What do you think?
Rate this book
Introduction to Mathematical Sociology
A comprehensive textbook on the tools of mathematical sociology and their applications
Mathematical models and computer simulations of complex social systems have become everyday tools in sociology. Yet until now, students had no up-to-date textbook from which to learn these techniques. Introduction to Mathematical Sociology fills this gap, providing undergraduates with a comprehensive, self-contained primer on the mathematical tools and applications that sociologists use to understand social behavior.
Phillip Bonacich and Philip Lu cover all the essential mathematics, including linear algebra, graph theory, set theory, game theory, and probability. They show how to apply these mathematical tools to demography; patterns of power, influence, and friendship in social networks; Markov chains; the evolution and stability of cooperation in human groups; chaotic and complex systems; and more.
Introduction to Mathematical Sociology also features numerous exercises throughout, and is accompanied by easy-to-use Mathematica-based computer simulations that students can use to examine the effects of changing parameters on model behavior.
Mathematical models and computer simulations of complex social systems have become everyday tools in sociology. Yet until now, students had no up-to-date textbook from which to learn these techniques. Introduction to Mathematical Sociology fills this gap, providing undergraduates with a comprehensive, self-contained primer on the mathematical tools and applications that sociologists use to understand social behavior.
Phillip Bonacich and Philip Lu cover all the essential mathematics, including linear algebra, graph theory, set theory, game theory, and probability. They show how to apply these mathematical tools to demography; patterns of power, influence, and friendship in social networks; Markov chains; the evolution and stability of cooperation in human groups; chaotic and complex systems; and more.
Introduction to Mathematical Sociology also features numerous exercises throughout, and is accompanied by easy-to-use Mathematica-based computer simulations that students can use to examine the effects of changing parameters on model behavior.
- GenresSocial ScienceSociology
240 pages, Hardcover
First published March 21, 2012
1 person is currently reading
21 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 2, 2019
Short, straight forward book of mathematics useful in sociology. The material is is drawn mainly from algebra and discrete mathematics like Markov chains, networks and game theory. It's very light on statistics and there is no calculus at all. Simulations are available on the publisher website.
However, the authors explain that the intended audience for the content originally (as a lecture course) were social sciences majors who had completed a basics stats course but we're otherwise lacking mathematical experience. If you do have a mathematical background the book is a quick read where you learn about some different applications of mathematics other than the same tired set of physics ones .
If you have a social sciences or humanities background the mathematics may well be challenging or intimidating. The authors, though, make the effort to convince the reader that mathematics, rather than destroying nuance and colour of human interactions, can be a useful tool for teasing out more understanding from what would be a complex tangle. The afterword is entitled "Resistance is futile" which is their ways of saying application if mathematics in the field will only increase.
However, the authors explain that the intended audience for the content originally (as a lecture course) were social sciences majors who had completed a basics stats course but we're otherwise lacking mathematical experience. If you do have a mathematical background the book is a quick read where you learn about some different applications of mathematics other than the same tired set of physics ones .
If you have a social sciences or humanities background the mathematics may well be challenging or intimidating. The authors, though, make the effort to convince the reader that mathematics, rather than destroying nuance and colour of human interactions, can be a useful tool for teasing out more understanding from what would be a complex tangle. The afterword is entitled "Resistance is futile" which is their ways of saying application if mathematics in the field will only increase.
Displaying 1 of 1 review