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Milnor Number
In mathematics, and particularly singularity theory, the Milnor number, named after John Milnor, is an invariant of a function germ. If ''f'' is a complex-valued holomorphic function germ then the Milnor number of ''f'', denoted ''μ''(''f''), is either a nonnegative integer, or is infinite. It can be considered both a geometric invariant and an algebraic invariant. This is why it plays an important role in algebraic geometry and singularity theory. Algebraic definition Consider a holomorphic complex function germ : f : (\mathbb^n,0) \to (\mathbb,0) \ and denote by \mathcal_n the ring of all function germs (\mathbb^n,0) \to (\mathbb,0). Every level of a function is a complex hypersurface in \mathbb^n, therefore f is dubbed a hypersurface singularity. Assume it is an isolated singularity: in the case of holomorphic mappings it is said that a hypersurface singularity f is singular at 0 \in \mathbb^n if its gradient \nabla f is zero at 0 , and it is said that 0 is an i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Singularity Theory
In mathematics, singularity theory studies spaces that are almost manifolds, but not quite. A string can serve as an example of a one-dimensional manifold, if one neglects its thickness. A singularity can be made by balling it up, dropping it on the floor, and flattening it. In some places the flat string will cross itself in an approximate "X" shape. The points on the floor where it does this are one kind of singularity, the double point: one bit of the floor corresponds to more than one bit of string. Perhaps the string will also touch itself without crossing, like an underlined "U". This is another kind of singularity. Unlike the double point, it is not ''stable'', in the sense that a small push will lift the bottom of the "U" away from the "underline". Vladimir Arnold defines the main goal of singularity theory as describing how objects depend on parameters, particularly in cases where the properties undergo sudden change under a small variation of the parameters. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Birkhäuser
Birkhäuser was a Swiss publisher founded in 1879 by Emil Birkhäuser. It was acquired by Springer Science+Business Media in 1985. Today it is an imprint used by two companies in unrelated fields: * Springer continues to publish science (particularly: history of science, geosciences, computer science) and mathematics books and journals under the Birkhäuser imprint (with a leaf logo) sometimes called Birkhäuser Science. * Birkhäuser Verlag – an architecture and design publishing company was (re)created in 2010 when Springer sold its design and architecture segment to ACTAR. The resulting Spanish-Swiss company was then called ActarBirkhäuser. After a bankruptcy, in 2012 Birkhäuser Verlag was sold again, this time to De Gruyter. Additionally, the Reinach-based printer Birkhäuser+GBC operates independently of the above, being now owned by '' Basler Zeitung''. History The original Swiss publishers program focused on regional literature. In the 1920s the sons of Emil Bi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morse Theory
In mathematics, specifically in differential topology, Morse theory enables one to analyze the topology of a manifold by studying differentiable functions on that manifold. According to the basic insights of Marston Morse, a typical differentiable function on a manifold will reflect the topology quite directly. Morse theory allows one to find CW structures and handle decompositions on manifolds and to obtain substantial information about their homology. Before Morse, Arthur Cayley and James Clerk Maxwell had developed some of the ideas of Morse theory in the context of topography. Morse originally applied his theory to geodesics ( critical points of the energy functional on the space of paths). These techniques were used in Raoul Bott's proof of his periodicity theorem. The analogue of Morse theory for complex manifolds is Picard–Lefschetz theory. Basic concepts To illustrate, consider a mountainous landscape surface M (more generally, a manifold). If f is the fu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Infinitesimally
In mathematics, an infinitesimal number is a non-zero quantity that is closer to 0 than any non-zero real number is. The word ''infinitesimal'' comes from a 17th-century Modern Latin coinage ''infinitesimus'', which originally referred to the "infinity- th" item in a sequence. Infinitesimals do not exist in the standard real number system, but they do exist in other number systems, such as the surreal number system and the hyperreal number system, which can be thought of as the real numbers augmented with both infinitesimal and infinite quantities; the augmentations are the reciprocals of one another. Infinitesimal numbers were introduced in the development of calculus, in which the derivative was first conceived as a ratio of two infinitesimal quantities. This definition was not rigorously formalized. As calculus developed further, infinitesimals were replaced by limits, which can be calculated using the standard real numbers. In the 3rd century BC Archimedes used what e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Determinant
In mathematics, the determinant is a Scalar (mathematics), scalar-valued function (mathematics), function of the entries of a square matrix. The determinant of a matrix is commonly denoted , , or . Its value characterizes some properties of the matrix and the linear map represented, on a given basis (linear algebra), basis, by the matrix. In particular, the determinant is nonzero if and only if the matrix is invertible matrix, invertible and the corresponding linear map is an linear isomorphism, isomorphism. However, if the determinant is zero, the matrix is referred to as singular, meaning it does not have an inverse. The determinant is completely determined by the two following properties: the determinant of a product of matrices is the product of their determinants, and the determinant of a triangular matrix is the product of its diagonal entries. The determinant of a matrix is :\begin a & b\\c & d \end=ad-bc, and the determinant of a matrix is : \begin a & b & c \\ d & e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hessian Matrix
