A Guide to Plane Algebraic Curves Dolciani Mathematical Expositions

This book can be used in a one semester undergraduate course or senior capstone course, or as a useful companion in studying algebraic geometry at the graduate level. This Guide is a friendly introduction to plane algebraic curves. It emphasizes geometry and intuition, and the presentation is kept concrete. You'll find an abundance of pictures and examples to help develop your intuition about the subject, which is so basic to understanding and asking fruitful questions. Highlights of the elementary theory are covered, which for some could be an end in itself, and for others an invitation to investigate further. Proofs, when given, are mostly sketched, some in more detail, but typically with less. References to texts that provide further discussion are often included. Computer algebra software has made getting around in algebraic geometry much easier. Algebraic curves and geometry are now being applied to areas such as cryptography, complexity and coding theory, robotics, biological networks, and coupled dynamical systems. Algebraic curves were used in Andrew Wiles' proof of Fermat's Last Theorem, and to understand string theory, you need to know some algebraic geometry. There are other areas on the horizon for which the concepts and tools of algebraic curves and geometry hold tantalizing promise. This introduction to algebraic curves will be appropriate for a wide segment of scientists and engineers wanting an entrance to this burgeoning subject This is an informal and accessible introduction to plane algebraic curves that also serves as a natural entry point to algebraic geometry. There is a unifying theme to the book: give curves enough living space and beautiful theorems will follow. This book provides the reader with a solid intuition for the subject, while at the same time keeping the exposition simple and understandable, by introducing abstract concepts with concrete examples and pictures. It can be used as the text for an undergraduate course on plane algebraic curves, or as a companion to algebraic geometry at graduate level. This book is accessible to those with a limited mathematical background. This is because for those outside mathematics there is a growing need for an entrée to algebraic geometry, a need created by the ever-expanding role algebraic geometry is playing in areas ranging from biology to chemistry and robotics to cryptology 1. A Gallery Of Algebraic Curves -- 2. Points At Infinity -- 3. From Real To Complex -- 4. Topology Of Algebraic Curves In P2(c) -- 5. Singularities -- 6. The Big Three: C, K, S. Keith Kendig. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 185-187) And Index.