Morse theory is a study of deep connections between analysis and topology. In its classical form, it provides a relationship between the critical points of certain smooth functions on a manifold and the topology of the manifold. It has been used by geometers, topologists, physicists, and others as a remarkably effective tool to study manifolds. In the 1980s and 1990s, Morse theory was extended to infinite dimensions with great success. This book is Morse's own exposition of his ideas. It has been called one of the most important and influential mathematical works of the twentieth century. Calculus of Variations in the Large is certainly one of the essential references on Morse theory.

This volume outlines the history of the AMS in its first fifty years. To download free chapters of this book, click here.

Applications-oriented introduction to variational theory develops insight and promotes understanding of specialized books and research papers. Suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students as a primary or supplementary text. 1969 edition.

A meticulously researched history on the development of American mathematics in the three decades following World War I As the Roaring Twenties lurched into the Great Depression, to be followed by the scourge of Nazi Germany and World War II, American mathematicians pursued their research, positioned themselves collectively within American science, and rose to global mathematical hegemony. How did they do it? The New Era in American Mathematics, 1920–1950 explores the institutional, financial, social, and political forces that shaped and supported this community in the first half of the twentieth century. In doing so, Karen Hunger Parshall debunks the widely held view that American mathematics only thrived after European émigrés fled to the shores of the United States. Drawing from extensive archival and primary-source research, Parshall uncovers the key players in American mathematics who worked together to effect change and she looks at their research output over the course of three decades. She highlights the educational, professional, philanthropic, and governmental entities that bolstered progress. And she uncovers the strategies implemented by American mathematicians in their quest for the advancement of knowledge. Throughout, she considers how geopolitical circumstances shifted the course of the discipline. Examining how the American mathematical community asserted itself on the international stage, The New Era in American Mathematics, 1920–1950 shows the way one nation became the focal point for the field.

Offers brief treatises on several mathematical areas and a historical summary of American contributions to mathematics during the Society's first fifty years.

These notes are the result of an interrupted sequence of seminars on optimiza tion theory with economic applications starting in 1964-1965. This is mentioned by way of explaining the uneven style that pervades them. Lately I have been using the notes for a two semester course on the subject for graduate students in economics. Except for the introductory survey, the notes are intended to provide an appetizer to more sophisticated aspects of optimization theory and economic theory. The notes are divided into three parts. Part I collects most of the results on constrained extremf! of differentiable functionals on finite and not so finite dimensional spaces. It is to be used as a reference and as a place to find credits to various authors whose ideas we report. Part II is concerned with finite dimensional problems and is written in detail. Needless to say, my contributions are marginal. The economic examples are well known and are presented by way of illustrating the theory. Part III is devoted to variational problems leading to a discussion of some optimal control problems. There is a vast amount of literature on these problems and I tried to limit my intrusions to explaining some of the obvious steps that are usually left out. I have borrowed heavily from Akhiezer [ 1], Berkovitz [ 7], Bliss [lOJ and Pars [40J. The economic applications represent some of my work and are presented in the spirit of illustration.