Applications of Computational Algebraic Geometry: American Mathematical Society Short Course January 6-7, 1997 San Diego, California

by David A. Cox (Editor), Bernd Sturmfels (Editor)

This book introduces readers to key ideas and applications of computational algebraic geometry. Beginning with the discovery of Gröbner bases and fueled by the advent of modern computers and the rediscovery of resultants, computational algebraic geometry has grown rapidly in importance. The fact that "crunching equations" is now as easy as "crunching numbers" has had a profound impact in recent years. At the same time, the mathematics used in computational algebraic geometry is unusually elegant and accessible, which makes the subject easy to learn and easy to apply.

This book begins with an introduction to Gröbner bases and resultants, then discusses some of the more recent methods for solving systems of polynomial equations. A sampler of possible applications follows, including computer-aided geometric design, complex information systems, integer programming, and algebraic coding theory. The lectures in the book assume no previous acquaintance with the material.

173 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1998

About the author

David Archibald Cox (born September 23, 1948 in Washington, D.C.) is an American mathematician, working in algebraic geometry.

Cox graduated from Rice University with a Bachelor's degree in 1970 and his Ph.D. in 1975 at Princeton University, under the supervision of Eric Friedlander (Tubular Neighborhoods in the Etale Topology). From 1974 to 1975, he was assistant professor at Haverford College and at Rutgers University from 1975 to 1979. In 1979, he became assistant professor and in 1988 professor at Amherst College.

He studies, among other things, étale homotopy theory, elliptic surfaces, computer-based algebraic geometry (such as Gröbner basis), Torelli sets and toric varieties, and history of mathematics. He is also known for several textbooks. He is a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.

From 1987 to 1988 he was a guest professor at Oklahoma State University. In 2012, he received the Lester Randolph Ford Award for Why Eisenstein Proved the Eisenstein Criterion and Why Schönemann Discovered It First.