In mathematics, the Hessian matrix, Hessian or (less commonly) Hesse matrix is a square matrix of second-order partial derivatives of a scalar-valued Function (mathematics), function, or scalar field. It describes the local curvature of a function of many variables. The Hessian matrix was developed in the 19th century by the German mathematician Otto Hesse, Ludwig Otto Hesse and later named after him. Hesse originally used the term "functional determinants". The Hessian is sometimes denoted by H or \nabla\nabla or \nabla^2 or \nabla\otimes\nabla or D^2. Definitions and properties Suppose f : \R^n \to \R is a function taking as input a vector \mathbf \in \R^n and outputting a scalar f(\mathbf) \in \R. If all second-order partial derivatives of f exist, then the Hessian matrix \mathbf of f is a square n \times n matrix, usually defined and arranged as \mathbf H_f= \begin \dfrac & \dfrac & \cdots & \dfrac \\[2.2ex] \dfrac & \dfrac & \cdots & \dfrac \\[2.2ex] \vdots & \vdot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Perturbation Theory
In mathematics and applied mathematics, perturbation theory comprises methods for finding an approximate solution to a problem, by starting from the exact solution of a related, simpler problem. A critical feature of the technique is a middle step that breaks the problem into "solvable" and "perturbative" parts. In regular perturbation theory, the solution is expressed as a power series in a small parameter The first term is the known solution to the solvable problem. Successive terms in the series at higher powers of \varepsilon usually become smaller. An approximate 'perturbation solution' is obtained by truncating the series, often keeping only the first two terms, the solution to the known problem and the 'first order' perturbation correction. Perturbation theory is used in a wide range of fields and reaches its most sophisticated and advanced forms in quantum field theory. Perturbation theory (quantum mechanics) describes the use of this method in quantum mechanics. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Degree Of A Continuous Mapping
In topology, the degree of a continuous mapping between two compact oriented manifolds of the same dimension is a number that represents the number of times that the domain manifold wraps around the range manifold under the mapping. The degree is always an integer, but may be positive or negative depending on the orientations. The degree of a map between general manifolds was first defined by Brouwer, who showed that the degree is homotopy invariant and used it to prove the Brouwer fixed point theorem. Less general forms of the concept existed before Brouwer, such as the winding number and the Kronecker characteristic (or Kronecker integral). In modern mathematics, the degree of a map plays an important role in topology and geometry. In physics, the degree of a continuous map (for instance a map from space to some order parameter set) is one example of a topological quantum number. Definitions of the degree From ''S''''n'' to ''S''''n'' The simplest and most important ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rose (topology)
In mathematics, a rose (also known as a bouquet of ''n'' circles) is a topological space obtained by gluing together a collection of circles along a single point. The circles of the rose are called petals. Roses are important in algebraic topology, where they are closely related to free groups. Definition A rose is a wedge sum of circles. That is, the rose is the quotient space ''C''/''S'', where ''C'' is a disjoint union of circles and ''S'' a set consisting of one point from each circle. As a cell complex, a rose has a single vertex, and one edge for each circle. This makes it a simple example of a topological graph. A rose with ''n'' petals can also be obtained by identifying ''n'' points on a single circle. The rose with two petals is known as the figure eight. Relation to free groups The fundamental group of a rose is free, with one generator for each petal. The universal cover is an infinite tree, which can be identified with the Cayley graph of the fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plane Curve
In mathematics, a plane curve is a curve in a plane that may be a Euclidean plane, an affine plane or a projective plane. The most frequently studied cases are smooth plane curves (including piecewise smooth plane curves), and algebraic plane curves. Plane curves also include the Jordan curves (curves that enclose a region of the plane but need not be smooth) and the graphs of continuous functions. Symbolic representation A plane curve can often be represented in Cartesian coordinates by an implicit equation of the form f(x,y)=0 for some specific function ''f''. If this equation can be solved explicitly for ''y'' or ''x'' – that is, rewritten as y=g(x) or x=h(y) for specific function ''g'' or ''h'' – then this provides an alternative, explicit, form of the representation. A plane curve can also often be represented in Cartesian coordinates by a parametric equation of the form (x,y)=(x(t), y(t)) for specific functions x(t) and y(t). Plane curves can sometimes also be repr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Homology (mathematics)
In mathematics, the term homology, originally introduced in algebraic topology, has three primary, closely-related usages. The most direct usage of the term is to take the ''homology of a chain complex'', resulting in a sequence of Abelian group, abelian groups called ''homology groups.'' This operation, in turn, allows one to associate various named ''homologies'' or ''homology theories'' to various other types of mathematical objects. Lastly, since there are many homology theories for Topological space, topological spaces that produce the same answer, one also often speaks of the ''homology of a topological space''. (This latter notion of homology admits more intuitive descriptions for 1- or 2-dimensional topological spaces, and is sometimes referenced in popular mathematics.) There is also a related notion of the cohomology of a Cochain complexes, cochain complex, giving rise to various cohomology theories, in addition to the notion of the cohomology of a topological space. Ho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
