enumerative combinatorics, with neatly selected and wonderfully organised exercises.
And I highly suggest the author give the references to those last exercises in every section, since each of them does lead into a theory.
An almost ideal introduction book to combinatorics.......2002-05-23
There have been wonderfully written reviews of this book, but since this is really an excellent textbook, I am urged to praise again. Fully recommended.
This book is easily and clearly written; covers almost every important basic concept and technic in graph theory and enumerative combinatorics, with neatly selected and wonderfully organised exercises.
And I highly suggested the author give the references to those last exercises in every section, since each of them does lead into a theory.
Book Description
Tables and graphs can more adequately communicate important business information when they reflect the good design practices discussed in this practical guide to effective table and graph design. Information is provided on the fundamental concepts of table and graph design, the numbers and knowledge most suitable for display in a graphic form, the best tabular means to communicate certain ideas, and the component-level aspects of design. Analysts, technicians, and managers will appreciate the solid theory behind this outline for ensuring that tables and graphs present quantitative business information in a truthful, attractive format that facilitates better decision making.
Customer Reviews:
don't get both books.......2007-09-22
I recommend not buying both of the Few books - there's what seems to be quite a bit of overlapping content between them -- pick the one book that is closer to what you're working on and just get that one, it'll cover what you need.
There are some interesting concepts in here - if you read his blog you'll have a really good idea for what you're getting.
http://www.perceptualedge.com/
Great Book for Business.......2007-07-12
Show Me the Numbers provides the practical and useful information needed to creat tables and graphs to effectively tell your quantitative story. Through numerous examples and illustrations, Stephen Few points out the good, the bad, and the just plain ugly ways that quantitative data can be presented. Numbers are important to any business. This book provides the reader with the tools needed to fluently communicate using the language of numbers.
Not a Great Advance.......2007-05-13
This is a very basic overview of easy descriptive statistics, combined with some Tufte-esque notes on graph display, but for the more sophisticated reader on metrics/data/stats, this is not a real keeper. About 20% of it was new or thought-provoking, so if you're already well-read on this topic, don't get this one.
Excellent Book.......2007-04-12
This is a great book which clearly elucidates design principles. The fact that all the graphs explained are created in Excel also makes the book more practicable.
Good graph/table, insightful techniques, clumsy writing.......2007-01-28
The book's content is good and useful for the analyst who needs to present numbers concisely and clearly, making people understand at the first sight.
However, the writing of the book is a bit clumsy. The book progresses slowly.This book makes its point only at the middle of the book. I was expecting the book went straight to the point to share about the techniques of presenting numbers effectively at the very front pages.
Book Description
In a corporate setting, the Microsoft Office Suite is an invaluable set of applications. One of Offices' biggest advantages is that its applications can work together to share information, produce reports, and so on. The problem is, there isn't much documentation on their cross-usage. Until now.
Introducing Integrating Excel and Access, the unique reference that shows you how to combine the strengths of Microsoft Excel with those of Microsoft Access. In particular, the book explains how the powerful analysis tools of Excel can work in concert with the structured storage and more powerful querying of Access. The results that these two applications can produce together are virtually impossible to achieve with one program separately.
But the book isn't just limited to Excel and Access. There's also a chapter on SQL Server, as well as one dedicated to integrating with other Microsoft Office applications. In no time, you'll discover how to:
- Utilize the built in features of Access and Excel to access data
- Use VBA within Access or Excel to access data
- Build connection strings using ADO and DAO
- Automate Excel reports including formatting, functions, and page setup
- Write complex functions and queries with VBA
- Write simple and advanced queries with the Access GUI
- Produce pivot tables and charts with your data
With Integrating Excel and Access, you can crunch and visualize data like never before. It's the ideal guide for anyone who uses Microsoft Office to handle data.
Customer Reviews:
A wordy collection of Excel code.......2007-06-01
The title of this book is misleading. 70% of the book covers Excel and how to make Excel integrate into other platforms and applications. At 190 pages, that means the author spends about 60 pages covering Access (and that's only to cover intuitive tasks accomplished through the user interface). The examples are mostly Excel VBA code; none of which are particularly new or mind blowing.
The strangest part of this book is the author inexplicably puts a half-hearted Excel object model in an Appendix. But no object model for Access? Can anyone say filler? Seems a shame to waste such an interesting topic on this extremely wordy collection of Excel code. The positive: this book is thin enough to fit perfectly under my wobbly desk.
