A Concise Introduction to Pure Mathematics - 9781439835982

"This book displays a unique combination of lightness and rigor, leavened with the right dose of humor. When I used it for a course, students could not get enough, and I have been recommending independent study from it to students wishing to take a core course in analysis without having taken the prerequisite course. The material is very well chosen and arranged, and teaching from Liebeck's book has in many different ways been among my most rewarding teaching experiences during the last decades."---Boris Hasselblatt, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA

"In addition to preparing students to go on in mathematics, it is also a wonderful choice for a student who will not necessarily go on in mathematics but wants a gentle but fascinating introduction into the culture of mathematics...The notion of a proof will no longer be foreign, but also mathematics will not be viewed as some abstract black box. At the very least, the student will have an appreciation of mathematics. As usual, Liebeck's writing style is clear and easy to read..."---From the Foreword by Robert Guralnick, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA

Accessible to readers with a sound background in high school mathematics, A Concise Introduction to Pure Mathematics, Third Edition presents some of the most fundamental and beautiful ideas in pure mathematics. It covers not only standard material but also many interesting topics not usually encountered at this level, such as solving cubic equations, studying the five Platonic solids, coding secret information, and comparing the sizes of two infinite sets. This third edition contains three new chapters that provide an introduction to mathematical analysis. This edition also includes solutions to all of the odd-numbered exercises.