Engineering Student Seeks Good Math Book: Advice?

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  • Thread starter Thread starter GiuseppeR7
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the search for mathematics books suitable for an engineering student seeking a foundational understanding of mathematics, akin to the style of Feynman's physics books. The focus is on identifying resources that address basic mathematical concepts and theories.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a desire for mathematics books that provide a deep understanding of basic concepts, mentioning dissatisfaction with "What Is Mathematics" by Courant.
  • Another participant suggests books like "Mathematical Methods for Physicists" by Arfken and Weber, which surveys mathematics used in physics and engineering.
  • Additional recommendations include "Mathematical Methods" by Boas and a free resource by Nearing, though the original poster indicates these do not meet their needs.
  • The original poster clarifies their interest in books that cover foundational questions in mathematics, such as the nature of proof, Russell's paradox, and Gödel's incompleteness theorem.
  • A participant proposes "Math 1001" by Elwes as a lightweight option and the "Princeton Book of Mathematics" as a more comprehensive alternative.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the appropriate resources, as the original poster's specific needs differ from the suggestions provided. Multiple competing views on suitable books remain unresolved.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights varying interpretations of what constitutes a foundational mathematics book, indicating a lack of clarity on the desired depth and breadth of content.

GiuseppeR7
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Hi, I'm a student of engineering.
I'm learning physics from the books of Feynman. As the time goes by i realize that i know VERY little about math.
So I'm looking for some math books that are analogue to the Feynman books but for the math, i mean i want a book, or a set of books that are able to give me a sound understanding of math, in specifics the basics, if they exist in mathematics. I have puts my hands on What Is Mathematics by Courant but it is not such a deep work in my opinion since it never even answer the question given in the title...but it's a very good "starter".
Thanks
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
mhhh...no...that is not the kind of stuff for what I'm looking for. Watching the contents of the books concepts like the set theory are not there. I want a book that can answer very basic question of mathematics, like: what do we mean by demonstration? how the Russel paradox was teated? what is the incompletness theorem by Godel?
 
i'm going to take a look!
 

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