Hodgepodge of topics .......2007-01-23
This book contains a hodgepodge of topics loosely fitting in with Access and Excel. Unfortunately, the title is misleading. You would expect an entire book on automating data movement between Excel and Access (BOTH from AND to), but you don't entirely get that. The XML stuff and integration with other applications is interesting but not necessarily relevant. There's also a great discussion of Excel's R1C1 (relative address) and A1 (absolute address) style notation.
Let's go through the chapters:
1. Intro
2. Using Excel's Uset Interface
3. Data Access from Excel VBA (using Excel to pull data in)
4. Integration from the Access Interface which covers exporting data to Excel.
5. Using Access VBA to Automate Excel (about pushing/exporting a spreadsheet from Access to an Excel window using Access VBA)
6. Using Excel Charts and Pivot Tables with Access Data
7. Leveraging SQL Server Data with Microsoft Office... part of this talks about how Excel can AVOID Access (the opposite of what the book is supposed to be about!)
8. Advanced Excel Reporting Techinques... bad title, good topic. This is about using Access VBA to create reports in an Excel spreadsheet.
9. Using Access and Excel Data in Other Applications (OTHER??? applications. Now we are looking at OTHER applications like Word, Powerpoint, and MapPoint. Interesting, but way off topic.)
10. Creating Form Functinality in Excel (another chapter about Excel, not integration)
11. Builing Graphical User Interfaces (an unnecessary Access tutorial)
12. Tackling an Integration Project (general discussion)
Then there's an appendix about Excel('s) Object Model and VBA Basics.
So out of all of the above, all it has to say about importing Excel data into Access is many pages showing how to use the import wizard which is pretty intuitive anyway but doesn't say much about pulling Excel data into Access using VBA. What about getting DoCmd.TransferSpreadsheet to work as smart as manually using the Access import wizard?
What about Controlling Access from Excel.......2006-12-31
I'd actually rate this 3.75 *'s, but that's not available. I find this excellent in the material it does cover, namely "controlling," if you will, Access from Excel. There simply are an insufficient number of books and documents covering the details of Microsoft automation, which was supposed to be one of hallmarks of using MS Office. However, I found nothing in the text going the other way - controlling Excel from Access. This is an inexcusable ommission, in my opinion. The book should be retitled so it's true content is clear.
This book is useless........2006-12-28
Although the sevice was pretty good, item arrived on time, etc. The book is almost useless.
Great for Office Automation.......2006-11-04
I code in Access VBA but need to push data to excel spreadsheets and format the results. This book has the answers.
Would have gotten 5 stars but I didn't find a single reference to the Access TransferSpreadsheet function which pushes data to Excel Named ranges.
Book Description
This book is designed to describe fundamental algorithmic techniques for constructing drawings of graphs. Suitable as a book or reference manual, its chapters offer an accurate, accessible reflection of the rapidly expanding field of graph drawing.
Customer Reviews:
Not the best book ever..........2007-09-30
This graph drawing book is, according to my lecturer, one of the few books on this subject. There is a different book too, written by some japanese authors. The drawback of the latter book is that it is too technical sometimes, while this book discusses intuitively understandable algorithms.
But, there are also some major drawbacks concerning this book. Not all chapters are equally good: some are horrible to read while others are very understandable.
Furthermore, the book is not printed anymore, so you just purchase a black-and-white copy of the original book with some fancy cover. Since the book is just copied, some pictures do not look like the way they should and one picture isn't shown at all. This results in some difficulties understanding the pictures and discussed material. I purchased one of the cheaper variants of the book, maybe the more expensive ones are printed versions.
Also, the book is absolutely not free of mistakes!
To conclude: the book is probably OK for understanding the basics of graph drawing, considering what's for sale. But beware of the drawbacks of this book and use it with care.
Who is this book for?.......2003-08-10
I am a mathematician/computer scientist quite interested in the subject matter, but the book is almost useless, since it mostly discusses ad hoc methods, and avoids proving any of the actual theorems in the subject. Unfortunate, since there is certainly room for a good book on the subject.
Not useful for me, maybe for other people.......2003-05-20
To me the book is not useful, because I need to draw graphs in which the distance between two connected vertices is fixed. The book doesn't mention any method to handle graphs with such a restriction, although the chapter on force-directed methods inspired me to use something similar. If you draw graphs without that restriction, the book might be useful to you - that's why I'm careful and give it 4 stars.
