John H. Conway

ONAG, as the book is commonly known, is one of those rare publications that sprang to life in a moment of creative energy and has remained influential for over a quarter of a century. Originally written to define the relation between the theories of transfinite numbers and mathematical games, the resulting work is a mathematically sophisticated but eminently enjoyable guide to game theory. By defining numbers as the strengths of positions in certain games, the author arrives at a new class, the surreal numbers, that includes both real numbers and ordinal numbers. These surreal numbers are applied in the author's mathematical analysis of game strategies. The additions to the Second Edition present recent developments in the area of mathematical game theory, with a concentration on surreal numbers and the additive theory of partizan games.

The Book of Numbers lets readers of all levels of mathematical sophistication (or lack thereof) understand the origins, patterns, and interrelationships of different numbers. Whether it is a visualization of the Catalan numbers or an explanation of how the Fibonacci numbers occur in nature, there is something in here to delight everyone. The diagrams and pictures, many of which are in color, make this book particularly appealing and fun. A few of the discussions may be confusing to those who are not adept mathematicians; those who are may be irked that certain facts are mentioned without an accompanying proof. Nonetheless, The Book of Numbers will succeed in infecting any reader with an enthusiasm for numbers.

Start with a single shape. Repeat it in some way―translation, reflection over a line, rotation around a point―and you have created symmetry. Symmetry is a fundamental phenomenon in art, science, and nature that has been captured, described, and analyzed using mathematical concepts for a long time. Inspired by the geometric intuition of Bill Thurston and empowered by his own analytical skills, John Conway, with his coauthors, has developed a comprehensive mathematical theory of symmetry that allows the description and classification of symmetries in numerous geometric environments. This richly and compellingly illustrated book addresses the phenomenological, analytical, and mathematical aspects of symmetry on three levels that build on one another and will speak to interested lay people, artists, working mathematicians, and researchers.

This book investigates the geometry of quaternion and octonion algebras. Following a comprehensive historical introduction, the book illuminates the special properties of 3- and 4-dimensional Euclidean spaces using quaternions, leading to enumerations of the corresponding finite groups of symmetries. The second half of the book discusses the less familiar octonion algebra, concentrating on its remarkable "triality symmetry" after an appropriate study of Moufang loops. The authors also describe the arithmetics of the quaternions and octonions. The book concludes with a new theory of octonion factorization. Topics covered include the geometry of complex numbers, quaternions and 3-dimensional groups, quaternions and 4-dimensional groups, Hurwitz integral quaternions, composition algebras, Moufang loops, octonions and 8-dimensional geometry, integral octonions, and the octonion projective plane.

The distinguished mathematician John Conway presents quadratic forms in a pictorial way that enables the reader to understand them mathematically without proving theorems in the traditional fashion. One learns to sense their properties. In his customary enthusiastic style, Conway uses his theme to cast light on all manner of mathematical topics from algebra, number theory and geometry, including many new ideas and features.

The third edition of this definitive and popular book continues to pursue the question: what is the most efficient way to pack a large number of equal spheres in n-dimensional Euclidean space? The authors also examine such related issues as the kissing number problem, the covering problem, the quantizing problem, and the classification of lattices and quadratic forms. There is also a description of the applications of these questions to other areas of mathematics and science such as number theory, coding theory, group theory, analogue-to-digital conversion and data compression, n-dimensional crystallography, dual theory and superstring theory in physics. New and of special interest is a report on some recent developments in the field, and an updated and enlarged supplementary bibliography with over 800 items.

This atlas covers groups from the families of the classification of finite simple groups. Recently updated incorporating corrections

A world-famous mathematician explores Moore's theory of experiments, Kleene's theory of regular events and expressions, Kleene algebras, the differential calculus of events, factors and the factor matrix, and the theory of operators. Additional subjects include context-free languages, communicative regular algebra, axiomatic questions, and logical problems. Solutions to problems. 1971 edition.

With the advent of computer programs such as SketchPad, many high school students and amateur mathematicians are rediscovering interesting facts and theorems about triangles. This is a nearly encyclopaedic collection of known and not-so-known aspects of the subject.

1 Sphere Packings and Kissing Numbers.- 2 Coverings, Lattices and Quantizers.- 3 Codes, Designs and Groups.- 4 Certain Important Lattices and Their Properties.- 5 Sphere Packing and Error-Correcting Codes.- 6 Laminated Lattices.- 7 Further Connections Between Codes and Lattices.- 8 Algebraic Constructions for Lattices.- 9 Bounds for Codes and Sphere Packings.- 10 Three Lectures on Exceptional Groups.- 11 The Golay Codes and the Mathieu Groups.- 12 A Characterization of the Leech Lattice.- 13 Bounds on Kissing Numbers.- 14 Uniqueness of Certain Spherical Codes.- 15 On the Classification of Integral Quadratic Forms.- 16 Enumeration of Unimodular Lattices.- 17 The 24-Dimensional Odd Unimodular Lattices.- 18 Even Unimodular 24-Dimensional Lattices.- 19 Enumeration of Extremal Self-Dual Lattices.- 20 Finding the Closest Lattice Point.- 21 Voronoi Cells of Lattices and Quantization Errors.- 22 A Bound for the Covering Radius of the Leech Lattice.- 23 The Covering Radius of the Leech Lattice.- 24 Twenty-Three Constructions for the Leech Lattice.- 25 The Cellular Structure of the Leech Lattice.- 26 Lorentzian Forms for the Leech Lattice.- 27 The Automorphism Group of the 26-Dimensional Even Unimodular Lorentzian Lattice.- 28 Leech Roots and Vinberg Groups.- 29 The Monster Group and its 196884-Dimensional Space.- 30 A Monster Lie Algebra?.

The main themes. This book is mainly concerned with the problem of packing spheres in Euclidean space of dimensions 1,2,3,4,5, . . . . Given a large number of equal spheres, what is the most efficient (or densest) way to pack them together? We also study several closely related the kissing number problem, which asks how many spheres can be arranged so that they all touch one central sphere of the same size; the covering problem, which asks for the least dense way to cover n-dimensional space with equal overlapping spheres; and the quantizing problem, important for applications to analog-to-digital conversion (or data compression), which asks how to place points in space so that the average second moment of their Voronoi cells is as small as possible. Attacks on these problems usually arrange the spheres so their centers form a lattice. Lattices are described by quadratic forms, and we study the classification of quadratic forms. Most of the book is devoted to these five problems. The miraculous the E 8 and Leech lattices. When we investigate those problems, some fantastic things happen! There are two sphere packings, one in eight dimensions, the E 8 lattice, and one in twenty-four dimensions, the Leech lattice A , which are unexpectedly good and very 24 symmetrical packings, and have a number of remarkable and mysterious properties, not all of which are completely understood even today.

The Magic Theorem, a Greatly-Expanded, Much-Abridged Edition of The Symmetries of Things is a unique re-imagining of the classic book The Symmetries of Things, returning to the authors' original vision of a stand-alone elementary introduction to the orbifold signature notation and the theory behind it.The Magic Theorem features all the material contained in Part I of The Symmetries of Things, redesigned and even more lavishly illustrated, along with new and engaging material suitable for a novice audience, including hands-on symmetry activities for the home or classroom and an online repository of teaching materials.