My OperaHistory
Sunday, December 4, 2005 9:53:25 PM
Some mathematics books are so old that the copyrights have expired but the contents is just as interesting today as it was on the day of publication. A bonus on these books is that they can be copied and distributed over internet for free. Most introductions on Group Theory are summaries in some form or another of the original work by Burnside published in 1909. An introduction to the Theory of Groups costs $ 69.95 while the original works come for free.
I found one of the original works about Representation Theory. ( Today it costs, even at Amazon, just $11.53. ) The Theory of Groups and Quantum Mechanics. In 1928 when the book was first published Representation Theory was not well known among scientists, I suppose. The author wanted to promote the subject. He has done this by writing a very accessible text about it. Quantum theory and mathematics subjects are well divided over different chapters. It is possible to skip the quantum theory chapters without much loss of mathematical information. In these days Representation Theory must have been state-of-the-art, accessible only to those with access to mathematical journals. ( Internet is one of the best things that happened to education imo. ) The author, Hermann Weyl (1885 - 1955) was a mathematician with many achievements. By following the lives of mathematicians I try to understand a tiny bit of the complex history of Europe as well. A nice historical addition to "Representation Theory, A First Course".
I found one of the original works about Representation Theory. ( Today it costs, even at Amazon, just $11.53. ) The Theory of Groups and Quantum Mechanics. In 1928 when the book was first published Representation Theory was not well known among scientists, I suppose. The author wanted to promote the subject. He has done this by writing a very accessible text about it. Quantum theory and mathematics subjects are well divided over different chapters. It is possible to skip the quantum theory chapters without much loss of mathematical information. In these days Representation Theory must have been state-of-the-art, accessible only to those with access to mathematical journals. ( Internet is one of the best things that happened to education imo. ) The author, Hermann Weyl (1885 - 1955) was a mathematician with many achievements. By following the lives of mathematicians I try to understand a tiny bit of the complex history of Europe as well. A nice historical addition to "Representation Theory, A First Course".