I disagree with Viv. R who said it doesn't contain pseudo code, because the book contains quite some of it, though not in every chapter. But even lack of pseudo code doesn't bother me, because for an experienced mathematical programmer that should be no problem.
Good Theory .. but.......2000-12-03
The book has a solid theoretical explanation of most of the popular graph drawing algorithms. So, if you want an explanation of these algorithms from a mathematical point of view, this book is for you.
If you are like me, and want to approach these problems from an 'algorithmic' viewpoint. I.e I want to know how to write planarization, Orthogonal layout algorithms... This book will disappoint you big time...Most of the algorithms are presented in a mathematical form (not a psuedocode form).. It is a huge leap to convert algorithms in this book to code.
Overall, I rate this book a 3 because, it is the ONLY book on this subject. Therefore, I cant compare it with anything else.
My advice is :- math major = BUY, computer major = PASS, after all this book is not cheap -
Very complete, authoritative.......1999-04-01
Well organized, very complete, authoritative. Thanks to the authors for compiling and adding to a most interesting and valuable area of study.
Book Description
Welcome to the sixth volume of the Game Programming Gems series. With team sizes constantly expanding, developers are finding themselves pushed to become increasingly specialized. This makes it important to have cutting-edge, ready-to-use material in your specialization, as well as resources that you can call upon if you need to work outside your area of expertise. Volume 6 has been explicitly designed with your current challenges in mind. With the new generation of machines, players expect higher-fidelity models and animations, fancier physics and graphics effects, and more intelligent AI. All of these capabilities require robust teams and longer schedules, so to help ensure that your games are still delivered on time and on budget, you'll find 50 all new articles written by experts in game technology from many different backgrounds and over twenty countries. This volume also includes a brand new section dedicated to Scripting and Data-Driven Systems, which is focused entirely on the growing trend of removing the programmer from the data-tweaking loop. So, whether you're a new game programmer starting out on this exciting path, a grizzled, industry veteran, or a most welcome visitor, we hope that you will find inspiration, insight, and at least one or two true gems to use in your world!
Customer Reviews:
watch this trend.......2007-04-16
One interesting feature of this book on game programming is how graphics does NOT dominate the discussion. Most books on the subject are chock-a-block with every graphics tip you could imagine. But Dickheiser does not write for the novice. He has gathered a set of papers (chapters) that try to delineate the research boundary. It is a measure of the rising maturity of the field, and the complexity of many games, that graphics is relatively deprecated.
Though I hasten to add that there are still the pretty colour plates of renderings, and several chapters on these methods.
Why is the book symptomatic of the changing trends? In part because graphical methods are starting to saturate. The techniques are now good enough for near-photorealistic impressions. If you look carefully at the non-graphics chapters, you see that they tackle non-trivial problems arising from evermore intricate games. One instance is the use of AI-style decision making methods for how a game proceeds. When well coded, it can give behaviour of characters that is more intelligent, hence yielding a more interesting game. Another chapter looks at the learning process in AI, where a player might change strategies. Here, the research use of Support Vector Machines is suggested as apropos for commercial game development.
Professionally, you should pay attention to the book for the trend it exemplifies. You probably got into game programming because you were attracted by the graphics. But as graphics methods peak, the value added aspect of games is starting to shift towards the story line and how elaborate is the game logic.
Good bag of tricks for advanced game programmers.......2006-04-05
This is the latest volume in the game programming gems series that is now six years old. This book, like the others in the series, is a collection of articles written by industry experts for the advanced game programmer. Because it covers so much ground with little or no background information, I doubt that one reader will be able to appreciate the whole book. The book comes with a CD that has source code for all of the articles, which is very helpful.
