5.tex Educ.tex index.html Thomas William Korner, Korner's Korner, Pleasures of Counting, T.W.Korner, Mathematics

Korner's Korner

Tom Körner's Home Page

Books

New! Naive Decision Making New!

CUP was anxious that this should not be bought by those seeking a political tract and insisted on the subtitle `Mathematics Applied to the Social World'. However, what it says on the tin is what is in the tin, and the book presents a naive, but mathematical, look at decision making. Intended for readers who have done a first course on calculus, this book is a `cat sat on the mat' first reader for future Masters of the Universe, an ideal birthday present for budding casino owners, bookmakers and card sharps and, I hope, a good read for everybody else. The paperback has ISBN-13 9780521731638 and costs £21.99 but no one who can afford it will wish to miss the privilege of owning the hardback (ISBN-13: 9780521516167) at £60. If (perish the thought) your local bookstore does not stock it, try CUP's own web site.
  • Sketch solutions for some of the exercises in Naive Decision Making DVI PS PDF.
  • Here is the first list of correction for Naive Decision Making. DVI PS PDF.

    A Companion to Analysis

    I am very grateful to the splendid folks at the AMS for publishing A COMPANION TO ANALYSIS which may be ordered from the AMS bookstore or, we hope, your local bookshop for a mere $79 (even less if you are an AMS member). There is a collection of sketched answers to some of the exercises in Appendix K of the book at PS, DVI and PDF. A first list of corrections is given in PS, DVI and PDF. OUP distribute the book in the UK and Europe. They are, understandibly, unwilling to part with their copies, but, if you contact them directly at OUP and insist, they may be prepared to sell you one.

    The Pleasures of Counting

    Next let me remind you that The Pleasures of Counting is still available from all good bookshops. Longer than `With Rod and Line Through the Gobi Desert', funnier than `The Wit and Wisdom of the German General Staff' and with more formulae than `A Brief History of Time' it was voted Book of the Year by a panel consisting of Mrs E. Körner, Mrs W. Körner, Miss K. Körner and Dr A. Altman (née Körner). The paperback has ISBN 0 521 56823 4 and costs £38. The hardback (ISBN 0 521 56078 X) is still available at £70. If your local bookseller has failed to lay in sufficient stocks or you wish to participate in the information revolution you may order directly from CUP via CUP's gleaming modern web site.

    If you wish to read it in German then Michael Basler has produced a splendid translation which is published by Birkhäuser under the title "Mathematisches Denken. Vom Vergnügen am Umgang mit Zahlen" (ISBN 3-7643-5833-5) price about DM 68.00. (There is a list of corrections contributed by Stephan Stiller here.)

    Corrections and additions for first reprint of `PLEASURES OF COUNTING': DVI PS PDF LATEX and ordinary html.)

    Corrections and additions not in first reprint of `PLEASURES OF COUNTING': DVI PS PDF LATEX (Also in ordinary html.)

    Mathematika says `A cracking good tale; buy it for your children and read it yourself.'

    Zentralblatt says `politisch überkorrekt'.

    Mathematics Magazine says `None of "introvert", "extrovert", nor "anchor" appears [in the index.]'

    Computer Shopper says `a real gem of a book'

    The Australian's Review of Books says `[a] generous bouquet .... [but] don't think ikebana here'

    Notices of the AMS says `Make sure to recommend it to your local high school library. If they are slow to purchase it, then donate a copy.'

    The last quotation is from one of two long reviews accessible via AMS Book (and other) Reviews.

    On 23rd Nov 1998 `The Pleasures of Counting' was ranked number two on the Amazon list of most popular books on counting and numeration beating `The M&M's Brand Chocolate Candies Counting Book' into third place.

    I have produced a rather simple Pleasures of Counting home page.

    Helpful Guides and Sundries

    However, the main purpose of this home page is to give access to the most recent version of various collections of well meant advice that I have produced.

    The documents are available in dvi, ps, pdf and latex form. (pdf documents can be read using acrobat.)

    Helpful guides on

    Next notes on courses presently given in the Tripos.

    New! Notes for the Part II course on Codes and Cryptography in DVI PS PDF LATEX. (There is a log of corrections in DVI PS PDF LATEX.)

    Notes for the Part II course Linear Analysis in DVI PS PDF LATEX.

    Notes for the Part II course Topics in Analysis. (Note that the lecturer has more flexibility in this course than in most, so topics may vary from year to year.) DVI PS PDF LATEX.

