The Cauchy-Schwarz Master Class: An Introduction to the Art of Mathematical Inequalities

Description

This lively, problem-oriented text is designed to coach readers toward mastery of the most fundamental mathematical inequalities. With the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality as the initial guide, the reader is led through a sequence of fascinating problems whose solutions are presented as they might have been discovered - either by one of history's famous mathematicians or by the reader. The problems emphasize beauty and surprise, but along the way readers will find systematic coverage of the geometry of squares, convexity, the ladder of power means, majorization, Schur convexity, exponential sums, and the inequalities of Holder, Hilbert, and Hardy. The text is accessible to anyone who knows calculus and who cares about solving problems. It is well suited to self-study, directed study, or as a supplement to courses in analysis, probability, and combinatorics.

J. Michael Steele is C.F. Koo Professor of Statistics at Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of more than 100 mathematical publications including the books, Probability Theory and Combinatorial Optimization and Stochastic Calculus and Financial Applications. He is also the founding editor of the Annals of Applied Probability.

'This eminently readable book will be treasured not only by students and their teachers but also by all those who seek to make sense of the elusive macrocosm of twentieth-century mathematics.' Zentralblatt MATH '... pleaseant reading for everyone with a solid real analysis background at undergraduate level, even before reading Polya-Szego. In fact, even researchers working on topics close to those in this book can find much to add to their repertoire.' Tamas Erdelyi, Department of Mathematics, Texas A&M University 'The book is special ... A large mathematics department with a functional graduate program could easily consider to offer a course based on this book.' Tamas Erdelyi, Journal of Approximation Theory