I'm a multimedia programmer rather than a game programmer, and I found quite a few nuggets in this edition. Among them was the article on using OpenCV, which is the open source computer vision library, and also the article on CPPUnit, which can be used for unit testing of any type of software, not just games. The section on math and physics was the least helpful. It either set the bar too low with easy articles like "How to do floating point faster than hardware", or set the bar too high with difficult terse articles such as "Real-Time Particle-Based Fluid Simulation". However, if you are into game physics, this section might be something you really enjoy. In the AI section, it seemed like I had seen most of the material before. The last article though was really unique - "Constructing a Goal-Oriented Robot for UnrealTournament Using Fuzzy Sensors, Finite-state Behaviors and Behavior Networks". This is an outstanding article for those interested in robots in games. The whole section on scripting was worthwhile. I especially enjoyed the Script language survey at the front of the section, since this is a moving target with many languages to choose from. The graphics section is quite advanced, and unless "Realtime Rendering" seems like light bedtime reading to you, most of the articles will probably not make much sense. My favorite section of the book was the one on audio for two reasons. First, most game programming books ignor this subject entirely. Second, it is hard to find readable books or articles on the subject with the effects presented in plain language as this section did in all five articles. I notice that Amazon does not show the table of contents, so I do that here:
SECTION 1 GENERAL PROGRAMMING
Introduction 1.1 Game Object Component System 1.2 Closest- String Matching Algorithm 1.3 Implementing Lock-Free Algorithms 1.4 Computer Vision in Games using the OpenCV library 1.5 Using CPPUnit to implement unit testing 1.6 Visualizing Performance Data 1.7 Faster Loading with Access-Based File Reordering 1.8 Stay in the Game: Asset Hotloading for Fast Iteration 1.9 Geographic Grid Registration of Game Objects 1.10 Real-Time Continuous Profiling 1.11 Fingerprinting Prerelease Builds to Deter and Detect Piracy 1.12 The Dynamic Actor Layer
SECTION 2 MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICS
Introduction 2.1 Efficient Sequence Indexing 2.2 How to do floating point faster than hardware. 2.3 Solving linear systems by using the cross product 2.4 Real-Time Particle-Based Fluid Simulation 2.5 Exact Buoyancy for Polyhedra
SECTION 3 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Introduction 3.1 Designing a Multi-layer Pluggable AI Engine Framework 3.2 Smart Scene Load Management using Fuzzy Logic 3.3 Achieving coordination with autonomous NPC's 3.4 Using a Quantified Judgment Model for Engagement Analysis 3.5 Short-term memory using support vector machine (SVM) 3.6 Applying Model-Based Decision-Making Methods to Games 3.7 Constructing a Goal-Oriented Robot for UnrealTournament Using Fuzzy Sensors, Finite-state Behaviors and Behavior Networks
SECTION 4 SCRIPTING SYSTEMS
Introduction 4.1 A Script language survey 4.2 Managing High-Level Scripts Execution within 4.3 Automatic Function Binding for Game Scripting and Networking 4.4 Programming advanced control mechanisms with Lua coroutines 4.5 Binding C/C++ objects to Lua
SECTION 5 GRAPHICS
Introduction 5.1 Automatic Realistic Idle Motion Synthesis for Interactive Characters" 5.2 GPU Terrain Rendering 5.3 Rendering Road Signs Sharply 5.4 Interactive Fluid Dynamics and Rendering on the GPU 5.5 Spatial Partitioning using an Adaptive Binary Tree 5.6 Enhanced Object Culling with (Almost) Oriented Bounding Boxes 5.7 Fast per-pixel lighted scenes with a high number of lights 5.8 Efficient Sky Rendering Techniques 5.9 High Dynamic Range Rendering using OpenGL Frame Buffer Objects 5.10 Skin Splitting for Optimal Skin Rendering
SECTION 6 AUDIO
Introduction 6.1 Real- Time Sound Generation From Deformable Meshes 6.2 Volume Control Through Chained Busses 6.3 Faking Real-time DSP Effects 6.4 A lightweight oscillator for ambient sound generation 6.5 Cheap Doppler effect
SECTION 7 NETWORKING AND MULTIPLAYER
Introduction 7.1 Complex High-Level Systems 7.2 Reliable Peer-to-Peer Gaming Connection Penetrating Firewall and NAT 7.3 Massively Multiplayer Online Prototype (MMOP): Utilizing Second Life for Game Concept Prototyping 7.4 Dynamically Adaptive Streaming of 3D Data for Animated Characters 7.5 Generating globally unique identifiers for game objects About the CD-ROM
Index
Programming Tips from the Pros.......2006-04-04
Intended for the intermediate to advanced game programmer, this is a book that will literally have something for everyone. It contains fifty-two 'gems' that is, articles on how to some particular aspect of game programming. Sophisticated game programming is probably the most complex programming there is. And this book goes into some pretty sophisticated programming details.
For instance:
1.2 Using Multicore Processors - New software that facilitates programming to make the most effective use of dual/triple core CPUs.
2.5 - Exact Buoyancy for Polyhedra - Your game character has built a raft. How does it look like it's floating realistically?
5.9 - Practical Sky Rendering - The sky is so simple, unless, of course you want it to look real. ==There is no question that the main driving force for faster computers is to make for more realistic gaming. And the faster computers allow more sophisticated programming to be done to make the grass wave realistically.
