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  • Textbook
  • © 2002

Lectures on Discrete Geometry

  • Quickly leads the reader to the edge of current research
  • Introduces many important oncepts and techniques on carefully chosen results where technicalities are used
  • Book does not require any special background beyond undergraduate mathematics

Part of the book series: Graduate Texts in Mathematics (GTM, volume 212)

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Table of contents (16 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvi
  2. Convexity

    • Jiří Matoušek
    Pages 1-16
  3. Lattices and Minkowski’s Theorem

    • Jiří Matoušek
    Pages 17-28
  4. Convex Independent Subsets

    • Jiří Matoušek
    Pages 29-39
  5. Incidence Problems

    • Jiří Matoušek
    Pages 41-76
  6. Convex Polytopes

    • Jiří Matoušek
    Pages 77-124
  7. Number of Faces in Arrangements

    • Jiří Matoušek
    Pages 125-163
  8. Lower Envelopes

    • Jiří Matoušek
    Pages 165-194
  9. Intersection Patterns of Convex Sets

    • Jiří Matoušek
    Pages 195-206
  10. Geometric Selection Theorems

    • Jiří Matoušek
    Pages 207-229
  11. Transversals and Epsilon Nets

    • Jiří Matoušek
    Pages 231-263
  12. Attempts to Count k-Sets

    • Jiří Matoušek
    Pages 265-288
  13. Two Applications of High-Dimensional Polytopes

    • Jiří Matoušek
    Pages 289-309
  14. Volumes in High Dimension

    • Jiří Matoušek
    Pages 311-328
  15. Embedding Finite Metric Spaces into Normed Spaces

    • Jiří Matoušek
    Pages 355-400
  16. What Was It About? An Informal Summary

    • Jiří Matoušek
    Pages 401-407
  17. Back Matter

    Pages 409-485

About this book

Discrete geometry investigates combinatorial properties of configurations of geometric objects. To a working mathematician or computer scientist, it offers sophisticated results and techniques of great diversity and it is a foundation for fields such as computational geometry or combinatorial optimization.
This book is primarily a textbook introduction to various areas of discrete geometry. In each area, it explains several key results and methods, in an accessible and concrete manner. It also contains more advanced material in separate sections and thus it can serve as a collection of surveys in several narrower subfields. The main topics include: basics on convex sets, convex polytopes, and hyperplane arrangements; combinatorial complexity of geometric configurations; intersection patterns and transversals of convex sets; geometric Ramsey-type results; polyhedral combinatorics and high-dimensional convexity; and lastly, embeddings of finite metric spaces into normed spaces.
Jiri Matousek is Professor of Computer Science at Charles University in Prague. His research has contributed to several of the considered areas and to their algorithmic applications. This is his third book.

Reviews

From the reviews:

"Discrete geometry is not quite a newcomer on the stage of mathematics. … The book under review covers … a gap in the pedagogical literature, providing an expository treatment of a wide range of topics in discrete geometry, without assuming too many prerequisites from the reader. … it will be ideal to be used both as a textbook and for self-study. … In fact … this book can be used as a ‘mathematical companion’ to a textbook on computational geometry … ." (Paul A. Blaga, Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai Mathematica, Vol. XLVIII (1), March, 2004)

"Matoušek’s excellent new book concerns discrete geometry. … The style is clear and pleasant; things are streamlined and collected in one place, and are explained on simple, concrete examples. … a final chapter on ‘What was it about? An informal summary’ was an innovation that I found to be an excellent idea. Lectures on discrete geometry is a splendid book. I recommend it both to students and researchers in the field, as well as to those who like mathematics for its own inherent beauty." (Imre Bárány, Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society, Issue 35, 2003)

"This book is primarily a textbook introduction to various areas of discrete geometry. In each area, it explains several key results and methods, in an accessible and concrete manner. It also contains more advanced material in separate sections, and thus, it can serve as a collection of surveys in several narrower subfields." (L’ENSEIGNEMENT MATHEMATIQUE, Vol. 48 (3-4), 2002)

"This is an introduction to the field of discrete geometry understood as the investigation of combinatorial properties of configurations of (usually finitely many) geometric objects … . The book is written in a lively and stimulating but very precise style and contains many figures. It gives a good impression of the richness and the relevance of the field." (Johann Linhart, Zentralblatt Math, Vol. 999 (24), 2002)

Editors and Affiliations

  • Department of Applied Mathematics, Charles University, Praha 1, Czech Republic

    Jiří Matoušek

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Lectures on Discrete Geometry

  • Editors: Jiří Matoušek

  • Series Title: Graduate Texts in Mathematics

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0039-7

  • Publisher: Springer New York, NY

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag New York 2002

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-387-95373-1Published: 02 May 2002

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-0-387-95374-8Published: 02 May 2002

  • eBook ISBN: 978-1-4613-0039-7Published: 01 December 2013

  • Series ISSN: 0072-5285

  • Series E-ISSN: 2197-5612

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XVI, 486

  • Topics: Geometry, Convex and Discrete Geometry

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 89.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access