James T. Smith

Andrew McFarland

Joanna McFarland

Alfred Tarski (1901–1983) was a renowned Polish/American mathematician, a giant of the twentieth century, who helped establish the foundations of geometry, set theory, model theory, algebraic logic and universal algebra. Throughout his career, he taught mathematics and logic at universities and sometimes in secondary schools. Many of his writings before 1939 were in Polish and remained inaccessible to most mathematicians and historians until now. This self-contained book focuses on Tarski’s early contributions to geometry and mathematics education, including the famous Banach–Tarski paradoxical decomposition of a sphere as well as high-school mathematical topics and pedagogy. These themes are significant since Tarski’s later research on geometry and its foundations stemmed in part from his early employment as a high-school mathematics teacher and teacher-trainer. The book contains careful translations and much newly uncovered social background of these works written during Tarski’s years in Poland. Alfred Tarski: Early Work in Poland serves the mathematical, educational, philosophical and historical communities by publishing Tarski’s early writings in a broadly accessible form, providing background from archival work in Poland and updating Tarski’s bibliography. A list of errata can be found on the author Smith’s personal webpage.

Early Work in Poland—Geometry and Teaching

Alfred Tarski

A practical, accessible introduction to advanced geometryExceptionally well-written and filled with historical andbibliographic notes, Methods of Geometry presents a practical andproof-oriented approach. The author develops a wide range ofsubject areas at an intermediate level and explains how theoriesthat underlie many fields of advanced mathematics ultimately leadto applications in science and engineering. Foundations, basicEuclidean geometry, and transformations are discussed in detail andapplied to study advanced plane geometry, polyhedra, isometries,similarities, and symmetry. An excellent introduction to advancedconcepts as well as a reference to techniques for use inindependent study and research, Methods of Geometry alsofeatures: Ample exercises designed to promote effective problem-solvingstrategies Insight into novel uses of Euclidean geometry More than 300 figures accompanying definitions and proofs A comprehensive and annotated bibliography Appendices reviewing vector and matrix algebra, least upperbound principle, and equivalence relations An Instructor's Manual presenting detailed solutions to all theproblems in the book is available upon request from the Wileyeditorial department.

Methods of Geometry

Elena Anne Marchisotto

This book is the first in a series of three volumes that comprehensively examine Mario Pieri’s life, mathematical work and influence. The book introduces readers to Pieri’s career and his studies in foundations, from both historical and modern viewpoints. Included in this volume are the first English translations, along with analyses, of two of his most important axiomatizations — one in arithmetic and one in geometry. The book combines an engaging exposition, little-known historical notes, exhaustive references and an excellent index. And yet the book requires no specialized experience in mathematical logic or the foundations of geometry.

James T. Smith

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