This is probably not a book you're going to sit down and read from cover to cover. You'll probably scan through and read the ones that are applicable to just what you need to do next. But then in a couple of weeks, in a couple of months....
Customer Reviews:
I'm fed up with these books.......2006-03-22
I bought these two book for one reason: to get help implementing algorithms. Since there is lot of code in these books, I thought this would be a good pick. I was wrong. The author is consistently leaving out details vital to understanding the code. He also makes a big deal about abstract data types. This is gloriously of the case. If the readers are supposed to understand the code, transperency would be a more intelligent goal for the author. There are no comments in the code what so ever (yes, this is actually true, not even in the on-line code). The on-line code to this book is a total mess. You would be able to implement all the algorithms from scratch in less time than it would take you to try an piece together the code the author has left for you.
The pity is that there are very few other algorithm books that have real code. Demand a new edition from the author and don't by this one unless you can avoid it.
Best of the bunch.......2004-08-19
I had to teach this subject and this book seemed the best of the bunch though still not ideal. Why does the author have to use meaningless variable names (i,j,k), do comments make the code run more slowly. My main criticism is the examples and I would recommend the author use professional coding practices, comment the code, use meaningful variable names and structure it for readability. Else recommended for this subject
The best book for beginners.......2002-07-26
Sedgewick's 'Algorithms in C' is undeniably the best book for beginners studying about algorithms and data structures. The text is clear, lucid, and the programming examples are very well documented. The exercises and problems stimulate thoughts and help in developing a better understanding of the subject. All the key aspects of the subject are sufficiently addressed, and discussed in the best possible way. It's the code in the book that I love the most, it can be compiled on almost any compiler without almost any change being made to it. I would strongly recommend this book as a textbook to all beginners embarking on a study of data structures and algorithms.
Lucid thought process - excellent coverage & examples.......2002-07-25
I have quite a few books on algorithms and C programming, and this probably takes the cake. Sedgewick writes clearer than perhaps anyone on the subject. The book is filled to the gills with tiny 20 line (complete) programs that do amazing things - such as the program to compute all the prime numbers less than N (provided as input). These examples are typically given to illustrate some point (such as using dynamic array allocation for storing which numbers are prime) - but the short, concise algorithms given in the examples are learning aids as well (i.e. - I didn't know you could calculate a list of primes so easily, and I can probably take this knowledge and use it somewhere else). The reader is challenged to alter the examples (instead of using an array to store which numbers are prime, use a bitmap). Because the examples are small, compact, and easy to read, this provokes one to actually sit down and try and play with them. In contrast, I also have the Algorithms In C O'Reilley book by Kyle Loudon and after reading the Sedgewick title, I'm throwing that away. That book spends 1/3 of the chapter describing the algorithms, and then spends the rest of it in user-interface code examples. Of course, all the user interfaces for all the examples in the book are pretty much the same, so the whole book is filled with redundant useless code. More analysis, less filler, please. As Sedgewick was a student of Knuth, I consider his books as the practical guide to Knuth's tomes (which seem out of date - do we really need algorithm analysis on external storage these days??), which are filled with rigorous mathematical analysis. I highly recommend this book(s) -- actually there are two, with the second volume covering graphs. I wish my University had used these texts in programming / algorithm analysis courses. I really don't have any negative commentary -- other than the nitpick that his coding style is very compact and skeletal --> main(){ for(...) do_something;} However, since the examples are so small, it hardly matters.
Book Description
Everyone knows the small-world phenomenon: soon after meeting a stranger, we are surprised to discover that we have a mutual friend, or we are connected through a short chain of acquaintances. In his book, Duncan Watts uses this intriguing phenomenon--colloquially called "six degrees of separation"--as a prelude to a more general exploration: under what conditions can a small world arise in any kind of network?
The networks of this story are everywhere: the brain is a network of neurons; organisations are people networks; the global economy is a network of national economies, which are networks of markets, which are in turn networks of interacting producers and consumers. Food webs, ecosystems, and the Internet can all be represented as networks, as can strategies for solving a problem, topics in a conversation, and even words in a language. Many of these networks, the author claims, will turn out to be small worlds.
How do such networks matter? Simply put, local actions can have global consequences, and the relationship between local and global dynamics depends critically on the network's structure. Watts illustrates the subtleties of this relationship using a variety of simple models---the spread of infectious disease through a structured population; the evolution of cooperation in game theory; the computational capacity of cellular automata; and the sychronisation of coupled phase-oscillators.
