Our systems are now restored following recent technical disruption, and we’re working hard to catch up on publishing. We apologise for the inconvenience caused. Find out more

Recommended product

Popular links

Popular links


A Radical Approach to Lebesgue's Theory of Integration

A Radical Approach to Lebesgue's Theory of Integration

A Radical Approach to Lebesgue's Theory of Integration

David M. Bressoud, Macalester College, Minnesota
January 2008
Paperback
9780521711838
$53.99
USD
Paperback
USD
Hardback

    Meant for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in mathematics, this lively introduction to measure theory and Lebesgue integration is rooted in and motivated by the historical questions that led to its development. The author stresses the original purpose of the definitions and theorems and highlights some of the difficulties that were encountered as these ideas were refined. The story begins with Riemann's definition of the integral, a definition created so that he could understand how broadly one could define a function and yet have it be integrable. The reader then follows the efforts of many mathematicians who wrestled with the difficulties inherent in the Riemann integral, leading to the work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries of Jordan, Borel, and Lebesgue, who finally broke with Riemann's definition. Ushering in a new way of understanding integration, they opened the door to fresh and productive approaches to many of the previously intractable problems of analysis.

    • Exercises at the end of each section, allowing students to explore their understanding
    • Hints to help students get started on challenging problems
    • Boxed definitions make it easier to identify key definitions

    Reviews & endorsements

    "Bressoud is an insightful writer, and he presents this material in an enchanting fashion. The writing is scholarly but inviting, rigorous but readable. There are heaps of exercises, and they are quite accessible. I know of no other source with such a wealth of information about the genesis of the modern integral concept. This book will be valuable for mathematicians, for scholars of mathematical history, and certainly for students."
    Steven G. Krantz, American Institute of Mathematics for The UMAP Journal

    "A new and noteworthy title from Cambridge University Press! An outstanding book meant to advance undergraduate and beginning graduate students in mathematics."
    B. Crstici, Mathematical Reviews

    "I find it difficult to think of a better introduction to this corner store of modern mathematics and highly recommend the book to a very broad readership of students and researchers alike."
    Paul Embrechts, ETH Zurich for the Journal of the American Statistical Association

    See more reviews

    Product details

    January 2008
    Paperback
    9780521711838
    344 pages
    252 × 177 × 18 mm
    0.6kg
    120 exercises
    Available

    Table of Contents

    • 1. Introduction
    • 2. The Riemann integral
    • 3. Explorations of R
    • 4. Nowhere dense sets and the problem with the fundamental theorem of calculus
    • 5. The development of measure theory
    • 6. The Lebesgue integral
    • 7. The fundamental theorem of calculus
    • 8. Fourier series
    • 9. Epilogue: A. Other directions
    • B. Hints to selected exercises.
      Author
    • David M. Bressoud , Macalester College, Minnesota