Topology, Richard Earl
Topology, Richard Earl
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Topology
A Very Short Introduction

Author: Richard Earl

Narrator: Bruce Mann

Unabridged: 4 hr 45 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/16/2020

Categories: Nonfiction, Mathematics


Synopsis

How is a subway map different from other maps? What makes a knot knotted? What makes the Möbius strip one-sided? These are questions of topology, the mathematical study of properties preserved by twisting or stretching objects. In the 20th century topology became as broad and fundamental as algebra and geometry, with important implications for science, especially physics.

In this Very Short Introduction, Richard Earl gives a sense of the more visual elements of topology (looking at surfaces) as well as covering the formal definition of continuity. Considering some of the eye-opening examples that led mathematicians to recognize a need for studying topology, he pays homage to the historical people, problems, and surprises that have propelled the growth of this field.

About Richard Earl

Richard Earl is Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Mathematical Institute, Oxford University, and senior tutor in mathematics at Worcester College, Oxford. He has taught topology at undergraduate and graduate level, as well as presenting the topic to secondary school students. Richard is the author of Towards Higher Mathematics: A Companion.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Prerna on July 22, 2021

More than a hundred years ago when Heisenberg discovered that quantum mechanical observables could be written within arrays, he was jubilant for a while. Why just for a while? Because he soon discovered that all of it was based on a mathematical model wherein X times Y did not equal Y times X. It wa......more

Goodreads review by Kam Yung on February 22, 2021

An introductory book that gives a look at topology: what it is, what is can be used for and some work being done in topology. The first chapter goes in gently by looking at Euler's formula for polygons and showing how it applies to polygons in general. Later chapters rapidly become very mathematical......more

Goodreads review by Bojan on June 22, 2020

Topology is, in my estimation, one of the most fascinating subfields of mathematics. Even though I personally never gravitated towards it, I find that the topics and questions that it explores are very intriguing. This is in large measure due to the fact that these questions seem very intuitive to s......more

Goodreads review by N on January 18, 2025

He who lacks a why can bear almost no how. Notes Focus of topology is shape, connections and relative position rather than geometry’s angles, distance and area. E, F, T, Y are all homeomorphic to the topologist, different from {C,G,I,J,S,U,V,W,L,M,N,Z) in that they have a T-junction. Other groupings a......more