Watts's novel approach is relevant to many problems that deal with network connectivity and complex systems' behaviour in general: How do diseases (or rumours) spread through social networks? How does cooperation evolve in large groups? How do cascading failures propagate through large power grids, or financial systems? What is the most efficient architecture for an organisation, or for a communications network? This fascinating exploration will be fruitful in a remarkable variety of fields, including physics and mathematics, as well as sociology, economics, and biology.
Customer Reviews:
All the details you need to know to understand Watts' and Strogatz' famous article.......2007-03-12
The book basically gives all the details needed to understand Watts and Strogatz famous Nature article 'Collective Dynamics of Complex Networks' in 1998. I think that it is basically Watts PhD-thesis and as such it is of course nicely written, but nothing for the laymen who is rather referred to Watts other, more story-telling book 'Six Degrees', Barabasi's book 'Linked', or to another book that I would recommend most, namely the one by Mark Buchanan titled 'Small Worlds'. Mark is a skillful scientific writer and his book has a broader scope that makes it more interesting than each of the two monographs that are a bit more focused on the scientists own contribution.
Not enough contents to be a good book.......2005-07-08
Networks are since a couple of years object of intense research in several different disciplines. One reason therefore is certainly the outstanding article by Watts and Strogatz, Collective dynamics of small world networks, Nature, 393:440--442, 1998. Unfortunatelly, this book can not continue the high level of this article. Actually, it does not really provide much more information than the article itself. I would suggest to read the article cited above and either decide for another book or to look directly in the literature and read the origninal articles.
To summarize, this book is not terribly weak, but one can clearly sees that it swims on the current 'complex networks' wave without providing enough justification for its existence. Of course, if you do not have access to the original literature and just what to have a general overview of complex networks and what be done with them, you may consider buying this book.
Good, but some typos.......2005-06-02
Mathematical level: Moderate; there's no calculus, and little high level math, but the book is quite mathematical in tone, and some of the arguments may be difficult to follow without a good "math sense". There are MANY equations and graphs.
Good points: Watts covers an area that will interest those who deal with mathematical models of social networks e.g. models of disease-spread, especially HIV. It might, however, cover other things that can spread through networks as well. He presents analysis of graphs (or networks) that are neither random nor highly structured; and begins to examine ways that the degree of structure v. randomness can be measured.
Bad points: There are more than the usual number of typos. The models presented are a "first step", only.
Inspiring.......2001-07-24
The author believes that human thought might be a small world, in the sense that one could reach any idea if he/she finds the right associations and "short-cut"s. The small-world theory is indeed one of those short cuts itself. It links many different domains and uncovers some interesting common behavior.
The theory is developed in a scientific manner with extensive numerical support. Rich literature reviews and many open questions make this book a good research reference. Complex observations are generally followed by qualitative explanations. However, some of the simpler derivations are not fully clear. I believe that adding a few lines here and there can turn this book into a textbook.
The book spans many different areas of science and a deep understanding of the related results may require some background. However, each chapter ends with a brief summary, allowing the reader to move forward if he/she finds the chapter difficult. In summary, as the author puts it, the book is simply the "end of the beginning" in an exciting new field.
Great scientific synthesis.......2000-07-12
The book takes a systematic look at the 'small world' graphs. These natural graphs have been discovered by graph theoretist as erly as 60's, but were not properly understood. The graphs are remarkable in their ability to cluster and scale lengths. There are fundumental connections between these graphs and complex systems, discrete dynamical systems, computation and information processing. Duncan has done a tremendous job in building experimetal and theoretical models trying to understand how these graphs come about and sustain themselves. Read this book.
Book Description
The Sullivan Enhanced with Graphing Utilities series fully integrates the graphing calculator. These widely adopted books are known for their precise careful presentation of mathematics. This precision permeates the book and is particularly evident in the examples, pedagogy and exercises. This book includes coverage of trigonometric functions and their applications, analytic trigonometry, polar coordinates and vectors, and exponential and logarithmic functions. For anyone who needs to brush up on everyday or business-related mathematics.
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Books Index
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General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Beginning Algebra (Martin-Gay Hardback Series)
PHim2 Prentice Hall Interactive Math/Intermediate Algebra - Review, Reference, and Practice
Intermediate Algebra, Student Solutions Manual
The Blair Handbook
Elementary Number Theory (5th Edition)