    Notes for the 1B 'Topology and Metric Spaces' course in DVI PS PDF LATEX.

    My Part 1A Analysis notes in DVI PS PDF LATEX.

    In addition there is a long set of notes (with proofs) entitled `A First Look at Vectors' DVI PS PDF which covers a lot of the material in the course `Vectors and Matrices', all the material in the course `Linear Algebra' and about a third of the material in the course `Numerical Analysis'.

    Courses close to those presently given

    Next notes on courses corresponding to past schedules which are still close enough to course presently given.

    My Part 1A second half of the old course Algebra and Geometry (fairly close to the new course 1A Groups) in DVI PS PDF PS PDF LATEX.

    My Part 1B Complex Methods (P3) notes in DVI PS PDF LATEX. (There are now new complex variable courses with different sellections of material.)

    My Part 1B Analysis (C9) notes in DVI PS PDF LATEX. These notes have been extended by Richard Johnson to include proofs in LATEX PDF. (Note that the analysis syllabuses have been rewritten since these C9 notes were written).

    My rather old Linear Mathematics notes (WARNING the new syllabus contains substantially more.) DVI PS PDF LATEX

    Part III courses

    Next various Part III courses.

    Notes for my Part III Topics in Fourier Analysis and Complex Variable course (2009/10) in DVI PS PDF LATEX,

    Notes for my Part III Functional Analysis course. in DVI PS PDF LATEX,

    Notes for my Part III Topological Groups course (note that the last part follows Rudin's book very closely) in DVI PS PDF LATEX,

    Notes for my Part III Fourier Analysis course in DVI PS PDF LATEX. (There is a log of corrections in DVI PS PDF LATEX.)

    Notes for my Part III Complex Variable course in DVI PS PDF LATEX,

    Please note that my Part III notes are particularly error prone.

    Notes of little useful relation to current courses

    My IIB course on Partial Differential Equations (based very closely on notes by Joshi and Wassermann) in DVI PS PDF LATEX. (The course has now been completely rewritten.)

    Notes on a course on a no longer existent Rings and Modules in DVI PS PDF LATEX.

    Notes on a no longer existent Calculus and Methods course in DVI PS PDF LATEX.

    Skeleton notes for an introductory course in Fourier Analysis given at the 2003 PCMI conference in DVI PS PDF LATEX. Solutions for some of the exercises for this course kindly contributed by Mihai Stoiciu DVI PS PDF LATEX.

    Notes describing my own work during the past few years

    These notes give the background to and proofs of most of the results I have obtained in the last few years. DVI PS PDF LATEX.

    Caveat emptor, these notes come without guarantees of any kind. All contain misprints and some (particularly the Part III notes) much worse things. Corrections are gratefully received.

    If you have any problems obtaining these documents write to me at

    DPMMS, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WB

    and I will send whichever one you want by classical means. (Because of the interaction between my computer illiteracy and the constant modernisation of our computer facilities weird things occasionally happen. Please e-mail me if they do.)

    I would be happy to receive comments and suggestions for improvements. I am particularly anxious for suggestions of possible sources of funding for Part III students.

    And Finally

    You can e-mail me by pressing SCHAZAM! or if that does not work by using the address twk@dpmms.cam.ac.uk. My favourite e-mail ends with the words `this message needs no reply'.

    You may wish to go to the or to the Faculty of Mathematics home page.

    I am the junior Director of Mathematical Studies at Trinity Hall. The senior Director of Mathematical Studies is Tadashi Tokieda. If you would like a statement of our admission policy for mathematics undergraduates, press here. (Of course colleges are always fiddling with their web pages so, if this does not work, google Trinity Hall and start from there.)

    If it is not too overwhelmed with work to reply, Web-Counter says this is visit number since 22 August 1996. (However most of the visits are the result of my looking to see how many visits have been made.)

    You have read the book and studied the pamphlets BUT NOW in glowing LMScolour you can watch the film (video actually). In response to overwhelming lack of demand the video of my lecture `Marrying, Voting, Choosing' is now available for the price of £10 including postage and packing (a reader writes `Worth it for the postage and packing alone') from the LMS, De Morgan House, 57-58 Russell Square, London WC1B 4HP. Be the first person on your street to have your own copy!

    New! Or, if you are one of those who wants everything to be free you can go to Gresham College and watch me pontificating on `Mathematics and Smallpox' (a reviewer writes `Mathematics and Smallpox, what's not to like?').